Fáda an organic white wine, produced in Gorey Co Wexford by Arnaud Clopin of Domaine Kavanagh is made from a blend of Souvignier Gris, Sauvignac, Solaris, Muscaris and Cal04 and it is quite a find.
The passion project, which began
in 2011 now culminates in his “Field of Dreams” and a projected production of
3,000 bottles for vintage 2026. If the
weather keeps going the way it is, this summer, this is definitely achievable.
In French, the
word "fada" is a colloquial, regional term (most
commonly used in the South of France and Marseille) that directly translates to
"crazy" or "mad". It can act as both an adjective and a
noun (meaning a "crackpot"), Arnaud’s wife Áine, spells her
name with a fada, so there is an element of serendipity to the name of his
wine.
On a glorious
summer morning I was joined by wine journalists, John Wilson (The Irish
Times) and Matt Nugent (The Sun) and we visited Arnaud’s “Field
of Dreams” located 1km from the town of Gorey in Co Wexford.
Arnaud,
orginally from the Champagne region, married Áine over 30 years ago and has
been living in Ireland ever since. The
day job in the meat industry, compliments his passion for wine. Arnaud is all too aware of the hardship of
working with Irish soil in the damp and cold Irish climate, but is
undeterred.
He also has
plans to develop the site with a visitor’s centre, coffee shop, subject to
planning permission. This development
project is one perhaps that is slightly unexpected given the vagrancies of the Irish
weather, but if brought to fruition, should add a unique tourist attraction to
the sunny South East!
This is an
extraordinary story of perseverance, dedication and sheer bloody mind-ness.
Hats off to
Arnaud and his Field of Dreams and to
the remarkable organic white wine he is now producing.
2025 Fáda
€45.00
What surprised
me was the roundness in the mouth, there is a fresh acidity, but it is balanced
by a lush ripe mouthfeel, with wonderful flavours of apple. With an ABV of 11% this wine is a find. Its freshness is the key and the length is
considerable. If this is what Irish
vineyards are capable of producing, bring it ON!!
Insta:
@lakavwines
Fáda can be purchased from Arnaud’s website, the
site also sells a range of French wines that Arnaud imports from a selection of
trusted French winemakers.