The Irish Love Wine!

It's Not Malarkey, The Irish Like Wine Too

Irish roots at some of the world’s top wineries

Irish wine you say? That must be Guinness. But in fact there are wineries on the Emerald Isle, and they make a number of different styles of wine. The European Union has even listed Ireland as an official wine-producing country. Imagine that.


The Irish actually have a long history in the wine industry. American wineries owned by families of Irish descent include Shea Vineyards in Oregon, and Chateau Montelena, PlumpJack, Murphy-Goode, and Mayacamas, all in northern California. Many French wineries were at one time owned by Irish families, including these prominent chateaus: Margaux, Haut-Brion, d’Yquem, Phélan-Segur, Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse de Lalande, Léoville-Barton, Lynch-Bages, and Ducru-Beaucaillou.


In the Languedoc region of France, a group of 300 Irish investors known as “Les Vignerons Irlandais” owns 145 acres of vineyards, producing 300,000 bottles of wine that are sent back to Ireland.


In Ireland itself, the epicenter of Gaelic wine is around County Cork, in the southwest of Ireland. There you can find small vineyards in Kinsale and Mallow, as well as one on the site of Bunratty Castle (albeit best known for Bunratty mead, which is a traditional honey-based wine).


What’s your favorite Irish beverage? Tell us here.


Happy St. Patrick’s Day!