Well balanced and delicious. A Very Highly Recommended Rioja Reserva.

Well balanced and delicious. A Very Highly Recommended Rioja Reserva.

Ramon Bilbao Rioja Reserva (DOC) 2015, 14% ABV

€19.50 in Dunnes Stores.

“ Rioja with a twist”. That’s how Ramon Bilbao, who have enhanced their “historical range..with modern approach”, describe their wines. Their “style” is well appreciated in Spain where they have 9% of the market.

This Rioja Reserva has a deep ruby colour, somewhat lighter on the rim. It is clear and bright and you’ll notice those tears, indicating a high alcohol count, though 14 % is not that unusual in warm countries. 

Aromas are quite intense, dark and fed fruit. In the mouth, you notice an excellent acidity along with the fresh fruit flavours, and a touch of vanilla from the oak. Fruit and spice are also in the finish. Tannins are fine, all part of the balance of this delicious wine.

The producers say their style is fresh, elegant and fruity. And this is a very good example, light and bright and a long way from some of those heavyweight traditional Riojas. Drinking very well now and there seems broad agreement that it can evolve further in the bottle, even into the 2030s.

Best served between 17º C and 18º C, this wine pairs perfectly with traditional food such as red meats, game and mature cheeses. Very Highly Recommended.

The 2015 harvest “will go down as one of the earliest and quickest harvests in history”, according to Ramon Bilbao, thanks in no small way to July “with the highest temperatures ever recorded”. The results were clean and fruity wines. They use “pre-fermentation maceration for 3 to 4 days, post-fermentation maceration for 5 to 7 days, overpumping and daily plunging. Filtering and clarification did not take place until the end. Ageing: American Oak Barrel for 20 months: Missouri and Ohio, and a further 20 months in bottle”. 

Rioja Classifications Guide

Wondering what a Crianza is? Well, it is one of the classifications that indicates the age of the wine in your bottle and you’ll see a stamp at the rear to confirm it. Reserva is another but you should note that Rioja takes these terms seriously, it is a guarantee, and you can rely on the system. In some countries, reserva is at the producer's whim, with no supervisory system in place!

Generic: This category guarantees the origin and vintage of wine. They are usually wines in their first or second year, which keep their primary freshness and fruit. This category may also include other wines that do not fit into the categories of Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva, if they have been subjected to an ageing process that is not certified by the Control Board.

Crianzas are wines which are at least in their third year, having spent a minimum of one year in oak barrels. For white wines, the minimum barrel ageing period is 6 months.

Reserva These are meticulously selected wines with a minimum ageing between oak barrels and the bottle of three years, of which at least one has to be in barrels, followed and complemented by a minimum 6 months’ ageing in the bottle. For white wines, the minimum ageing period is 2 years, with at least 6 months in barrels.

Gran Reserva These are wines of great vintages that have been painstakingly aged for a total of sixty months with at least two years in oak barrels and two years in the bottle. For white wines, the minimum ageing period is 4 years, with at least 6 months in barrels.

The labels are colour coded. You’ll see the Reserva has a burgundy colour while Gran Reserva has a (royal) blue.

* The GranReserva is also a beauty and we’ll have a post on it in a week or so.

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Check my growing list of top wines for 2023

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Check out my Good Value Wine List here

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Code of Behavior blow the rain away with storming Super Dome stage show

 Code of Behavior blow the rain away

An energetic session by a local band, at the Super Dome Jazz Stage on the Opera House Plaza, Emmett Place, had the fans clapping and smiling on Saturday afternoon. A highlight of the Big Fringe and, for me, a highlight of the Cork Jazz Festival 2023

Businesses report biggest uplift in trade since Christmas over Guinness Cork Jazz Festival weekend

Businesses report biggest uplift in trade since Christmas over Guinness Cork Jazz Festival weekend

Macy Gray

“Jazz 23 has surpassed all others and that is saying a lot as 22 was amazing.  The crowds were up, the spend was up and there was an amazing atmosphere”

Businesses in the city are reporting another electric weekend for the 45th Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, with huge numbers attending, packing out the streets and stages of Cork City and beyond. 

 

The festival delivers approximately 100,000 visitors to Cork City over the 5 days, giving a much-needed local spending boost, which is estimated at €45 million.  The past two years in particular have surpassed all previous festivals.

 

The rain didn’t dampen spirits as jazz revellers attended packed out shows like Macy Gray, Morcheeba. Corinne Bailey Rae, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and jazz greats like Matthew Halsall, Adam Ben Ezra, Gilles Peterson and Kurt Elling.  Jazz also spilled onto the streets of the city and Kinsale with The Big Fringe and there were numerous impromptu sets and magic moments, with headline acts surprising fans, much to the delight of those who were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

New York Brass Band, always welcome.

