You look for wine from France, Spain, Italy or... Japan? This shop, which also can be found in the…read moreEnglish Market in the Cork city centre (phone: 021 425 4641), offers red and white wine as well as rosé and champagne. The shop looks a little like a storage facility, because that was the purpose of the building. The selection is above the price range of Tesco, Aldi or SuperValu, the prices as well, but the knowledge and the service is worth the price. Champagne bottles for a single person as well as Magnum bottles are available. The majority of the wines is coming from France and I was amazed to see a view bottles from the Loire region, which is quite unknown compared to Côte du Rhone etc.. If you want a good wine AND service, see the Bubble Brothers.

One of my favourite stalls at the English Market. Bubble Brothers has helped me out during…read morecountless gift-buying panics. The staff at the market are always good at doling out advice even when they're talking to a wine-moron like me! Prices are very competitive too, they cater to any budget and the service is worth the difference.

BRADLEY'S Called into Bradley's, North Main Street, to…read morebrowse among their 700 wines. Wouldn't you know it - they didn't have the Four Sisters Shiraz that I was on the lookout for. At least that was my excuse for calling. They had some bargains, one Australian Shiraz I had bought elsewhere before Christmas was marked down by three euro. The Penfold's Rawson Retreat range was also down by that amount and I treated herself (my excuse) to a bottle of Semillon Chardonnay. They also have huge ranges of spirits and beers but I didn't have time to check them all or the arms to carry them. Settled for a few beers on this occasion and am now looking forward to sampling Pilsner Urquell (€2.99), Rick Stein's Chalky's Bark Open (€2.99) and, from Oz, Hahn Premium (€1.89). My father always maintained that Bradley's had the best bottled Irish beer in town but they have now spread their wings and are well worth a visit. Service, by the way, was relaxed and friendly.

SUPERVALU Supervalu in the old Roches Stores in Merchant's…read moreQuay is not the place I'd normally think of when looking for beers with a difference. But time was short and I tried and found a decent enough selection there from both sides of the Atlantic. Stuck with the Europeans though. Got the Budejovicky Budwar (€2.78) - was this the one transferred across the Atlantic? - from the Czech Republic, plus two from Bavaria , Paulaner Hefe-Weisbier ( €2.32) and the Erdinger Weissbrau (€2.78), all in 500ml bottles. Just a note on last week's trio (from Bradley's). They were Pilsner Urquell (€2.99), Rick Stein's Chalky's Bark Open (€2.99) and, from Oz, Hahn Premium (€1.89). All very enjoyable and I found it impossible to put them in a 1-2-3 order. Pleasantly surprised with the Chalky's Bark as I was a bit apprehensive about the ginger element. I must say that I didn't enjoy my Supervalu trio as much. The Erdinger, a dark beer, flattered to deceive. Rather enjoyed the first mouthful but gradually the sweetness got to me and I didn't finish it. The Pualaner, which also produced an abundant head, looked promising but there was something about it, noticeable in the nose and just when you finished the swallow, a kind of clove like whiff. Not for me. The Budwar saved the day! Better colour, better body, better all round that the pale watery American version, it was a decent beer, more or less on a par with the three from the previous week

O'HANLON'S OFF LICENCE The relatively new establishment in…read morethe Mayfield Shopping Centre is well established after 18 months and my recent call showed why. They are a friendly lot in this off licence. Loads of free advice on the best beer buys locally and also some down to earth advice on their extensive stock of wines. They informally steer you through the maze of types and prices and don't just hand out the expensive bottle. They want customers, sure, but they want happy repeat customers. I went off with my purchases, including a Wyndham Bin 555 Shiraz, and will be back.

Toured the Midleton Distillery today (5-21-26) and had Myles as our tour guide. Myles was very…read morepersonable and had vast knowledge of the distillery as well as the processes of making whiskey. The grounds were vast and we were able to see various phases of whiskey making. At the end of the tour we had a whiskey tasting of three varieties followed by a cocktail at their bar. This tour was great and there was so much more to see than The Teeling Whiskey Tour in Dublin. I recommend The Midleton Distillery Tour to travelers.

Great experience at Midleton. The property is beautiful and in a lovely town…read more Our tour guide Cassy was incredibly knowledgeable and informative. She expertly answered the myriad of questions she was presented with. We opted for the higher priced premium tasting, which included a tasting of the distillery specific Jameson, Redbreast 15, and Midleton Very Rare. That too was a good experience overall, with a different host guiding us through the tasting, but it was definitely rushed. It was clear that the employee was under the gun to move us along. Each whiskey was wonderful, but it felt odd downing a taste of Midleton like a shot. The tour concluded with an included drink in the bar. Most of us opted for a Jameson and Ginger, made with Fever Tree ginger ale, given the unusually warm weather Ireland was experiencing. We also bought a "Spot" flight to sample three of those brand (Red Spot was amazing). Lastly, the wife and I perused the gift shop and the glorious Midleton vault of rare years and editions. Another employee, Michael, was informative and generous with his time as he talked about the whiskey's history and the significance of the various releases. He had no problem answering our questions regarding bottles valued at tens of thousands of Euros, even though we were clearly not in the market for one. He was able to approach the whiskey from both the perspective of a collector and an enthusiastic consumer. Our time in the vault was almost like a second tour and we spent so much time in it that our adult children began to think we had gone missing. We finally left, purchasing a bottle of the Dair Ghaelach release, matured in casks made from the wood of a native Irish tree (which we learned is very rare). While its cost was dwarfed by many of the rare bottles present, it was definitely more than we are used to spending on a bottle. We intend to keep it as a collector's piece, on par with "artwork." However, Michael would probably encourage us to enjoy it on the many special occasions that life brings us : )

Very handily situated off-licence in the centre of town. Go there when you've finished shopping for…read moreSaturday night and stock up for Saturday night. Good range of beers, and a nice selection of wines.