Two highly recommended wines to savour. A Hawkes Bay Chardonnay and a Touriga Nacional from the Dão

 Two highly recommended wines to savour. 

A Hawkes Bay Chardonnay and a Touriga Nacional from the Dão

Trinity Hill “Gimblett Gravels” Chardonnay Hawkes Bay 2017, 13%, 

RRP € 34.99 Baggot Street Wines; Blackrock Cellar; C Morton & Sons; The Corkscrew; wineonline.ie; World Wide Wines

Colour of this New Zealand Chardonnay is a bright mid-gold. Aromas are fruity, grapefruit and lemon and no shortage of floral notes. Quite stunning on the palate where, along with the minerality, you again meet the citrus accompanied by a lively natural acidity. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in 500 litre oak puncheons followed by a further four months in tank on lees has enhanced the experience, including the texture. 

Delicate, rich and elegant this beauty finishes long. It is a very distinctive, harmonious Chardonnay, is closer to cool Burgundy rather than the rest of the (warmer) New World, and is Very Highly Recommended. Try with Pork (including belly), rich fish (salmon, trout, tuna), and poultry.

The year 2017 was a very good one in the Hawkes Bay area, a moderate spring with low frost risk and generally good flowering led to an extremely dry and warm summer, recording above average temperatures in January and February before rainy weather came in late February followed by humid conditions with heavy rainfall from March to May.

Importers Liberty: Winemaker Warren Gibson has been with Trinity Hill since 1997. He is also in charge of the 80 hectares of vineyard owned by Trinity Hill and knows Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels exceptionally well. The wines reflect this. Warren and his team make wines that show the best of what Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels can produce. The wines have an elegance, balance, drinkability and precision of flavour that makes them a joy to drink.

The gravelly soils resulted from a flood in 1876 when the Ngaruroro River changed its course and a vista of gravel was left behind. Probably best known for red wines. But Chardonnay grown here has distinctive floral notes and pronounced minerality on the palate. 

The Gravels have been described as “the most famous single vineyard in New Zealand”. And from these gravels come surprising wines. It is now a highly sought-after sub-region renowned for the quality and Trinity Hill was one of the first to plant grapes on the Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay in 1993. And soon after Warren Gibson arrived.

Quinta Dos Carvalhais Touriga Nacional DAO (DOC) 2017, 13.5%

RRP € 31.99 Baggott Street Wines, Lucey’s - The Good Food Shop, Wineonline.ie

Info on the label is brief and to the point

Complexity 4/5; Tannins 3/5; Body: 4/5; Fruity: 4/5; Oak: 4/5.

Pair with: Seafood, fish, chicken.

12 m in oak.

Serve at 16-18 degrees.

This intense, complex and elegant Touriga Nacional from the heart of the Dão has a dark ruby colour, slighter lighter at the rim. Aromas hint of its black fruit and the well-integrated spice from its 12 months residence in oak. Vibrant dark fruit and spice again on the palate and more besides. Great depth, acidity too and smooth, harmonious all through to the persistent finish.

The Touriga Nacional is a much loved indigenous variety but you rarely see it, in these parts, on a solo run. Quinta dos Carvalhais are credited with spearheading the quality renaissance of wines from the Dão in the early ‘90s. And it is located in the heart of the Dão. The 105-hectare estate, with 50 hectares under vine, was purchased by the Guedes family in 1988. They invested a huge amount into improvements in both the vineyards and the winery.

And part of that improvement is a series of single varietals from indigenous grapes. Along with the Touriga Nacional, look out for Encruzado and Alfrocheiro. While our bottle is single varietal, some three different batches of Touriga Nacional grapes were used in this Highly Recommended wine, each of which was harvested separately.

This wine is aged for 12 months in used and new 225-litre French oak barrels. The final blend was made to fully express the high quality of the Touriga Nacional, as well as the distinctive character of the Dão region. Serve at a temperature between 16ºC-18ºC. Pairings advised for this “Very gastronomic and perfect for meal-times” wine are “with dishes such as octopus à lagareiro, oven-roasted pork and mushroom risotto”.

UK – Here We Come. The Skibbereen Food Company's Piggy Products Hit the Shelves in Sainsbury’s in March.

UK – Here We Come

The Skibbereen Food Company

Piggy Products Hit the Shelves in Sainsbury’s

Matthew with some of his "hogalicious" products

Nine years on from an idea Matthew Brownie had from CIT in Cork, to winning the Best Business Plan for The CIT Innovation Award 2013, The Skibbereen Food Company (TSFC) goes from strength to strength from National coverage in Ireland to international markets in the UK with his successful Scratch My Pork and Pork Crunch ranges.