 

“We were delighted to build on the success of last year with an extra date added and 40% more shows across the city over the weekend.  Most of the events sold out and the feedback has been incredible” said Mark Murphy, festival director, who is working with Guinness to bring the festival on par with the best jazz and music festivals in Europe. 

 

Fiona Collins, chair of the Cork Jazz Festival committee, who organise The Big Fringe, the free programme of music across the city, said, “It was incredible to see so many people in the city, Douglas and Kinsale over the weekend.  Thanks to all the musicians who flew in from all over Ireland and abroad, to Guinness and to all the businesses involved, for making it such a great success.”

 

Kevin Herlihy, President of the Cork Business Association (CBA) and co-owner of the Herlihy Centra Group, said “What a weekend for all businesses in the city.  53,000 visitors coming through our airport and 100,000 flocking into the city is just exceptional and much needed for the business community.  Guinness and all the organisers should be very proud of the direction they are bringing the festival in.” 

On the street with Lamorotte from the Netherlands.

 

Aaron Mansworth, Managing Director of Trigon Hotels, including The Metropole Hotel, the home of jazz, said “The line-up was exceptional and even the weather didn’t dampen people’s spirits or the electric atmosphere across town”.

 

Philip Gillivan, from The Shelbourne Bar, one of main pubs on the Music Trail said, “Jazz 23 has surpassed all others and that is saying a lot as 22 was amazing.  The crowds were up, the spend was up and there was an amazing atmosphere in The Shelbourne and the VQ for the weekend.”

Local brass band Code of Behavior went down a treat on stage in Emmett Place.

 

Not only did the pubs, clubs, hotels and venues benefit, but there was a knock-on effect throughout the city.  “It was our best weekend since last Christmas”, said Claire Nash from Nash19. 

Guinness Cork Jazz Festival will take place again over the October bank holiday weekend in 2024. Keep an eye on guinnesscorkjazz.com or follow the festival on @GuinnessCorkJazz so you don’t miss out when tickets go on sale next year!  The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is supported by Diageo, Fáilte Ireland, Cork City Council and Cork Airport.

🎺Jazz City. Come Rain, Come Shine🎼

 🎺Jazz City. Come Rain, Come Shine🎼

Oliver Plunkett Street, Friday night on the street.

A true trooper! Not just a sunshine player.

Eat on the street? Don't worry! O'Flynn's Gourmet Sausages are open later (9.00pm)
on Winthrop Street for hungry Jazz followers!

Rainy day sous...

Band in blue - Lamorette Jazz Band from Holland.

Raindrops & Glitter outside BT

Engaging and elegant Vermentino from Sardinia.

Engaging and elegant Vermentino from Sardinia.

Atzei Saragat Isola Dei Nuraghi (IGT) Vermentino 2022, 13.5% ABV,

RRP €20.95. Stockists: The Cinnamon Cottage; JJ O’Driscoll Superstore Ballinlough; Searsons Wine Merchants; Red Nose Wine; Jus de Vine; Bradleys; Blackrock Cellar.

Confidence rises as you read the introduction, by importers Liberty, to this Vermentino from Sardinia. “The Vermentino for this wine is grown on the hillsides and the plains close to the village of Mogoro, in the Alta Marmilla sub-region of southern Sardinia. The soils are granitic with a large instance of limestone, producing highly aromatic wines. Atzei follows a strict selection process in the vineyards at harvest, ensuring that only the very best fruit is picked, and the resulting wines display excellent concentration of flavours.”

The colour is a light straw yellow. Aromas are quite forward, a rush of elderberry along with white stone fruit (peach, nectarines). The palate is full of intense flavour, from the first sip to the long finish and all the time the wine is engaging and elegant.

I do like my Vermentino, even more so now. Very Highly Recommended.

Sardinia’s 2020 vintage was a great one. “The spring was characterised by good levels of rainfall that replenished water reserves in the soil. Summer was warm and dry, and the grapes matured evenly without any intervention in the vineyard. The harvest started in the second week of September and the fruit was healthy and perfectly ripe.”

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Check my growing list of top wines for 2023

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Check out my Good Value Wine List here

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After a short maceration on the skins, fermentation took place at controlled temperatures with the use of selected yeasts. Vinification is conducted without the presence of oxygen, in order to preserve the natural, fresh fruit aromas. The wine was then transferred to stainless-steel tanks where it remained on fine lees for 40 days, with regular bâtonnage performed, before bottling.

