3 wines to try, buy and put by

The Three Wines

TO TRY

Champagne Bénard-Pitois, Brut Reserve, NV, €34.95, Whelans Wines, Loughlinstown, Co Dublin (91)

Ireland’s higher tax on wine with bubbles in it has meant importers, and therefore consumers, rarely experimented with left-field producers or unknown names. They required a high price for their low-margin wine to make it worthwhile at all. So hundreds of fascinating grower producers with great reputations, but little brand image, are largely avoided.

This small, artisan grower ...