Waterford Festival of Food. A tasty West Waterford slice

 Waterford Festival of Food. A tasty West Waterford slice

The Hatmaker Hotel and The Farmgate Lismore

A 24 hour visit to West Waterford turned into something of a food trip - most of them do. The annual weekend Waterford Festival of Food began at more or less the same time we landed in Dungarvan on Thursday evening.

Our base for the night was the Hatmaker Hotel, now creeping up to its first birthday. It is based in a beautiful reconstructed heritage building. And is named after the previous occupant's business. The rooms, 16 in all, are incontestably glorious, the spectacular Peacock tail headboards immediately catch the eye as does the statement bathtub in the spacious bathroom.

Dungarvan

There is no restaurant here but the ground floor café bar, with a sun trap of a courtyard, does quite a good job all day long. After a stroll around town, We dropped in just as they turned from café to wine bar. After quite a lunch in Youghal, the menu of sharing boards was enough for us.

Indeed, the one that we ordered, a mix of cheese and charcuterie, was one of the best around and certainly proved sufficient for us. The wine list, short, is entirely French and I renewed acquaintance with one of favourite whites, the Château Turcaud Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc, a delicious blend of Sauvignon blanc and Semillon. 

Sunny terrace at the Hatmaker

The Hatmaker aim to support local and glad to see that they had a few different bottles of the Dungarvan Brewing company’s beer in the chill and I enjoyed my choice: the Helvick Head Blonde Ale. 

We were back there for our breakfast. No cooked breakfast but the continental offering is more than acceptable. Both of us were highly impressed by the Granola Parfait.

Refreshing ale at the Hatmaker

No restaurant in the Hatmaker but the Michelin starred Cliff House is an easy drive away.

A few hours later, we were up on the Vee. On social media the previous evening I had read of a fire at Mount Mellaray but the buildings looked in good nick as we passed on the road from Cappoquin. I read later the fire was confined to furze bushes on a nearby hill.

After enjoying the views from the Vee (quite an amount of fields in the distance were yellow with rapeseed) and after a few strolls (the wind from the previous day had died down), we took the Lismore road, heading for  a Waterford Festival of Food event at the Farmgate.

Bruschetta starter at Farmgate

It was a lunchtime event and was more or less a sell-out. We had booked just a couple of days earlier but all we could get was a counter seat (they are quite an attraction here) at 2.00pm.

The Farmgate is doing well after the move from Midleton. Everybody gets a warm welcome here. It is quite a neighbourhood restaurant, many customers known by the first name. We enjoyed the relaxed ambience, buoyant and bright.

Lismore Castle

A few chats included one about the frequent Local Link Bus that connects Lismore with Dungarvan in about 30 minutes. One server joked that by night the service is known as the Drink Link.

No cavalcade of choices here, just three starters and three mains.  No dessert included though coffee and tea were on the special luncheon menu at fifty euro a head.

Cod

The Farmgate, as they have for decades, support local and that is obvious from the menu. We enjoyed starters of Croquettes of McGrath’s lamb, mint and yogurt dressing on a bed of Roger Ahern’s Salad leaves, and a Bruschetta with Knockanore mozzarella, roasted Irish vine tomatoes, wild garlic and basil pesto. I didn't know they produce Mozzarella in Knockanore (near Villierstown).

McGrath’s Chicken Supreme was one of the main courses, with a white wine, lemon and  Thyme cream sauce, and served with spring onion champ and a carrot and parsnip puree. The same veg came with our other main dish the Baked Cod with a leek and mussel sauce and we also shared a side dish of seasonal root veg along with some green beans. Each plate went back clean!

Soon it was time for the coffee and then a sunny 45 minute drive back  to Cork via Tallow, Conna and Watergrasshill.

Also in this trip: Welcome Lunch at Clancy's Bar & Restaurant Youghal

Trees on the Vee. Spot the yellow of the rapeseed fields in the distance?

Madregale Terre Di Chieti, a well-balanced blend of traditional regional grape varietals

Madregale Terre Di Chieti (IGP) 2022, 13% ABV

RRP: €13.50. Stockists: Stockists:  64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

a well-balanced blend of traditional regional grape varietals

This Madregale red is a mid-ruby colour. The aromas consist mostly of red fruit. The palate has fresh and fruity flavours of red cherry, featuring typical Italian acidity (they make their wine to go with food). It is easy to drink, making it good company on a summer patio or even in a warm winter room. Highly Recommended.

