// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Stout, whiskey... wine? Ireland's small but determined vineyards making their mark
The Republic of Ireland is recognised as a wine producing country by the European Commission
Think about drinks produced in Ireland and you'd probably picture a creamy pint of stout or a tumbler of amber whiskey.
The last thing you'd probably think of is a glass of wine.
However, the Republic of Ireland is recognised as a wine producing country by the European Commission.
While it still has only a handful of commercial vineyards, along with smaller growers experimenting with wine production, the amount of land being planted with vineyards is continuing to grow.
A new winery near Slane in County Meath is believed to be the biggest ever planting of vines in Ireland - about 36,000 vines on 30 hectares of land.
David Llewellyn is one of Ireland's original winemakers, first becoming involved in the late 1980s, planting "a few dozen different vines" and observing "which ones were potentially viable".
He established Lusca vineyard in County Dublin in 2002, and currently produces 1,500 to 2,000 bottles per year.
He said for many people Irish wine "is a curiosity, it's a novelty".
Llewellyn said the two varieties he "swears by "are a red called rondo and a white called Madeline Angevine".