Some say we’ve become a coffee culture, others a wine bar culture. Me, I see very little sign of it. Both these recent phenomena have some way to go before they eclipse the pub as drinking haunt, meeting place and social centre. But there’s hope yet as many pubs are shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to wine, with dodgy 250cl bottles and a choice that encompasses “sweet, dry or red”.

So if wine’s your tipple it surely makes sense to head for a place where they serve a global selection, by the glass or by the bottle, and where the wine is kept fresh by a fast turnover backed by a sophisticated keeping system. And if this place has comfortable seating, is staffed by wine-savvy enthusiasts better still. And if they serve good food, with a high regard for the fresh, the organic and the traceable, you’re on a winner, eh? If you’re still with me I can do no more than commend Ely where Erik Robson has drawn on his own experience in the wine trade, his sister’s cheffing skills and his father’s ability to source organic ingredients to create something that, by Dublin standards, is a bit special. Just like Brando’s anti-hero “could have been a contender”, so Ely could have been a bistro, if Erik hadn’t determinedly tilted the balance in favour of wine. The work they put in at Ely to keep the patrons on the far side of intrigued is absolutely amazing. Last week I found them hard at work revising a wine list that looked pretty okay to me.

There are two levels. The upstairs has always looked a bit Spartan, I’m not sure why. I prefer to head straight downstairs where there’s an unselfconscious ‘clubby’ atmosphere. The room divided up naturally into three sections: a row of stools along the bar where you can indulge in banter with manager Ed Joliffe and the staff; on the left, high stools and tables, perfect for those who don’t want to get sucked into the slump in an armchair and while away the afternoon” syndrome; and there’s an area beyond for people who want to do just that. When I finally hang up my keyboard, mouse and corkscrew I’m going to spend an afternoon a week on the premises, lunching, debating the state of the nation, killing the second bottle and admiring the power-dressing blonde PR princesses (why are so many young Irish girls blonde?) who drift in around 5.45.

Anyhow, enough of philosophy. “What’s the food like?” I hear you ask. Pretty good actually. I had an exceeding tasty organic beef pie, styled “Italian” though why I’m not sure. Dee, new returned from Vietnam, climbed into a chicken pannini. Both came accompanied by a mixed leaf salad with the nicest dressing I’ve encountered away from chez Ernie. Wistfully, I passed up the baked cheesecake so we could share a plate of Irish cheeses so substantial I was glad we didn’t order two. Nice onion confit with it. Also available were the ‘standards’ like the excellent sausages, the organic Irish stew and the excellent liver pate. We treated ourselves to a bottle of young Mr.Zenato’s Valpolicella, whose virtues I’ve extolled in a previous column. Good as ever, a bowlful of very sophisticated cherries, serious wine. We paid e55 for all the above plus a rather fine fino (please, dear sub-editor, not “vino” this time) sherry.

Ely Wine Bar, 22 Ely Place, Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 676 8986