2018 Award Winners WINE AWARD OF THE YEAR 2018

Green Man Wines, Dublin 6

While craft beers and independent distilleries have been making all the headlines in recent years - and the best ones are very deserving of their success - they don’t replace that special relationship that we have with wine, and the way that it can enhance the dining experience and be a particular focus of interest in itself. Along with other aspects of the wine lover’s experience - including educational events - what this award is all about is a passion for the individuality of wines, and their makers.

Run by husband and wife team David Gallagher and Claire O’Boyle Gallagher, Green Man Wines is, in David own words, “a good wine shop that serves tasty bites in a casual, relaxed, friendly, unstuffy atmosphere”, somewhere he himself would like to hang out.

A quick glance around and it is obvious that wine comes first here. This is no ordinary ‘wine bar’ where the focus is mainly on food, but a place dedicated to diverse and authentic wines, accompanied by simple food with that same integrity - the menu might include small bites like juicy crab meat on lightly toasted sourdough, or hot plates like barbecued whole morcilla (Spanish black pudding) with barbie-baked potatoes and dressed salad leaves...

There’s an extensive and ever-changing choice of interesting wines by the glass (including a page of orange wines) plus several walls of wine to drink by the bottle (€8 corkage), each adorned with a handwritten label in what amounts to a library of wine.

The couple’s love of the world of wine is infectious - and they hold regular tastings and wine-focused events and collaborations too.