Are wine/liquour stores common in Ireland? Do you buy it in markets or are the "state stores," etc. Will it be hard to find decent wine? (Yes, I know. Ireland? Wine?)

No problem -- lots of places to buy your goodies -- even in local grocery stores.

Liquor stores are called Off Licence. I found some very nice wines--not a huge selection, but fair enough. I like nice french whites, and I found enough of a selection to make me happy. Often the Off Licence stores are right next to/connected to a pub. But not always. They are plentiful, however!

Most wine/liquor stores ('off-licences') are attached to supermarkets and grocery stores. They are usually physically separated from the main store (like a room of its own) for licensing purposes, presumably to prevent under-age children from buying. Sometimes you have to pay for wines and beers separately from other shopping. The range of wines is fairly limited compared to UK, and costs considerably more (e.g. typical Australian/Californian Chardonnay costs around 10 euro compared to around £5 or 7 euro in UK).

We had an funny thing happen when buying whiskey in Ireland, I think it was from behind the bar at a pub. Anyway, we were traveling with another couple and the guy wants to get a pint of whiskey. Well, it's not a pint in Irealnd. My friend asks for a pint of Bushmills and the barmaid looks at him kind of funny and comes back with a pint beer glass of Bushmills!! Though we were speaking the same language, we weren't speaking the same language. When we finally got through the transalation of what we wanted, she said "ohh, you want a nagen". Well, I guess we did.

Personally, I never whine in a liquour store. Maybe elsewhere, but never in a liquour store.

--Marv

If you ask for a glass of wine in a pub, it will come in a little bottle with a screw-cap. I love wine but seldom drink it in Ireland when such good ale/stout/whiskey is available!

Selection of wines in most off licences is getting bigger and better. However if in Dublin look out for a place called 'Odd Bins'. This is a chain of 'Off Licences' that specialise almost entirely in wine. The selection is usually extensive and ranges from the cheap and chearful table wines to the most expensive Bordeauxs.

http://www.oddbins.com/storefinder/Ireland.asp

Odd bins are nor as plentiful but a good place for wine...by the way the wine market is booming and the irish are buying more each year. You will find winde from all over Europe and South America/Australia. You will not find any decent American wine just plonk. Its a good opportunity to try some Italian and French ones not as common in the states or that are pricey when imported. There are 3 good wine bars in Dublin Enotecca della Laghne - Bllom Quarter is an italian wine bar with wine from mostly Piedmonte. Dax is a new wine bar on Pembroke street just open a few months. Peploes has a bar area and you can order wines by the glass, good selection and its on St Stephens Green. Lastly is Ely wine bar on Ely Place. The food is excellent and good selection of wines by the glass. The meats come from their own Organic farm so very close to the source if you are a foodie. Some good Dublin wine shops are:

Berry Brothers and Rudd - Off Grafton Street
Louis Abrouze - Leeson Street upper

and check out this link
http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm?lo...;x=26&y=12

Enjoy!

Dunnes Supermarkets often have an Off Licence (wines & liquors) separate from the main store. Ennis: O'Connell Street; Galway: NE corner of Eyre Sq.; Dublin: just off O'Connell St. (don't remember the name of the cross st.); Ballina: in Shopping Mall at the foot of Parnell (?) St.

Chilean wines are making inroads there.
French wines are expensive. You don't see many Spanish or Portuguese wines there, as I recall. I haven't seen any California wines in those shops.