RESTAURANTS AND FOOD: Cono Sur

Showing posts with label Cono Sur. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Blogger Challenge! Paris is great. When Cono Sur are your hosts, it is even better!

THE CONO SUR BLOGGER CHALLENGE RETURNS!

CONO SUR INVITES IRELAND'S FOOD & LIFESTYLE BLOGGERS TO SUBMIT
AN ORIGINAL RECIPE TO WIN A TRIP FOR TWO TO CHILE

RECIPES ARE TO PAIR UP WITH CONO SUR'S
SINGLE VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC, PINOT NOIR or RIESLING

Last year Cono Sur, one of Ireland's leading Chilean wine brands, launched its inaugural search to find the ultimate dish to match their Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir. The short-list consisted of recipes from Billy Lyons, Melanie May and Jeni Pim, who in addition to even had their recipes featured in EasyFood and Stellar Magazine. It was Billy who went on to the Paris final, but he was unfortunately pipped at the post by the Finnish entry.

This year the competition is back and it's bigger than ever, with Canada, Chile, USA and Japan joining Ireland and Sweden in a battle for the best recipe to pair with Cono Sur's premium Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, or Single Vineyard Riesling.

The entrant with the most votes in Ireland will travel with a friend, compliments of Cono Sur, to compete in the Grand Finale held in Paris in November, with the overall winner winning a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two to the Cono Sur vineyards and winery in Chile.

Visit www.facebook.com/conosurireland
and bloggercompetition.conosur.com for further details.

Paris is great anytime but when Cono Sur are your hosts, it is even better! Check out my 2014 adventure here.

HOW IT WORKS

For the two months between Thursday 4th June to Monday 4th August, Irish food & lifestyle bloggers across the country can log on to bloggercompetition.conosur.com and upload their original recipe that they feel pairs best with either the Cono Sur Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, or Single Vineyard Riesling.

Voting is then open to the public from 11th August to 15th September, when Cono Sur will select the top three recipes with the most votes from each country to go on to Round Two as semi-finalists.

For Round Two, renowned chef Christopher Carpentier will prepare each semi-finalist's dish and select one finalist from each participating country. Winners will be announced and officially notified on 2nd October.

For the third and final round, the winner from each country will be sent to Paris for 12th-14th November to participate in the Grand Finale. Each finalist will prepare their dish for a panel of judges, including Cono Sur's General Manager and Chief Winemaker, Adolfo Hurtado, as well as chef Christopher Carpentier.

The overall winner will be chosen and announced on the night, winning a fantastic trip for two to Chile.

TIMELINE

June 4th: Competition opens
August 4th: End date for submissions
August 11th: Public voting opens
September 15th: Voting closes
September 21st: Chef Christopher Carpentier begins cooking the top 3 entries from each country and chooses the best in conjunction with Cono Sur
October 2nd: Finalists are notified and publicly announced
November 13th: Grand finale in Paris

ABOUT CONO SUR SINGLE VINEYARD
The Single Vineyard range of wines was born from the idea of embodying the ideal vineyard site for each grape variety by optimizing the altitude, soil and climate conditions of the vineyard where it is grown, making each wine completely unique.

From voluptuous reds to fresh and aromatic whites, this range pays homage to Chile´s diverse appellations. Each label contains a distinct block number, block name and valley in order to reflect the personality and uniqueness of the terroir where each was born.

Cono Sur Single Vineyard wines retail at €19.99 and are available in specialist off-licences such as O’Briens Wines, nationwide; Mitchell & Sons, Dublin; Redmonds of Ranelagh, Dublin; Sweeney's of Glasnevin, Dublin; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock, Dublin; Bradley's of Cork; O’Driscoll's of Cork; and many more...

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Have you a recipe that will take you to Paris?

Cono Sur Bloggers Competition 2015
Have you a recipe that will take you to Paris? Maybe to Chile!

We won the Irish section of this competition last season and had a ball at the final in Paris, just pipped for the Grand Prize which was a trip to Chile. Cono Sur are doing it all again this year and it looks bigger and better than ever. Entries will open on June 4th, so stay tuned. But you don't have to wait until next week to start thinking up your recipe to match one of their brilliant Single Vineyard wines. In the meantime, take a look at our night on the Seine.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Silencio. Chile's Best Cabernet Sauvignon

It could well be a Silencio Night in some Irish homes this Christmas. But not too many. Silencio is the new premium Cabernet Sauvignon from Cono Sur and only nine barrells were produced. It won’t be that easy to get your hands on one of the bottles and Irish distributors Findlaters are likely to be under pressure!

The new wine, and it is superb, was launched at an lunch in Dublin on Monday. Cono Sur MD and winemaker Adolfo Hurtado was at the Trinity City Hotel, joined by some of the crew from the Paris Bloggers Final, including yours truly. Great to meet some of the other Irish contestants, Jeni Pim and Melanie May.

Adolfo was delighted that Chile has just reached the Number One country position in Ireland. “Ireland is important to us. We are one of the leaders of organic wine production and the biggest producer of Pinot Noir in the world.”

