Ballyroe, Co. Wexford

An Baile Rua, the red farmstead, is where Simon Neville has farmed for some forty years. Five miles north of Wexford town – a stone’s throw from the Blackwater – his land sits on the Seafield series derived from sand & mudstones – its sandy, course texture makes for a challenging terroir in drier years and fruitier, more floral spirit.

Appearance: Amber hue.

Nose: A mid summers garden in bloom, marzipan, honey, heather, dry clay, rhubarb, fennel, orange zest, barley, sherry and rose water.

Taste: White pepper, sherbet, orange marmalade, dark chocolate, stewed rhubarb that’s sticky, fizzy cherry cola, fresh bread loaf, bell peppers and clove sweets.

Finish: A finish that doesn’t seem to stop, with a dark chocolate orange spice.

Strong winds at Ballyroe. The track starts out as the last shower of the day passes over the farm, the rain at first gathering in a puddle in the yard, then running off the side of the hay shed, onto the ground, and finally blowing off the trees. The shower eases off and the wind picks up. We stop into the barn on the way to the fields, with the metal cladding on the roof and walls banging and rattling as the wind gusts through the open door. Reaching the fields, the easterly wind picks up even more. We stop in the barley underneath a row of pine trees, and move along the hedgerow out towards the open fields.