THE GRAPES OF GEESE Irish, wild geese and wine
The current history of Irish wine making as opposed to making green beer started in the 1600s when thousands of Irish Catholics fled Ireland after the defeat of the Catholic King James II (King of England, Ireland and Scotland) by the Protestants led by James II’s son-in-law William of Orange. Talk about keeping it "All In The Family."
The Irish who fled persecution with King James II were cataloged as wild geese on the manifests of ships exiting Ireland for Europe and other parts of the New World as a reference to the lonely call of those wild fowl. Originally, fleeing Irishmen who joined the French army to fight the English were called The Wild Geese. Most Irish emigrants around the world are now sometimes referred to as the Wild Geese. As William Butler Yeats despondently put it in his poem
How is any of this relevant to wine making? The Irish especially in France settled in what are now famous winemaking regions of France such as Bordeaux. Much to the chagrin of the French, these Wild Geese became very successful in making wine and created some now famous wineries such as Chateau Margaux. It is not surprising to the Irish since Dublin in the early 18
When the then US Ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson visited France in 1787 he wanted to advise his new country on affairs of state but also on potential French wine additions to complement George Washington’s wine cellar. Interestingly Jefferson’s recommendations included a number of wines made by the Irish Wild Geese in France. To this date the White House serves wines made by the Irish at state dinners.
The Wild Geese who make famous wines are now tagged as the Wine Geese by Ted Murphy in his book A Kingdom of Wine.
In the United States we don’t associate great wines with the Irish or with drinking wine on St. Patrick’s Day but here are some great California wineries founded by the descendants of the Wild Geese nka Wine Geese: Irishman Francis Mahoney founded Carneros Creek Winery; Jim Sullivan founded Sullivan Vineyards winery and Jay Corley started Monticello Vineyards in Napa Valley. Jim Murphy started Murphy-Good in Alexander Valley; Bill Murphy founded Clos La Chance in the Santa Cruz Mountains and James Concannon opened Concannon Vineyards.
One of the most famous Wine Geese wineries is Chateau Montelena in the Napa Valley. —what do they have in common? This is a great trivia question for St. Patrick’s Day. The Irish introduction to wine was inauspicious to say the very least. In 533AD, the King of Ireland was set upon by ‘'a vengeful woman' with whom the King offered to give up his kingdom for one night with her. She forbade him to utter her name in public and when he inadvertently did so she took out her wrath upon him by setting the King’s palace on fire. In fear and flight the King threw himself into a nearby vat of wine where he drowned. Some cynics say he died of overconsumption but his derriere was reportedly ablaze when he nose dived into the wine. September 1913, "Was it for this the wild geese spread/The grey wing upon every tide/For this that all that blood was shed". th century imported and consumed more wine than England and Scotland combined. At the time the English Lord Chesterfield sniffed that even the lower ranks of Irish were consuming wine.
Scandal! Shock! Roll the camera! In 1972 the winery at Chateau Montelena was restored by a descendant of the Wine Geese—Jim Barrett-a lawyer seeking a better life. Chateau Montelena rocked the wine world by being selected the top white wine (Chardonnay) over four French Burgundies in the Paris wine tasting of 1976 now known as the infamous Judgment of Paris. This selection was made by all the French judges in a blind wine tasting. The French newspapers ignored the contest but the New York Times broke the story much to the outrage of the French. One of the French judges even tried to reclaim her ballot.
The current history of Irish wine making as opposed to making green beer started in the 1600s when thousands of Irish Catholics fled Ireland after the defeat of the Catholic King James II (King of England, Ireland and Scotland) by the Protestants led by James II’s son-in-law William of Orange. Talk about keeping it "All In The Family."
The Irish who fled persecution with King James II were cataloged as wild geese on the manifests of ships exiting Ireland for Europe and other parts of the New World as a reference to the lonely call of those wild fowl. Originally, fleeing Irishmen who joined the French army to fight the English were called The Wild Geese. Most Irish emigrants around the world are now sometimes referred to as the Wild Geese. As William Butler Yeats despondently put it in his poem
How is any of this relevant to wine making? The Irish especially in France settled in what are now famous winemaking regions of France such as Bordeaux. Much to the chagrin of the French, these Wild Geese became very successful in making wine and created some now famous wineries such as Chateau Margaux. It is not surprising to the Irish since Dublin in the early 18
When the then US Ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson visited France in 1787 he wanted to advise his new country on affairs of state but also on potential French wine additions to complement George Washington’s wine cellar. Interestingly Jefferson’s recommendations included a number of wines made by the Irish Wild Geese in France. To this date the White House serves wines made by the Irish at state dinners.
The Wild Geese who make famous wines are now tagged as the Wine Geese by Ted Murphy in his book A Kingdom of Wine.
In the United States we don’t associate great wines with the Irish or with drinking wine on St. Patrick’s Day but here are some great California wineries founded by the descendants of the Wild Geese nka Wine Geese: Irishman Francis Mahoney founded Carneros Creek Winery; Jim Sullivan founded Sullivan Vineyards winery and Jay Corley started Monticello Vineyards in Napa Valley. Jim Murphy started Murphy-Good in Alexander Valley; Bill Murphy founded Clos La Chance in the Santa Cruz Mountains and James Concannon opened Concannon Vineyards.
One of the most famous Wine Geese wineries is Chateau Montelena in the Napa Valley. —what do they have in common? This is a great trivia question for St. Patrick’s Day. The Irish introduction to wine was inauspicious to say the very least. In 533AD, the King of Ireland was set upon by ‘'a vengeful woman' with whom the King offered to give up his kingdom for one night with her. She forbade him to utter her name in public and when he inadvertently did so she took out her wrath upon him by setting the King’s palace on fire. In fear and flight the King threw himself into a nearby vat of wine where he drowned. Some cynics say he died of overconsumption but his derriere was reportedly ablaze when he nose dived into the wine. September 1913, "Was it for this the wild geese spread/The grey wing upon every tide/For this that all that blood was shed". th century imported and consumed more wine than England and Scotland combined. At the time the English Lord Chesterfield sniffed that even the lower ranks of Irish were consuming wine.
Scandal! Shock! Roll the camera! In 1972 the winery at Chateau Montelena was restored by a descendant of the Wine Geese—Jim Barrett-a lawyer seeking a better life. Chateau Montelena rocked the wine world by being selected the top white wine (Chardonnay) over four French Burgundies in the Paris wine tasting of 1976 now known as the infamous Judgment of Paris. This selection was made by all the French judges in a blind wine tasting. The French newspapers ignored the contest but the New York Times broke the story much to the outrage of the French. One of the French judges even tried to reclaim her ballot.
Horrors! An American winery run by the descendant (a lawyer no less) of an Irish immigrant produces a wine superior to the French. The wine contest was sponsored by an English importer of French wines that believed this was a no lose contest for the French wines. He was subsequently banned by the French for a year from further French wine events. A bottle of that winning vintage is in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. This shocking event catapulted California wines into the world market.
St. Patrick’s Day--Stay out of the bars and off the streets. Avoid celebrations where there are open vats of wine and open flames. Rent the movie Bottle Shock and open a bottle of Chateau Montelena’s 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 750ml for $49.00 at the winery’s website: montelena.com. This wine benefits from the change in selecting grapes at the winery. The winery selectively picks smaller sections of the vineyards at a time to ensure more optimal and uniform ripeness of the grapes going into the tanks.
Despite the reference to the Irish diaspora as Wild Geese, Geese is a traditional Irish dish. Easier to prepare an Irish Stew of course to go with your wine and movie.
The wine is a bit pricey but you are drinking over 400 years of history in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Enjoy!