Amazon in the UK has been a great exposure for The Skibbereen Food Company which now has a 30 different snack products offering from 250g bulk bags of Pork Crackling to Pork Crunch to the branded 30g bags on the ready to go Clipstrip.

Matthew tells me that his “hogalicious products” are still selling strongly in his local area in West Cork. The Irish market continues to grow with new establishments stocking The Skibbereen Food Companies piggy products. Not forgetting Pembrokeshire in Wales where the first breakthrough came for him in overseas markets.

You'll find these in Sainsbury's next month.

The latest big news came at the start of December 2020 when four of Matthew’s products got accepted to be placed in 219 Sainsbury’s superstores that go live in March, which is something Matthew had been set on since the day he started his company

“This is very exciting news for me and my family, but pressure also comes with going into a major retailer in the UK. Being able to deliver and having scalability is a must in meeting all of Sainsbury’s requirements.

The company is going exactly where I want it to go and I set my goals 3 years ago to achieve this. From a local perspective I’m delighted to share the success with Skibbereen and West Cork, knowing that The Skibbereen Food Company logo will be proudly showcased around Sainsbury’s stores with the UK consumer enjoying my snacks.

SECAD Partnership / LEADER / Cork County Council and AIB bank has been a big part of TSFC moving forward with funding along Local West Cork Enterprise board. I have also started my own cooking YouTube channel that is proving to be a big hit."


What next from the Kiwi, the self-styled Culchie Chef?

Taste of the Week. Stone Valley Coffee

 Taste of the Week

 Stone Valley Coffee

You get music notes with your coffee notes when you buy from Stone Valley Coffee Roasters. 

I've a preference for Central and South American coffees so when I saw the selection at their stall in Mahon Farmers Market, I bought a pack of their "Some Day You'll Return", the name of their coffee from Peru, the pack illustrated with a guitar, the well-known (?) 1937 14-fret National Style "O" Resonator. 

Well, I might be able to tell one end of a guitar from another - just! So that pic didn't impress me much but the coffee, with notes of Caramel, Orange and Castillo certainly did and it quickly became our Taste of the Week.

Stone Valley have a shop in Clonakilty so you can get your fix there. They'll talk to you about music and coffee - anything it seems except decaf! By the way, I didn't remember (or maybe never knew) that Some Day You'll Return is a Dire Straits tune.

Don't know either who did One Last Drag or if it was even a song but hey do have a whole choir mentioned on the pack. The coffee though is as they say "something special" with all the "classic Ethiopian flavours but without too much of the floral notes" (which suits me very well indeed). This would do equally well as Taste of the Week.

So just take your pick! And do check out their full range  - they (John and Tom) have even snuck in a decaf! They also do wholesale and a subscription service.

They say: We roast small batches of high quality single origin coffees in our micro-roastery in West Cork. We focus on sourcing the highest quality beans and through every step of the process we focus on flavour, traceability and sustainability.

Stone Valley Roasters

35 Ashe St, Clonakilty

Co. Cork P85 N286

info@stonevalleyroasters

A Quart of Ale± #36. Moving on over to craft with a quartet of Pale Ales. Blacks. Crafty. Dungarvan. Rascals.

A Quart of Ale± #36

Moving on over to craft with a quartet of Pale Ales.  

Blacks Kinsale KPA Pale Ale 5.0%, 500ml bottle via O’Donovan’s Mayfield

A mid gold with unceasing fountains of bubbles rising are what you see when you pour a bottle of Black’s Kinsale Pale Ale. Flavours are masterfully balanced here with both the hops and the malt getting a chance to shine. But I knew all this as the Kinsale KPA has been a favourite of mine since the start.

In the first quarter of 2020, I enjoyed a pint (or two) at the Celtic Ross….

I was sipping a Blacks Brewery KPA in the bar at the Celtic Ross Hotel the other night. It is one of my favourite ales. Blacks usually get it right and they have had this spot on from the beginning. It is consistently excellent, the perfect balance.

And it is that balance between malt and hops the I find attractive. Some brewers go too heavy on the malt for their pale ales but this recipe allows the hops, a mix of Centennial, Cascade and Citra, to shine through, with the grapefruit and lime and other citrus elements, while the malt too plays its part not least in giving a delicious mouthfeel. And there’s a good crisp finish there as well.