The label tells us this  “Red wine is made from a well-balanced blend of traditional grape varieties from our region”. Importers Le Caveau confirm: it is “a light-bodied blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. Although it is easy-drinking, simple, and fresh, this wine offers serious quality for an entry-level option. With only 5g/l of residual sugar, there is no attempt to cater to international palates. It's honest and refreshingly drinkable.”

It is produced by the award-winning Cantina Tollo, one of the biggest and best co-operative wineries in the Abruzzo region, covering 3,200 ha owned by 800 farmers.

Both this Rosso and its Bianco counterpart are terrific house wines. Watch out for them in restaurants! These two are excellent, simple, quaffable wines and good value to boot.

Terras Gauda Abadía De San Campo Albariño. "a very juicy and fresh wine"

Terras Gauda Abadía De San Campo Albariño Rías Baixas (DO) 2022, 12.5%

RRP: €20.95. Stockists:  64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

a very juicy and fresh wine.

This bottle is bursting with brio, is fresh and fragrant, and immediately engaging. The colour is a clean green-tinged yellow with definite citrus traits on the nose. The palate is filled with citrus and mineral sensations. Yet it is very well balanced, with quite a persistent and pleasant finish. Excellent overall, it shows the magnificent qualities of this increasingly popular grape. Very Highly Recommended.

Aging is not recommended. Or is it? You will see some experts, such as Hugh Johnson, giving this the DYA designation, meaning drink youngest available! The producers concur. 

But there is at least one contrary opinion. Finest Wines of Rioja (2011) debunked a “popular misconception” that these wines are meant to be drunk within one year of the vintage. “..a quality Albariño, bottled during the first spring after harvest, with a balanced structure relying on fresh acidity and a good mineral character, will be at its best after its second spring and will continue growing in bottle for some years.”

Le Caveau tells us it works brilliantly when served with tuna steaks. It is also ideal with seafood, shellfish (Percebes!), fish... “or almost anything coming out of the Atlantic.” The winery recommends serving it at a temperature between 10°C and 12°C and adds that it can also be enjoyed with Asian cuisine. It is best appreciated chilled on a hot summer day.

Thought to be related to Riesling and presumably brought by Cluny monks to 12th century Iberia, via France, the relatively recently fashionable Albarino grape is now mainly associated with Rías Baixas in northwestern Spain.  It is also grown in neighbouring areas in Portugal where it is spelt as Alvarinho. Indeed, recent studies suggest it is native to Galicia and Portugal.

Time you met the big, bold seducer. Pasquale Petrera ‘Fatalone’ Gioia del Colle Primitivo .

Pasquale Petrera ‘Fatalone’ Gioia del Colle (DOC) Primitivo Riserva 2020, 16% ABV

€23.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Time you met Fatalone, the big, bold seducer.

The colour, emblematic of the grape, is an intense ruby. As expected, the aromatics feature ripe dark fruit (black cherry, plum). The flavours, dark fruits again, are forward, and the smooth and velvety palate experience also includes spice notes. It is full-bodied, rich in minerality and freshness, and has an extended finish with an almond aftertaste (typical of the Primitivo grape in this area).

The winemaker suggests pairings such as strongly flavoured dishes like pasta with gravy, roasted beef, game, and grilled meat, as well as fish and aged cheese. The Riserva is also particularly pleasant with dark chocolate sweets. Best served at 18°- 20°C.

Importers Le Caveau: ‘Fatalone’ means seducer in the local dialect and well-named as it is a perfect balance of smoothness, freshness and minerality. It spends 12 months in wine stainless steel tanks, 12 months in Slavonic oak 750-litre-casks with the application of music therapy to optimise the spontaneous micro oxygenation process and improve the fining of the wine, then finished by 6 months in bottle.”

According to Wine-Searcher.com, Primitivo probably arrived in Puglia (where you’ll find Fatalone) from the coastal vineyards of Croatia (just across the Adriatic Sea). “It is still grown there today, under various tongue-twisting names including Tribidrag and Crljenak Kasteljanski. In the early 19th century, the variety was introduced to the United States, under the name Zinfandel.”

Le Caveau 2025 Spring Tastings.Superb wines, Masterclass on Terroirs Project, new wines from Kilkenny

 Le Caveau 2025 Spring Tastings

Superb wines. 

Masterclass on Terroirs Project. 

New wines from County Kilkenny.

Pascal Rossignol and team, celebrating 26 years in business, put on a brilliant Spring Tasting in Cork’s old Apple Market last week. There were superb wines to taste (as always), and in addition, Dario Poddano (Les Caves de Pyrene) conducted a Masterclass on the Terroirs Project. And there was a bonus surprise when Aoife McCan took me through some of the excellent wines now being produced by Kilkenny’s Triskelion Vineyard.

