Wine Republic

Martin Moran is one of the quartet of Irish Masters of Wine, and the jauntily-named and wittily logo-ed “Wine Republic” is his first book, indeed it's the first book by an Irish M.W.

Moran has spent many years working in all and every aspect of the wine trade, so it's not surprising that his book focuses on the wine trade in Ireland, describing the best places to buy wines and the people who work in those places, and also offering his notes on a selection of the best-selling wines sold from the many places he features. He wears his learning lightly, which makes “Wine Republic” approachable as well as informative. In style, he favours an Oz Clarke-like chatty informality, with a Robert Parker style method of rating wines which runs up to 100 from the dark depths of “Below 80”!. We have already acted on his recommendations, with some Kiwi Cuvée (ho,ho) and a bottle of Pepperwood Grove Zin (respectively 87 and 90 in the scoring) waiting in the cupboard. This is an excellent production from Passion Publishing, and within the trade it is likely to become an essential text.

'Wine Republic', Martin Moran, Passion Publishing, €15