They certainly make some gorgeous Pinot Noir, including the iconic Ocio, and this 2010 Silencio is fast heading in that lofty direction. “It spent 26 months in new French oak barrels and a further two years aging in the bottle. It comes from the Alto Maipo area in the Maipo valley. This valley is a great area for Cabernet Sauvignon and the Alto is even better. We have deliberately chosen a less arrogant name as we let the wine do the speaking.”

It has already been declared by the top Chilean wine magazine as the “best Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile”. Matthieu Tiche, their Export Manager and one of the friends we made in Paris, is very excited about the aging potential of this wine. He sees it as having a potential of ten years and declared it “a sleeping beauty!”.

“It has an intense ruby red colour and delicious aromas of red fruits, berries, and cassis, with well integrated oak. The palate has great balance and concentration with smooth seductive tannins and a long finish.”

Maybe you will be lucky enough to get a bottle or two of Silencio for Christmas. But, if not, Cono Sur has some other red gems in its portfolio. I have to admit that the Ocio Pinot Noir has captured my palate. If it must be Cabernet Sauvignon for you - the cook here, another veteran of the Bloggers Final, is a Cab Sauv fan - then check out the 20 Barrels Limited Edition or maybe the Single Vineyard Block 18, both also from the Maipo.

We enjoyed an excellent lunch with Cono Sur and Findlaters at the Trinity City Hotel. The opening Classic Caesar Salad was matched with the Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (a beautiful aromatic wine from the Casablanca valley). The Silencio was paired with Roast Sirloin of Beef. The assiette of homemade desserts was accompanied by the Single Vineyard Riesling. The Riesling, with impressive freshness and minerality, comes from the Bio Bio valley which is at about the same latitude as the middle of New Zealand’s South Island.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Seine-sational Night on the River. Cono Sur Blogger Competition Finalé

Seine-sational Night on the River

Cono Sur Blogger Competition Finalé

It is midnight in Paris. We are moored on the left bank and the boat is rocking. No! The boat is moored on the left bank and we are rocking.

Finland’s Johanna Koskiranta has just been announced as the winner of the Cono Sur 2014 Blogger Recipe Competition but the celebrations, led by team Cono Sur, are for everyone, the Chileans, the Finns, the Swedish, the Irish, the English, the French, and more, including at least at least one American.

The private boat trip on the Seine was a surprise. We started more or less at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, cruised under the bridges of Paris, the illuminated buildings adding to the magic. A lovely meal and Cono Sur wines enhanced the pleasure. The focus was very much on three reds this evening: the 20 Barrels Syrah and the 20 Barrels Cabernet Sauvignon and, perhaps my favourite, the Ocio Pinot Noir.

The day had started with a cook-off in L’Atelier Beaubourg (close to the Pompidou) with Clare and myself representing Ireland, Anna for Sweden and Johanna for Finland. Some gentle bubbles to ease us into it - loved that Cono Sur rosé - and, with lots of friendly chats going on, there was no pressure.

Our Irish dish, being plated up.
Includes Truly Irish Rashers and
the magical Irish Shellfish Butter by IASC

Well, maybe a little when the dishes were presented to the judges: Adolfo Hurtado (MD and winemaker at Cono Sur), Jo Mansell (UK) and Christopher Carpentier, the top Chilean Chef (he is the main man on their Masterchef). Christopher too was enjoying the day, helping the various contestants (he helped us get the scallops out of their shells), and then he laid on a lovely lunch dish (duck, pasta and some of that “lovely Irish bacon”, Truly Irish rashers from our supply!).

You may see details of the three dishes here.

Our first international cap!

We left the cookery school about three o’clock and headed back to the hotel. Quite often in France, we end up at a Brocante event. And there was one on close to the hotel, a huge one, stretching all the way up to the Bastille and back down at the other side of the water (Pt. de Plaisance de Paris Arsenal). But we didn't have the car this time so didn't go browsing for bargains.

Instead we strolled up to the nearby Bastille, now a huge roundabout. And then took a walk in the beautiful Place des Vosges. There are some fascinating art galleries in the covered archway around the old square, amazing work inside. Then onto the Marais before coming back to Bastille via Rue St Antoine, a street full of food: restaurants, takeaways, fruit shops, cheese shops, wine shops, full of people, colours and aromas, a lively place as dusk and drizzle descended together.

Chef Chris concentrates as a contestant gives a summary of the dish.

We also had some free time after arriving on Thursday and used that to take a walk along the left bank, stopping at the riverside book stalls, before ending up at magnificent Notre Dame.

Later, we went out to dinner but the restaurant we had picked wasn't opening until 8.00pm. We were hungry, so settled on the nearby all day Tarmac. We had a very enjoyable meal here. I tucked into the Escargots from Burgundy and a Lamb Tagine, lots of fruit with the lamb, while CL had goats cheese with sun-dried tomato and then Cod with a gorgeous piperade sauce.

Back then to the hotel and a glass of St Emilion, relaxing ahead of the busy Friday. It was a busy enough time on the Friday but very enjoyable, all relaxed and informal throughout. If you want to party, get the Chileans to organise it! And do enter the Cono Sur Bloggers Competition next year!

More Paris pics below.