“We make Irish wine … but not in Ireland,” says Lisa O’Doherty, sommelier at County Kildare’s K Club luxury resort, in the new documentary A Sip of Irish. She’s referencing Ireland’s “Wine Geese,” both past and present, who have traveled abroad to make wine in more suitable climes.
“The ‘Wild Geese’ were those who left Ireland and settled around the world,” explains Dublin-based businessman Kingsley Aikens, formerly of the Irish Trade Board, “and many of them went into the wine industry, particularly in Bordeaux, and they became known as the ‘Wine Geese.’”
Director Frank Mannion, whose films also include Sparkling: The Story of Champagne, explores not just wine but Irish whiskey, beer and more in his latest film. Among the Irish-founded châteaus around the world that Mannion visits are many of wine’s most recognizable names.
“We filmed at Château Montelena with Irish-American owner Bo Barrett, Limerick Lane, Chateau Lynch Bages with Kinou Cazes, Léoville Barton with Lilian Barton, Château Phélan Segur (founded by Bernard Phelan from Tipperary), Kirwan (founded by Mark Kirwan of Galway and beloved of Thomas Jefferson and even George Washington) and Hennessy Cognac and Leeuwin Estates (founded by the Horgans from County Cork),” Mannion told Wine Spectator.
“We even found a fascinating Irish connection to Château Margaux (once owned by Irish merchants) and filmed with managing director Philippe Bascaules,” Mannion continued. “We also discovered that the Irish were responsible for the innovation of blending in Bordeaux, which is perhaps the most important development that allowed Bordeaux to become internationally renowned. Even Château Margaux acknowledges the contribution that the Irish made in blending.”
A Brief History of Whiskey and Beer the Ireland Way
A Sip of Irish serves all Irish-influenced adult beverages with equal attention, and the debate over whether the Scotch or the Irish invented whiskey is settled in the mind of at least one prominent global drinks expert interviewed for the film. (Not much of a spoiler: He says it’s the Irish.)
From Bailey’s Irish Cream to Guinness to Jameson and more, the proud Irish traditions of fermenting and distilling remain as strong as ever, recognized around the world.
Rory Guinness, author of World of Guinness and descendant of beer empire founder Arthur Guinness, visits one of London’s premier Irish pubs, the Devonshire, in one segment of the film, where proprietor Oisín Rogers explains the one-of-a-kind Guinness tap that is the heart of the Devonshire, designed to replicate a pint of Guinness as close as possible to those in Dublin.
“Would Arthur be proud?” Mannion asks Guinness, whose eyes start to shine as he ponders the question over a sip. “You know what? Arthur would be stunned. Genuinely.”
Is Netflix’s ‘House of Guinness’ a True Story?
For a far more dramatized take on the history of Guinness beer, Netflix’s House of Guinness provides a highly entertaining look at the aftermath of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness’ death in 1868 and the successes and failures of his four children in keeping and growing the brewery founded by their father. It brings far more sex and violence to the screen than Sip of Irish (which, to be clear, has none), but would Arthur be stunned?
Almost certainly, as the truth of House of Guinness ends largely with the characters’ names and the beer they’re famous for. There’s no evidence to support that the Protestant Guinness family supported Irish independence, nor that they were selling Guinness in New York that early, two major plotlines of the film. Fictionalizations aside, fans of Peaky Blinders and Succession will very much enjoy savoring a stout and settling in for the first season of House of Guinness.
Wine Spectator Video: The Irish Room at Château Phélan Ségur
Wine Spectator Video: Pairing Irish Whiskies and Cheeses
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