This 5% American style ale is indeed perfectly balanced just like the guy from the band who is putting in a very athletic solo display of Irish dancing on the bar floor. Don’t think I’d ever had that kind of timing and balance - I've always preferred a different kind of tap. By the way, will we all be dancing solo for the months ahead?

That was written last March…back to the present now. Going by that last sentence above, perhaps I should take up prophesy. Maybe I’ll just repeat it for the months ahead in 2021! And hope I’m wrong.

They say: An American style Pale Ale bursting with hoppy tropical and juicy citrus fruit flavours, masterfully fused with biscuit and caramel malt aromas to produce a fantastic taste sensation. Medium in body with perfect carbonation, this beer will zip around your mouth reaching a beautiful clean finish.

American Pale Ale - Top Fermented

Centennial, Cascade, Citra

2013 release

Pair with: Burgers, Steaks, BBQ Meats

Crafty Hopster Brewing “All Hail” Pale Ale 4.0%, 330ml can via Ardkeen QFS 

A small can with a big fluffy head that lasts a fair bit, over a hazy mid-amber body well populated with micro-bubbles. Citrus aromas prominent - it is packed with Citra hops. No shortage of hoppy citrus-y flavours on the juicy palate either, with a balancing malty presence entwined. And there’s a lip-smacking finish as well. The malt, by the way, was grown locally in the Hook Peninsula (Wexford), a terrific place to visit.

They say: It is great with pizza, great with burgers, and let's be honest, pretty great with just about anything! Brewed and canned in Waterford for Crafty Brewing Waterford.

Dungarvan “Main Sail” Pale Ale <0.5%, 500ml bottle via Bradley’s

Dungarvan’s “Main Sail” is a light gold, plenty of bubbles rising. The white fluffy head quickly reduces to a thin disc. Hoppy aromas and a fair old hoppy punch too on the fruity palate, the citrus you’ve met in the aromas again resident here. No alcohol but still Ireland’s first non alcoholic ale has quite a bit of character, both in the mouth and through the finish. Ireland’s first micro-brewed alcohol free beer and one of the better ones. Was a favourite here Christmas 2019 and repeated the trick (smaller audience though) in 2020.

They say: This beer has been developed to give a refreshing hoppy flavour without the alcohol content. Coming in at 0.4% abv it is defined as an alcohol free product and can be enjoyed in place of a regular beer. Plenty of hops give a lively, refreshing citrus and herbal flavour to this light bodied pale ale.

Beer Info:

Style: Pale Ale

ABV: <0.5%

Hops: Amarillo, Challenger

Malts: Munich, Caramalt, Crystal Malt, Cararoma

Allergens: Contains Barley

And where did the name come from? From the Pogues’ “When The Ship Comes in”

Rascals “Fruitropolis” Pale Ale, 4.3%, 330 can via Bradleys

Light gold is the colour of this Pale Ale from Dublin’s Rascals who love their fruity ales, with a head that puffs up clean and white, looks attractive for a mo, and then vanishes like the air from a punctured balloon. No worries though. What’s left behind in the glass is excellent, unless you’re a dedicated hophead. Tropical, zingy and fresh, is the web banner for this and they are telling the truth! More exotic fruits than you can shake a lei at. Say Aloha and let the moment linger as the waves wash that distant shore.

So lots of fruit (orange zest and tropical fruit purées are adjuncts here) but it also has a refreshing dry finish as this little beer is pretty well balanced. 

For the Geek!

Malt: Pale, Crystal, Wheat.

Hops: Magnum, Amarillo, El Dorado, Mandarina Bavaria.

Yeast: WLP001

Other: Orange Zest, Tropical Fruit Purees.

ABV: 4.3%

Unfiltered. Unpasteurised. Keep Cool. Drink Fresh.

The Cask Box opens onto a magic road. Variety, colour, flavour, texture

The Cask Box opens onto a magic road.

Variety, colour, flavour, texture

Beef Short Rib Chimichanga

Open the Cask Box onto a magic road. Exotic signs along the way: Chimichanga, Empanadas, Koftas, Bravas. This is a food trail that we are on, guided by a Brazilian chef and packed with surprising variety, colour, flavour, texture. Six major stops on the delicioso camino.

.

