The Wine Geese and Wine Goose

Ever wandered into your local wine shop and headed for the Bordeaux section, intent on walking out of that minefield with a fine bottle of red that lives up to its price? Well you're not alone. Next time you're in there, why not try a different angle and look out for some unexpected names. Scattered amongst the venerable French families you are likely to spot more labels with Irish names than one would expect of a country with no history of wine production.

Start with the basic Bordeaux AC where you'll find Barton & Guestier, as well as Michel Lynch. Both names are slightly Frenchified, the men must have fallen in love with more than the soil! Move into Listrac-Medoc, where Chateau Clarke produces some of the finest tannic, medium-bodied reds for which the region is famed. Browse the Margaux labels and you'll find that Chateau Kirwan can compete with the best of them, as can Chateau Lynch-Bages in Pauillac. The Barton family pops up again in St Julien, with the second growth Leoville-Barton featuring at the top of the quality ranking in that appellation.

These 'wine geese' as they are now known, did not drift into Bordeaux by accident, decide to take the French on at their own game, and develop great wines. Like so many before and after them, they did not leave their country by choice. Indeed, this particular group fought many battles in Ireland during an especially bloody period in her history, and eventually fled, not only to settle in foreign fields, but indeed many of them went on to fight in other European armies.

It all happened over 300 years ago, when, following heavy losses in the Battle of the Boyne and the Battle of Aughrim, the 1691 Treaty of Limerick allowed a group of soldiers to leave Ireland and serve in France with the defeated James II, the last Catholic King of England. The term 'wine geese' is derived from the 'Flight of the Wild Geese', as their departure subsequently became known. Nowadays the term has extended to include all the Irish involved in wine production worldwide, and as of today Wine Goose herself!

The International Museum of Wine in Kinsale, County Cork, documents many of the families of Irish origin involved in the wine trade throughout the world, and for those interested in further delving into the subject, its website offers a breakdown of Irish involvement in the wine trade by country, winery and family. The museum also welcomes information on the Irish roots of wine families around the world and can be contacted via its website.