A tender has been put out for a new supplier for the Irish government's bespoke wine label, titled none other than "Houses of the Oireachtas."
The Oireachtas plans to spend €300,000 on the contract, which is for 48 months.
The bespoke wine label first went on sale in Leinster House at the end of 2013. The wine comes in red and white and sells for €15 a bottle.
According to TheJournal.ie, the advertisement seeks suppliers with “entry-level” and “mid-range” wines to be branded with the Houses of the Oireachtas label and sold in its on-site bars and restaurants.
For its entry-level offerings, the label is looking for a “young, clean, fresh, fruity” style of white wine, expressing a preference for a Sauvignon Blanc, and for its red a "young, fruity, dry" Merlot is preferred.
In the mid-range option, a dry and medium-bodied red wine, such as a satellite Bordeaux, Malbec or Rioja, is desired.
A sparkling wine and non-alcoholic alternative will also be required from the supplier.
The Houses of the Oireachtas will provide a “creative design scheme” for the production of the wine labels, with the minimum production order at 1,800 bottles for the entry-level wine and 1,200 bottles for the mid-range wine.
The wine will be sold in Leinster House's onsite hospitality facilities, which include two restaurants, two bars and a coffee dock.
The bar facilities are divided into the Visitors’ Bar and the Members’ Bar, which is exclusively for current and former members of Ireland's parliament.
The deadline for prospective suppliers to submit for the contract is July 14. Tasting samples are expected to be supplied as part of the evaluation process.
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