The box itself, which we picked up from the front door in MacCurtain Street, looks small enough but it is packed with a generous amount of good stuff. Some unlisted items are included. Big green olives, as large as pigeon eggs, big but exquisite. Some bread too and a trio of colourful and tasty dips to be starting with as we begin to make sense of the directions (don't worry, nothing at all too onerous here). Indeed the few minutes preparations for the courses encourages you to get up and chat and sip a little wine.

Cask are justly famous for their cocktails and you have the option of adding two or more to your order. But I had a bottle of wine on hand that I figured would go well with Cask in a Box. And the Menade Verdejo Ecologica Vino De La Tierra De Castilla Y Leon excelled itself across most of the “courses”. I didn’t chance it against the Chocolate Empanadas but it stood out when paired with Monkfish Croquettes, Prawn & Chorizo Stew and especially (and slightly surprisingly) with the Lamb Kofta (with Raita sauce). 

In no time at all, the Patatas Bravas with their sauce were on the table and, in no time at all they, along with the garlic aioli, had vanished. By then, the Monkfish Croquettes were at hand and, served with a tasty salad of large peas and with a lime and honey aioli, were thoroughly enjoyed.

An impressive surf and turf combination followed: the Prawn and Chorizo Stew that sat atop a bed of rice. The wine sang in tune with this beauty. And stood out too when paired with the next round: Lamb Kofta in a tomato sauce. Tasty stuff with the raita providing a cooling touch.

While all these are classed as Tapas, they are not your one or two bite Spanish style tapas. These are more like small plates, designed for sharing, quite generous portions indeed as was certainly the case with our next plate.

This was Beef Short Rib Chimichanga. Chimichanga I had to look up and found this definition: a tortilla wrapped round a filling, typically of meat, and deep-fried and may have originated in Mexico or even in Arizona.

Our Chimichanga was multi-layered and was packed with the shredded beef and took just seven minutes in the oven. Then it was cut in half and placed on the delicious guacamole and tomato salsa. Another superb dish from @chefvictorfranca and the team at Cask.

Dessert

And still there was one more stop on this fabulous food journey, the sweet one, of course. And it was wickedly sweet, sugar laced Empanadas with a shot of the chocolate in the pocket, just a shot but a strong one! We just about finished one and kept the other for the next day; not as crisp then but still delicious.

So now you know. If you’re looking for something different, order that box (a vegan selection also available) from Cask (€40 for two people). They have other choices as well, including Prawn Empanadas, Chicken Empanadas and Taquitos. Not all “exotic” boy - you could well be tempted by the Beef and Beamish Pie (covered with Parmesan cheese)!

More details here. 

#cask #VictorianQuarter #LeCaveau #Greenes #purecork #tapas #smallplates #wine #tablepath #AtHome #takeout #chefvictorfranca

Blood and Passion by the Blackwater. Bittersweet Taste of Love in the Club

Blood and Passion by the Blackwater

Bittersweet Taste of Love in the Club

Blood and Passion were all the fashion in Ballyduff, the hottest spot north of Fungarvan. 

But fear not, on Valentine’s night, the Blackwater Distillery team were chatting, via Facebook, about nothing more "bloody" than the ingredients in their Tasters Club Valentine’s Day offerings: Blood Orange Gin and Love Potion No. 5.

When it comes to passionate speakers on drink, then you’d be hard pushed to beat Susan Boyle, the creator of the Love Potion. On hearing the invite from Blackwater’s Peter Mulryan, another passionate drinks enthusiast, there was no hesitation, no delay: “I’m on board!”

And soon her thoughts began to take shape, pomegranate prominent in the melange. “..the proliferation of the seeds..the association with fertility.. and it’s also in season. I like to think that maybe Adam and Eve were tempted by pomegranate rather than the apple.”

And so the new spirit (25% abv) was based on pomegranate and, as Susan “was looking for balance”, Cardamon and Orange also came into the equation. As a result, Peter pointed out that there is a slight sediment in the bottle and it will haze when chilled.

At the finish, you’ll note a “final bite of gentian”. “Love,” affirmed Peter, “is bittersweet!” The bite here is close to what you’d get from an Italian Amaro. Susan: “Bitterness is an acquired taste, eg dark chocolate, coffee, but a brilliant taste.” As usual, Blackwater had cocktails in mind but Susan says the spirit is terrific when topped with pink Champagne or crémant. “It ticks all the boxes,” she enthused. “A multi-layered drink, ..all enveloping… romantic..and red-coloured. I had so much fun coming up with this idea, I hope the love potion works its magic for everyone who tries it.”

