Wine: A good sommelier can give you a taste for the finer things in life

A wine expert has the power not only to hugely enhance your enjoyment of a meal but also to open a world of knowledge, and Paul Fogerty at Ashford Castle has a particular treat lined up for lucky wine-lovers

The wine cellars at Ashford Castle: bringing new vibrancy into an old setting

The work of a sommelier is often underappreciated. A good wine steward can magnify your enjoyment of a meal and most restaurants or hotels will call upon the knowledge of one such expert. At Ashford Castle on the Mayo-Galway border, however, head sommelier Paul Fogerty heads up a team of five (including one for breakfast), such is the level of detail that goes into its guest experience.

I recently had an opportunity to encounter this ...