Sean Kerin (well experienced in wine in the Rhone, the UK, and his native Australia) and Irishman Philip Little are behind Triskelion. They have two small south-facing vineyards in Piltown, planted in 2018 with Regent, Rondo, Seyval Blanc, Richensteiner, Sauvignon Gris, and Bacchus. It seems that the “secret to success” for Triskelion (and other Irish wine hopefuls) lies in the fact that the vines are a mix of different hybrids and PIWIs (the German acronym for fungus-resistant grape varieties).

Aoife started me with their Pet Nat, then a white and a rosé. What a beautiful trio of surprises, all really good and so encouraging for the future. The white is a blend of Seyval Blanc, Bacchus and Richensteiner with a small amount of Sauvnignier Gris ( along the lines of an Alsace Gentil). The red - and that too is superb - is a blend of Rondo, Regent, Dornfelder and a small amount of Pinot Noir.

The wines are produced solely from their own grapes, all grown outdoors in County Kilkenny, where they are also bottled. I understand they are not on sale yet, but do watch out for them!

From The Tasting - A Shopping List

My favourite white was the Femme Soleil, while the Foillard Morgon topped the reds!

I used the main tasting as a “scouting mission” for the next 12 months or so. I was rather selective as I sipped, and I’m sure that there were other excellent wines in addition to the dozen below, which will form the basis of my next shopping list!

White:

1 - 2023 Cuvée Cantalouette BLANC, Tour des Gendres, Bergerac (Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, SAVAGNIN)

2 - 2023 Bourgogne Aligoté, Maison Ambroise, Burgundy

3 - 2023 Chenin VDF, Famille Mosse, Loire

4 - 2022 Montlouis Minérale+, Frantz Saumon, Loire

5 - 2023 Femme Soleil, Cyril Fhal, Roussillon (Grenache Gris)

6 - 2018-21 Y`a Plus Qu`a, Kumpf et Meyer, Alsace (Multi-vintages, Sylvaner, Auxerrois)

Red:

1 - 2022 Gamabumba Gamay, Domaine des Fables, Savoie

2 - 2023 Beaujolais Villages, Alex Foillard

3 - 2023 Rouge Lux, Marie et Vincent Tricot, Auvergne (Gamay d’Auvergne)

4 - 2020 Chénas Coup Double, Paul-Henri Thillardon, Beaujolais

5 - 2022 Morgon Corcelette, Jean Foillard, Beaujolais

6 - 2022 Fleurie, Jean Foillard, Beaujolais

The Terroirs Project

Grandparent and grandchild

The Terroirs Project, led by Les Caves de Pyrene and supported by Le Caveau, was conceived to make delicious and affordable wines from sustainable and organic practices in the vineyard and by means of low-intervention, chemical-free winemaking.

 

Dario Poddano says: “We’ve collaborated with some of our favourite growers from around the world, focusing intently on the quality of the grapes and emphasising light-touch vinification in order to bring out the best expression of terroir from each respective region. “

 

All of the wines that make up the Terroirs Project are:

• Made from organically farmed fruit
• Naturally fermented with indigenous yeasts
• Made with minimal or zero sulphur
• Suitable for vegetarians and vegans

We’ve highlighted a few of them on the blog in recent weeks, such as Caminante,  Fratelli Felix (an ideal introduction to orange wine)  and Brich. Read all about the project here. 

Those New Labels - more volume / fewer lines

This year, the hard reality of the new labelling law, specific to Ireland, is sinking in. Pascal Rossignol of Le Caveau has nothing against the consumer being provided with extra information but says, “These regulations are highly impractical for small-scale wine producers, who now have to create back labels for each cuvee, each size bottle and will have to do so at every vintage change.”

 

“We are no longer able to share allocations from overseas (New World) with our UK friends at Les Caves de Pyrene and have delisted almost 20 wineries, with more to come next year. The wines were sent to London before making their way to Ireland; it’s simply not possible to open all these cases and label them. We will need to reduce the range from our existing producers, more volume / fewer lines might become the new reality of the Irish wine scene, unfortunately,"

 

But Pascal is positive, as he usually is. “All is not gloom; in 25 years, we weathered a boom, a recession and a pandemic, so we will face this new challenge and keep going the best we can. I am back from a recent trip to France, where I met with dozens of artisan producers at Natural wine salons, including Clandestine, Ardèche, Pénitentes, Il Etait Une Fois and La Dive. All our producers are going to be with us on this and print these back labels. Resilience!”