An Empty Place

I suppose Empty can mean absence for a number of reasons. One being something akin to Captain Jack Sparrow wondering where his rum has gone, the other something with much more gravitas. That 'something' for those of us involved in the blog over the years has emerged to be the latter, joining the plethora of young people leaving Irish shores in search of opportunity, feeling stifled and undermined. We have left a country empty of a generation. Not the first time it has happened. This is in no small way reflected in Irish independent trade and  in wine, beer and spirits culture.

Three of us have unsurprisingly left for the United Kingdom, the rich history in the wine trade might have something to do with that. However the economic turmoil left behind has had its affect on the wine trade globally. The following is some brief thoughts on where we at The Empty Glass have come from and where we have found ourselves.

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@thobiasinkblot is a keen wearer of scarves and enjoys a good Cabernet. He has been writing for Empty for ages and ages and currently can be found in an undisclosed location near London. After getting the wine bug he has a distinction in level 2 and 3 of the WSET he plans on attempting the Diploma in 2015. He also is quite fond of narratives in the third person. If you'd like to contact him email: emptyglassie@gmail.com

The Irish Question


There are many stalwart personae within the wine trade in Ireland, but they have been slowly eroded by incessant increases in duty that affect the individual disproportionately. So, what is at stake here? The soul of the Irish Wine Trade? People’s livelihoods? Another win for the corporate machine? A sea of banal? Well, it is actually all of the above and more.

The Irish wine scene has been contracting at an alarming rate in a fashion that has one trend and one only, stuffing the coffers of the exchequer, sustaining volume, but lowering quality and turning wine into a commodity of numbers with no substance. A bold statement? No.

Excise has increased by 62% on wine and a standard pint of beer now consists of over 30% excise. Ireland is now one of the most expensive countries in Europe to drink wine and all increases have hit the lower end of the market disproportionately, with many independents now admitting they cannot sell anything of quality below €10. 

With this in mind it was extremely perplexing to see independents and the trade in general celebrate en masse the 'victory' of no further increase for Budget 2015, when it is the same winners as before. Independents are still struggling with the highest rates in Europe, less choice from suppliers due to a contracted market space and consolidated and resurgent industry giants. 

Where does the consumer go? There are few options but to move in their throngs to the multiples, illustrated by my jaunt home at the bank holiday weekend where the Diageo/Molson Coors binary were selling slabs of beer at just over €1 a can. So much for responsible drinking. The choice for the consumer narrows and contracts as a result of government interference with policies that can only aid massive conglomerates churning out cheap and confected units.

This is compounded further and is more than slightly tragic that the Support your local Campaign has employed an image with Guinness being the dark knight of the blighted Irish Drinks Industry, when Diageo has unashamedly dismantled anything resembling a family company and all the rest of what Guinness was ‘known’ for. It is also worth noting that before the spectre of Diageo, Guinness was the sole entity that cleansed the Liffey of any other brewery.

The once lively wine scene in Ireland  has contracted in personality and left far fewer gems on the wine shelves. This has been offset slightly, by the emergence of craft breweries and distilleries, but the general trend is a worrying one. A trend that shuts out the individual.

The English Affair 

Having made our respective jaunts over to the UK to continue our wine adventures and more importantly challenge ourselves and others. There are thankfully plenty of like minded individuals within the trade keeping the flame of individuality alive.

Take the not too dissimilar backlash in the UK as an industry tries to respond to a rise in craft beer and an informed consumer who wants quality over quantity, a connection to an individual and their art, be it brewing, wine-making, organic vegetables or a cheese aged in somebody's shed for six years. 

We have seen the advent of @beerforthat campaign with an excellent article from @totalcurtis here, who asks 'where are the brewers?'. A pertinent question and a thread running  throughout the industry on both sides of the Irish Sea. 

The discourse to be found here is more combative, where the wine trade is much larger and developed. The same can be said of craft beers and distilleries, allowing for a more galvanised approach and response, something Ireland could do with. However the problems still remain.

Any progress made in Ireland and the UK towards a culture that embraces flavours and respects alcohol is in danger of being washed away in a sea of numbers. As myself and Rob throw ourselves into the mélange of the drinks industry over here we will continue to champion the idiosyncratic, the local, the stories. Otherwise we'll all be drinking monosyllabic and mundane meh.

Thobias