The best Irish wine is made by a Spanish couple

The Irish county of Wexford has the most hours of sunshine on the entire Emerald Isle and one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Curracloe, where the movies Saving Private Ryan and Brooklyn, based on the memorable novel by Colm Tóibín, were filmed. Fans make pilgrimages to Enniscorthy (the writer’s hometown and where the beginning of Brooklyn and its sequel, Long Island, take place) to take a tour of the filming locations. They all end up at the Stamps Bar, which is very similar to the pub run in fiction by Jim Farrell’s character, with a pint of Guinness in hand. But this image may have its days numbered because it is no longer so self-evident that in Ireland, you can’t drink anything else.

The sea breeze, sunlight, fertile soil, expert care, new techniques and climate change have led a Spanish couple to create the first commercial-scale Irish wine under the brand The Old Roots, with varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Cabernet, Pinot Noir and a production of up to 10,000 bottles a year.

Located next to the village of Wellingtonbridge, this four-hectare vineyard is the largest one in Ireland. It belongs to Esperanza Hernández and Jesús Lázaro and has a strategic layout that maximizes sun exposure, a determining factor in a historically humid and cloudy climate. “It is clear that Ireland is not a wine-growing territory, but that does not mean that it is not possible to make good wine here,” explains Hernández. “We planted the vineyard in 2015 and produced the first wine in 2019. Our relationship with Ireland goes back a long way; we have had an audiovisual company here for more than 20 years.”

Esperanza and Jesús worked for several years in the communication industry, but, like the characters in Colm Tóibín’s novels, they sought a new direction in Wexford, venturing into a different and more vibrant sector. “Making wine was about recovering our old roots (The Old Roots). After selling our wines in the best hotels in Ireland and Michelin-starred restaurants, our goal is now to export and place them in other markets, such as the United States and Asia.”

After trying this Irish wine with its Atlantic character and surprising structure, complexity and flavor, with its range of floral notes and intense fruity nuances, it is hard not to agree with the restaurants and hotels that buy it, but at the same time one wonders how you can promote wine culture in a beer-drinking country. “More and more wine is being consumed in Ireland and the consumer is more educated,” says Hernández. And what role does the Irish landscape, the particularities of the sea and this salty wind play in this wine? “Our fields were once covered by glaciers and this can be seen in the sediments that give the land a special personality. In addition, the proximity to the sea gives a unique character to the grapes and the wind helps us to control pests and fungi with very little use of phytosanitary products.”

The creation of this wine has been influenced by both the know-how of the winemaker Santiago Jordi (“he has been a fundamental figure, contributing all his experience and helping us to implement radical ideas”) and climate change (and its excessive heat), something that, as Esperanza Hernández warns, could change the rules of the game in the sector: “The conditions in traditional wine-growing areas are causing an imbalance in the ripening of the grapes, and that is why there are already producers buying land in places like Great Britain.”

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