Overview
Wicklow Way Wines, based near Newtownmountkennedy, has put County Wicklow on the map as the home of Ireland's best-known premium berry wines. Their Móinéir range ferments hand-picked local strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and elderberries like fine wine grapes, producing aromatic, off-dry wines that appear on Michelin-starred menus and tasting-room shelves across the country.
The Garden of Ireland is also one of its wettest corners: upland pockets can receive well over 2,000 mm of rain a year, while lower foothills see around 1,200-1,500 mm. Granite, schist, and quartzite bedrock gives free-draining but often acidic, nutrient-poor soils, so berry fields and cider orchards thrive on the kinder lower slopes while any vines must be tucked into the most sheltered, sun-catching aspects.
Key Varietals
- StrawberryHand-picked Wicklow strawberries give delicate, floral, summery wines with natural sweetness and bright acidity.
- BlackberryWild and farmed blackberries produce deeper, spicier wines with dark-fruit notes and an autumnal character.
- RaspberryWicklow raspberries lend intense perfume and vivid red-fruit flavor to lighter, aromatic berry wines.
- ElderberryOften blended with blackberry, elderberry adds earthy depth and layered, wine-like structure.