John Coleman, the resident cocktail creator here, called this one The Look of Love. But why did he used condensed milk with the Love Potion? He had started with cream but found that it stifled the citrus while the milk allowed it through. Honey and chocolate at the finish added to the smoothness.

Blood in the Bronx was John’s riff on the classic Bronx cocktail and, according to Peter (right) and lots of Facebook watchers, “perfectly showcases our Blood Orange Gin”. Very refreshing and quickly put together with, like all Blackwater cocktails, no extra alcohol involved (the gin itself is 40%). There is sweetness from the maple syrup and that is countered by the lemon juice (if you want it sweeter, tone back the lemon).

The Blood Orange Gin itself, designed by Kieran Curtin, started with "a bit of drama" before he decided to pare the whole thing back, leaving “obscene quantities of blood orange..in the dry form.. take the spotlight. “A post distillation infusion of blood orange slices with elderflower gives a bare hint of colour and a vibrant fresh orange palate.”

Not enough orange for some. One Facebook follower: Really enjoyed the blood orange gin with fresh orange juice and a touch of lemon juice .. I froze ice cubes with slivers of oranges in it . So they froze and look beautiful !

Blackwater’s “official” perfect serve is: Plenty of ice, a crisp tonic water and a wedge of blood orange.

#BlackwaterTasters #drinkresponsibly

Cheers on beer, whiskey and wine. With Bord Bia, Local Enterprise Office, O'Briens Wine, Rascals, Wines of the World, Waterford Whisky,

Cheers #211802, on beer, whiskey and wine. With Bord Bia, Local Enterprise Office, O'Briens Wine, Rascals, Wines of the World, Waterford Whisky

**********

Bord Bia's The Food & Drink Starter Programme

(Via Local Enterprise Office South Cork)

The Food & Drink Starter Programme is an essential programme for anyone who wishes to go into the Food or Beverage business in Ireland. A Bord Bia programme, sponsored by the LEO, the programme is run on our behalf by Conor Hyde of Bullseye Marketing. By expressing your interest in completing the programme, we will contact you when the next one is available to book. It is delivered over 2 full days in person, or over 4 half days through online Zoom webinar.

Click here for more info

**********

O'Briens Wines invite you to

Spring into this week's offers (one of which is Very Rare!)

**********

Milkshake Time Again at Rascals!

Here’s a milkshake that will bring all the boys to the yard a smile to your face this week. Brewed with coconut, vanilla and chocolate from The Proper Chocolate Company, the much-loved Rascals Milkshake Stout is back and it’s on sale now! You can get a 24-can mixed case or a 12-can mixed case; there are plenty of options online right now. Don’t forget we are donating €1 from every webshop order, throughout February, to our local National Council for the Blind shop.

Details here

**********

March Virtual Wine Tasting

from Wines of the World

Our next virtual tasting will go live on March 12th. We have included 6 wines in our surprise wine case - 3 different wines- 2 of each wine. This will include white wine and two different red wines. One of each wine to taste on our virtual tasting and a second of each to enjoy at a time of your choice. Join us for our virtual tasting on March 12th at 7pm on our social media platforms @WinesIreland on Instagram or Facebook. The video will remain on our social platforms Facebook & Instagram @WinesIreland for viewing at your convenience from 7pm on March 12th onwards so you can view at a later time or date if it suits you better. Click the button below to purchase yours now.

Surprise Mixed Case - Virtual Tasting March 12th **********

THE WHISKY TERROIR PROJECT READ ACADEMIC PAPER The first rigorous, academic paper in our ongoing Whisky Terroir Project – "The impact of terroir on the Flavour of Single Malt Whisky New Make Spirit" – has officially been published in the peer-review journal Foods.   The game-changing research using the very latest Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrum Olfactometry (GC/MS-O), demonstrates analytically and sensorially that terroir influences the flavours in both barley and the spirit distilled from that barley. Though we of course knew it all along, this paper proves once and for all – beyond denial and intuition – the influence of terroir on single malt whisky new make spirit.

Early February Stroll In Blarney Castle Gardens

 Early February Stroll In Blarney Castle Gardens

All pics from 3rd Feb 2021

The Wishing Steps. Make a wish, then walk up and down. Better results if you
close your eyes and walk backwards.

Heron

Fern Garden

Fern Garden

Blarney House (not open to the public)

Dolmen

Don't know. Anyone?

Picnic anyone?

Primrose

Putting down roots

Sculpture

Snowdrops

Trees with castle in background.