Sheridan's Winebar is located on the lovely St Nicholas’s Church square in the centre of the city where the famous Galway market is held every Saturday. Having launched their cheesemongers more than 20 years ago, Kevin and Seamus Sheridan have added this wine bar above the cheese shop and overlooking the church. This is where you will find the chefs of the city on their day off and it is a social hub for the market traders. If you are observant you may see the ladies on the organic vegetable stall across from the entrance keeping warm with a glass of red in the winter, or cooling off with something sparkling on a hot day.
A visit to Sheridan's is a relaxed, convivial, affair. You are accompanied up the stairs by the aromas from the cheesemongers and deli below. The knowledgeable staff assist your choice of wines from the rustic, blue tiled, bar and are more than happy to let you try any bottles that are open. The wines are predominantly Italian, chosen by Enrico – the wine importer – a native Venetian. All are imported and selected exclusively for Sheridan's, along with some excellent wines from small producers in France, Spain, and Portugal. You can buy to bottle to take home with you too, all wines are for sale. You could even treat yourself to a bottle of Sangiovese from Sting’s (the singer ) biodynamic plantation in the Chianti Classico area of Italy, fancy!
The boards are diverse and delicious, chosen daily from the wide selection of farmhouse cheeses. Savour a Killeen Cumin from Galway, a texture similar to Gouda with a good punch of cumin, Brin d'Amour, a ewe’s milk cheese from the island of Corsica coated in juniper and rosemary, or a fruity Glebe Brethan from the banks of the River Boyne. Similarly the charcuterie boards are chosen from Irish and European favourites, from gubeen chorizo to elegant pancetta, or a gamey venison salami. All boards are served, of course, with Sheridan's own brown bread, crackers, and chutney.
A seat overlooking the hustle and bustle of the market on a Saturday with a nibble and a tipple in hand is a rare pleasure. This is a wine bar for grownups and one of my very favourite little corners of the world.
Sheridans Wine Shop and Bar, Church Yard Street, Galway. Phone 091 564 832.
