Unsettling rumours are whirling about in the autumn air, as a chill wind from an easterly direction whistles through the Irish wine trade. I'm not talking about the advent of Oddbins, the British high street chain. That's no longer a rumour but a fact, with the first of 10 Irish shops due to open in the former premises of Farm Produce in Baggot Street by Christmas. And Oddbins could be good for consumers here, without causing our own wine merchants fatal havoc or destruction. No, it's the British supermarket giants that are the source of all the whispered unease.
In the wake of Tesco's takeover of Quinnsworth, our remaining supermarket groups are about to be swallowed up, so the stories go, by hungry British monsters - lions snapping at the heels of the Celtic Tiger. Sainsburys, Safeway, Asda, Waitrose . . . the names are variously paired with Dunnes Stores, Superquinn and other, smaller fry in a deadly supermarket-style exercise of pick 'n' mix . All gossip - at least at the time of writing. But underneath it lurks the general view that it's only a matter of time. With our buoyant economy, the Irish market has never seemed so sexy to go-getting grocers from across the water. This is grim news for a great many people - including Irish wine lovers.
Why such a damning, sweeping statement? Because there's no doubt that more British supermarket takeovers will lead to less excitement on the wine shelves. For a start, the range of bottles on offer is bound to shrink. Massive retailing groups pour their energies into developing a portfolio of own-label wines. For practical reasons, this cannot match the variety that supermarkets here have achieved, through a combination of dealing with up to 50 local importers and buying direct. So we'll miss out on diversity - especially in the middle-to-upper price range.
Instead, there will be more cheap wines. Price is a much more critical factor with the vast majority of British consumers than it is here. But will these low-price bottles necessarily be any better than the inexpensive wines Irish supermarkets have sourced more and more assiduously, these past few years, with local tastebuds in mind? I doubt it.
Before you dismiss this misgiving as xenophobic twaddle, pause and reflect on its pragmatic underpinning. When even the most substantial Irish retail group goes off a-buying, it is small enough to stand a reasonable chance of having its wine requirements met by small to medium-sized producers who, as likely as not, will be given to making interesting, quality-driven wines. An infinitely bigger British group will tend to deal with large-scale producers who can deliver on volume and take the squeeze on price.
I know this is a generalisation - some small producers' wines are dire while those of certain mammoth companies taste brilliant - but it is indicative of an overall pattern, for which we should be grateful while we can.
"We've been trying, more and more, to buy direct from individual growers rather than from big companies," says Redmond Gavin, wine buyer for Dunnes Stores. "We can source better quality wines that way." A Fitou, a Minervois, a Faugeres and a Corbieres, all currently on sale at £4.49, are brought in from small domaines. The new Santa Isabel wines come from one of Argentina's small-scale producers. It's fair to say that Dunnes also deal direct with middle-sized to large companies - for the excellent Agramont wines from Navarra and the Seppelt range from Australia, for instance - as part of a vigorous policy to sharpen selling prices by cutting out the middleman. Direct imports now account for 50 per cent of business, Redmond Gavin reports, compared with just 10 per cent two years ago.
Superquinn's wine buyer, Michael Donlon, quotes the same figure of 50 per cent for the volume of sales generated by the wines he has sourced himself. The direct buys fall into two categories - bargain bottles for everyday drinking (like the Vina Albali wines from Valdepenas, offering marvellous value), and higher quality offerings at keen prices (such as the full range of Charles Vienot Burgundies). France is a particular strength, partly because of the effort expended on Superquinn's autumn French wine fair.
The latest group to go out foraging for value is SuperValu-Centra. Colin Sheil, previously manager of SuperValu's dynamic Raheny Wine Cellar, is now in the Cork head office, assisting buyer Ian Lacey to develop a range of wines which will be exclusive to the country's 300-plus SuperValu and Centra outlets. "We're doing it for competitive reasons, first. The reality is that we can knock 50p off the price by dealing direct, so a wine that would sell at £5.49 if it came via a wholesaler is £4.99. But we also feel we can source wines that have more to offer than most of the big brands." The new Gouts et Couleurs range from the south of France (£4.99) is certainly a case in point.
Quinnsworth, meanwhile, is in transition, sloughing off its old skin as it turns into Tesco. Cathy Mooney of the wine department is adamant that many of the popular wines Quinnsworth sourced will remain, at least for the time being, alongside the newcomers (which I'll soon begin to sample). As some are familiar old friends, I hope she's right.
With Christmas parties - whisper it - in the air, the supermarkets' direct imports are good bargain-hunting territory, especially for red wines. This time last year I swore never again to utter the words "party wine", since there is something about the conjunction of those two words that unleashes a fountain of undrinkable junk. The bottles listed below are what I'd describe as real party wine, however - all designed for easy quaffing, not to mention bulk buying. You may complain about overindulgence, but not about price.
WHITE
Chateau Fleur Grandchamps Entre-Deux-Mers 1996 (Quinnsworth, reduced from £5.49 to £4.49 until end December). Sauvignon Blanc delivers huge gooseberry and nettle aromas - but also old-world austerity of flavour. A good buy at its special price. Gouts et Couleurs Chardonnay Vin de Pays d'Oc 1996 (many SuperValus and Centras, £4.99). A toasty Chardonnay from the south of France, but in the New World mould: broad, full flavours, broad appeal. A recent baby of Gaetane Carron, the woman who did so much to forge the flavours of Chile's Concha y Toro.
RED
Domaine Bosquet-Canet Cabernet Sauvignon, Vin de Pays des Sables du Golfe du Lion 1994 (Superquinn, £4.79). Yes, a mouthful! Like Superquinn's other great red bargain, Abbaye St Hilaire, this spicy, savoury, mature wine from the south has its spiritual home closer to Bordeaux. Best with food.
Fuente del Ritmo Tempranillo, La Mancha, 1996 (Quinnsworth, £4.99). A deservedly popular wine pioneered by Ed Flaherty, the Californian winemaker who is now installed with Errazuriz in Chile. Chock-full of juicy, raspberry flavours and with a nice, lingering tang. Santa Isabel Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza, 1994 (Dunnes Stores, £4.99). There's an earthy edge to this luscious Argentinian, but it's smooth and rounded enough to sip on its own. Rich and voluptuous.
Domaine du Grand Bosc Fitou 1994 (Superquinn, still down from £6.99 to £4.99). A lovely chunky, warming mouthful, full of ripe Grenache and Carignan. Long may it continue at the outstanding French wine fair price . . . Rasteau Les Peyrieres, Cotes du Rhone Villages 1996 (Dunnes Stores, £5.99). One more pound, but still a snip - especially for something so drinkable from the Rhone. See Bottle of the Week.