The colourful label takes its inspiration from the clothes of Sardinian women. The bright colours reflect the colours of the earth, the sky and the sea. Even nowadays, on feast days, Sardinian women wear these rich, colourful dresses with great pride, passing them down from generation to generation as the most precious gift. 

Perfect as an aperitif with cheese puffs or slices of Sardinian ham, dishes with fresh bottarga (salted or dried tuna), savoury pies with vegetables, dishes with shellfish and seafood. Very good with pecorino cheese and semi-hard cow cheese.

CorkBillyBeers #51. Craft with Wicklow Wolf, Hofbräu, and Lacada

CorkBillyBeers #51

Craft with Wicklow Wolf, Hofbräu, and Lacada

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Wicklow Wolf (with Devil’s Peak & Fierce Beer) Tryfecta Hazy Pale Ale, 4.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

“Tryfecta is a hazy pale ale double dry hopped with New Zealand hop Motueka. This refreshing pale ale pours a hazy golden hue with tropical and citrus fruit flavours and aromas.”

That’s how Wicklow Wolf sums up their recent collaboration with Fierce Beer (Scotland) and Devil’s Peak (South Africa), a beer put together with an eye on Group B (the so-called group of death) of the World Cup in rugby where all three countries are fighting for just two quarter-final places.

The message from the den: We were delighted to welcome our friends, Fierce Beer from Scotland back to Wicklow and this time we also invited our friends in Devil’s Peak from South Africa for our latest Crossbreed Series Collab.This beer is a celebration of friendship and competition, as Ireland, Scotland and South Africa all played each other at this year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

So what better way to celebrate the games than brewing a beer that we can all enjoy together win or lose. Tryfecta is a 4.5% Hazy Pale Ale double dry hopped with New Zealand hops, providing a wonderful burst of tropical fruits.

It is a murky orange colour with a white head that doesn't hang about too long. The aromas are hoppy for sure - the All Blacks haven't been left out of the picture and could well skip off with the trophy when the dust settles in Paris this weekend. Quite a beer though, with that burst of tropical fruit as promised, and one of the better collaborations of recent years.

Very Highly Recommended.

BB: 21.08.2024. Bought: 25.09.23

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Hofbräu Original Helles, 5.1% ABV, 500 ml bottle Dunnes Stores

“A beer with character for connoisseurs with character.”

Colour is lovely gold/yellow with bands of sparkly bubbles rising non-stop towards the soft white head. The aromas are slightly sweet malty, a hint too of hops.  It is full-bodied, really mature, a superb grown-up lager with the excellent balance required.

Pairings recommended by the Munich brewery are sausage and cheese, salads, roast pork, pasta and steamed fish. But the best pairings are to be found in a beer hall in Munich, sitting together on long wooden benches, enjoying pretzels and hearty snacks and treats, feeling that Bavarian hospitality and camaraderie, the perfect service donned in smart-looking traditional costume…”

 

Geek Bits

Available all year round. 

Bottom fermented. 

Serve at 6-7 degrees. 

Hops: Herkules, Perle, Magnum, Select.

Malts: light barley malt, Munich malt

Brweing: infusion method

Bitterness: 24 IBU

Other:

BB: 05.03.2024. Bought: 20.09.2023

We had another German lager on here (in #47), the HB Bayerisches Pils, recently. The bottles are fairly similar, both use the letters HB in blue and both beers are bottle-fermented but the other HB is in Traunstein about an hour and a half from Munich. Both brewers are long-standing, HB (Munich) was founded in 1589 and Hofbräuhaus in Traunstein in 1612.

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Lacada Screw Steamer California Common, 5.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

California Common is a beer made by fermenting lager yeast at warmer ale yeast temperatures. Also known as a “steam beer”

The latter name comes from the 'Screw Steamer / SS' ships. One such famous ship was the SS Hazel which was a steam packet ferry that ran between Ardrossan, Scotland and Portrush in the early 1900s. And that is where the name of this Portrush-brewed beer comes from.

It is malty in the aromas. Colour is a reddish-orange. Quite pleasant on the palate with a light caramel maltiness, and rustic, woody notes from the Northern Brewer hops (often used in California Common for its woody, piney and minty essence). You’ll also find this hop in Lambic, Porter, European Ales, and Stout, on the darker side in other words.

The Rising Sun’s “Common Eileen”, another California Common, was malty with a decent bitterness, with traditional old-style American hops, came out about four years ago. Good name but short-lived, I think. This Portrush effort has more going for it but not sure that it will have a lasting impact.

Worth a try though. Recommended.

BB: 31.01.2024. Bought: 25.09.23