About Me

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Dublin, Ireland
Hi, I'm Dermot Nolan, and I became a Master of Wine (MW) in 1997, and resigned from the Institute of Masters of Wine in 2023 after being an MW for exactly 26 years. I opened a wine shop in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, called The Wine Library, which closed in 2018, and this is my personal wine blog. I will do my utmost to be fair and responsible in my posts – please read my Who Pays article in re the ethics of wine trips and writing. I have worked in wine education, retail, and consultancy since 1990. I was a Director of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) from 2008 to 2014 and was also a member of the Events Committee, founder of the Trips Committee, and member of the Governance Committee. Having had problems with potentially libellous comments from unidentifiable posters, I now require that if you post a comment, you must identify yourself properly or it won't be published. Please note that I do not review products or services on request so kindly don't ask. I value my independence and I believe my readers (few that they may be) do so also.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Paul Bocuse

I'm currently in Lyon so last night my partner Liz and I ate out at Paul Bocuse. For those of you who don't know, he is one of the finest chefs ever and has been a top chef for over half a century.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The wines of Valencia

Recently there was a tasting of the wines of Valencia in Dublin. It turned out to be a really good tasting with some very tasty wines to try, from good Cavas, to fresh whites, some interesting reds and a few nice sweeties, including, paradoxicaly, a French Vin Doux Naturel (VDN)! Indeed, the range of varieties for tasting vould easily make you think you were in France - cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, petit verdot, pinot noir, chardonnay and syrah.