FOODIE PROFILE - THE WINE LIBRARY - LONG READ

Dermot knows very well when his interest in wine began. In fact, he can date it to exactly New Years Day in 1988.

"My sister and I hosted a family dinner. We had lots of bottles of wine lying around the house and I had read a bit about wine tasting (Michael Broadbent MW’s Winetasting) so I swirled and sniffed a glass of Fleurie 1984 from the Cave Co-op", the label of which he has in his shop today.

He was "amazed at the flavours which emerged from the glass" and just like that, it was love at first sip.

It was another two years before he began working in the wine trade but since then, he has been involved in "all aspects" of it, with a particular passion for wine education. In 2013, he began working as Retail Manager for The Wicklow Wine Company and he credits "what I learned in Wicklow" in helping set up his future plans.

He is a Master of Wine and I inquire what this means, apart from making him sound really cool and sophisticated. 

"According to the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) a Mast of Wine is: A Master of Wine (MW) is someone who has demonstrated, by way of rigorous examination, a thorough knowledge of all aspects of wine and an ability to communicate clearly."

Dermot adds "A Master of Wine will actively encourage others in the pursuit of knowledge as well as seek to bring wine communities together."

Which is also a good way of summing up the ethos of The Wine Library, the shop he just opened on Lower George's Street in Dun Laoghaire. 

Becoming a Master of Wine isn't an over night thing. You must pass three exams - a practical, written and research paper and the process "typically takes 4-5 years" according to Dermot.

Since the first examination in 1953, only 418 people have passed the process. Dermot informs me that in a shorter time span, more people have been to outer space. 

I can't help but ask him whether it's difficult to learn about wine. As someone who is slightly intimidated by the subject - all the talk of notes, scents, residue and bouquets makes my head spin - I was curious.

According to Dermot, "nothing is difficult to learn – all that matters is whether you want to or not."

"Having said that, the issue for many people with regard to wine is the use of a sense which is rarely used in day to day life – the sense of smell."

Dermot adds that "There is a huge range of styles and flavours in the world of wine so anyone who doesn’t like a large number of those styles is unlikely to be truly knowledgeable. After all, every wine drinker is different so you have to understand all styles to be really helpful."

It's a personal mission of Dermot's to be as helpful as he can; one of the aims of The Wine Library is to run classes and courses "to help de-mystify wine."

Although it's obvious Dermot is driven about what he does, when I ask him why he decided to open The Wine Library, he replies "you regret most what you never tried." He strikes me as a thoughtful and philosophical man.

He chose Dun Laoghaire for the shop because "the location is excellent, with a great passing trade and a wide catchment area and, crucially, a 15 minute walk from home."


The wines in the shop have been chosen from "a personal selection of wines which I enjoy, or which have made a big impression on me over my time in the business", creating a carefully curated cave of rather excellent wines. There are also some dried food products, oils and crackers for sale.

For those of us with little knowledge, I ask Dermot for a recommendation of a white, red and rose wine to try.


"Well, top wines such as Madeira, Seppeltsfield Para, Tokaji, some Loire chenins and German rieslings can live more or less forever so…" The more Dermot chats, the more I want to sit over a bottle of wine with him and have a natter about the world. This bodes very well for a man who plans on running wine classes; he's going to do an excellent job.



"For a novice wine drinker, it is always best to try simple wines, with soft ripe fruits which are pretty easy to get.

For a white wine from The Wine Library I’d recommend Oxford Landing Pinot Grigio: most people find the notion of an Australian Pinot Grigio a bit odd but why as so many grapes do so well down under? It’s fruity, soft, ripe and round and a yummy wine which also works really well with shellfish and at €12.50 is good value.

For a red wine from The Wine Library I’d recommend “le petit Martin” from Domaine Martin in the Rhône which is a soft round red specially blended for the Irish market. It’s a nice soft red but with a bit of body and retails at €14.50.

Rosés are easier for the novice as they tend to be either off-dry or quite light in style and I’d select the “Cuvée d’une Nuit” from Vignerons Ardéchois also in the Rhône. A lovely fresh, light pale pink wine in a super frosty pink bottle this sells at €14.50 in The Wine Library."

Personally, they all sound delicious and are very reasonably priced. But I will be definitely getting a bottle of the white to try. 

When I ask him what his favourite wine is, he responds similar to an Irish Mammy asking to pick her favourite child. 

"I have no favourites – there’s over 100 wines in The Wine Library which were all selected by me, so they’re all my favourites! And with more to come how can I pick one?"

His future plans for The Wine Library are " in no particular order, to develop a bigger range of Australian wines, South African wines, get in a top selection of Mosel riesling and Loire chenin blanc, offer an extensive range of classes, courses, and tastings, and by and large makes shedloads of money and have fun while doing so!"

That is a truly excellent plan from a truly excellent shop. A wonderful addition to the beating heart of Dun Laoghaire, Dermot and his wines have equal amounts of character. 

The shop is open Wednesday- Friday, 12 - 7 pm and from 11 - 7 on Saturday's, "along with the odd Sunday" Dermot says.

You can keep up to date with all future news and goings on in the shop through their Facebook page.