Amuse Bouche

“But the fact is that a £10 Malbec from Argentina will probably be smoother, fuller and less sharp than a £6.00 bottle. An £11.00 Chardonnay from the Margaret River in Australia will be much more exciting than a £5.50 wine from one of the big companies that make and export millions of litres. In my view, a £12.00 wine from southern France is likely to be far better value than any Bordeaux at the same price.” From Life’s Too Short to Drink Bad Wine by Simon Hoggart.

Spanish Wine Date for your Diary

Spanish Wine Date for your Diary

Justine Adams has been in touch with info on the upcoming Spanish Wine Fair in Dublin. "It has been a huge success in previous years and is the Autumn's biggest wine event. Over 200 professionals visited last time."

The Spanish Wine Fair in Ireland will celebrate its 9th edition on September 13th at the prestigious Shelbourne Hotel. Nineteen Irish importers will show the best from their Spanish portfolio. Fifteen Spanish wineries, new to the Irish Market, will showcase their wine.

In total, more than 240 wines from over 30 different Designations of Origin and Land Wines will be available to taste at this unique trade event. Professional visitors have the opportunity to enjoy some of the best Spanish wine available to the Irish market.

For the 5th year in a row the Christmas Stars competition will take place throughout the day. This year’s visitors will be treated to Cava wine - Spain’s famous sparkling wine. The guests will have the opportunity to vote on each Cava wine and choose their favourites. The winners will be promoted and highlighted over the Christmas period.

During the event, an exclusive tasting seminar on Cava Wines will be held. Coming specifically from Spain, Cava expert, Patrick Webb, has been commissioned to deliver this master class, Cava, the Sparkling Stars. 30 professionals will have the opportunity to attend and gain a deeper understanding of the peculiarities and essence of the different categories of Cava.

Date: Thursday, 13th of September 2012

Wines Fair (10.30 am – 17.00 pm)

Seminar (12.00 pm)

Christmas stars uncork (13.00 pm & 15.00 pm)

Place: The Shelbourne Hotel, 27 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2

To view all importers and wineries participating this year, please click here

For further information, please contact:
Izaskun Zurbitu
Marketing Director
Economic and Commercial Office
Spanish Embassy
Tel.: 01 661 63 13
e-mail: izurbitu@mcx.es

NASH 19: Cracking lunch!

NASH 19: Cracking lunch!

Hadn’t been in for a while and it was great to see the Nash 19 crew in top form when I called in for a midweek lunch. It just gets better and better in this central Prince’s Street venue. The smiling service is as bright and efficient as ever and, hard to believe, the food is probably even better. What a lunch: from a menu of great variety, I enjoyed three courses of the highest standard.

Take the hake I had for my main course. That fish must have been dripping from the Atlantic when he arrived in Nash 19 that morning. Such freshness I have rarely encountered.

Then add in the magic from chef Pamela Kelly. The Castletownbere hake was presented on a Saffron and Prawn Risotto with a sprinkling of Kelly magic, including grapes, pineapple and balsamic, endowing the gorgeous flesh with a light and scrumptious touch. Influences of the Med, maybe Asia. Wasn’t really giving that much thought. Too busy eating.

I have enjoyed some tremendous fish dishes in France and Spain over a recent four week holiday, dishes where the fish was king and the other bits and pieces were used to enhance that status. It gives me the greatest of pleasure to say that the Nash 19 hake was as good as any of the Basque creations.

Dessert was another highlight. Here some of the freshest raspberries from Con Trass’s Apple Farm had been included in a gorgeous Mille Feuille, layers of sweetness and the juice of the berries. Might not be a great summer but this was a sunny delight.

The meal had started off well with the Fish Chowder, another class offering, and the wine was a French Sauvignon Blanc by Les Jamelles, crisp and tart and fine with the fish. A couple of coffees at the finale and two happy diners joined many more leaving the busy Nash 19, meeting many more that were coming in.

Food and Drink Spotting

Food and Drink Spotting

Visiting Ummera Smokehouse

Ummera have always welcomed visitors to the smokehouse but, as it is tucked away up the Argideen Valley, hidden by trees and bushes, not too many people find them! Now there's a challenge!

Owner Anthony Cresswell: “But when you do find us, and we are actually here (please call ahead if you can to make sure), then we will happily give you a simple tour and tell you something about how we smoke our organic salmon and other smoked products.

We do try to make it as easy as possible to find us with maps and directions on our website, but asking the way in the village is still the best!

And while you are visiting our area, do look out for the Bandon Food Trail members. Details and a map are on their Facebook  page.”
Check on all the other things that Ummera are up to by reading the newsletter.


Gary takes up West Cork Cook-Off Challenge


Paul Flynn had agreed to represent Ireland in this year’s event, but force of circumstance has meant that he has had to withdraw. Gary O’Hanlon of the VM Restaurant in Co. Longford has gallantly stepped in to take Paul’s place.

Gary O’Hanlon hails from Ramelton in Co. Donegal. Gary's career began in The Rosapenna Hotel in Downings at the tender age of 15 and from there Gary moved on to the famous Tourism College Killybegs before working his way around Ireland from Dublin at La Cave to Belfast's Stormont Hotel and then on to Boston, Massachusetts, where he spent 6 years opening and establishing Devlin’s Restaurant.

At the age of 23, he was named Best Chef in Boston. Check out all the details of this accomplished chef here.

Slow Food Ireland
East Cork Convivium - Tuesday 17 July - at 6.30pm - Farm Walk at Dan Ahern's Born Free Organic Poultry Farm, Ballysimon, Midleton, Co Cork. Bring appropriate weatherproof clothing and footwear.  Light Refreshments.  Donations to support the East Cork Slow Food Educational Project.
Contact: Dan for directions 086 1659 258    
Keep in touch with Slow Food Ireland here

Hotels


Guests at Macroom’s Caste Hotel regularly praise the food available there and Chef Pat Ryan’s delights will be on show when the popular venue holds a Wedding Afternoon on July 22nd.

And another highlight will be award winning tenor and contestant on ‘The Voice Of Ireland’, Dan Twomey (right), one of many wedding suppliers who will be showcasing their talents on the day.

More info on the hotel and the big day event here while Dan’s contact details are available here.

Barbecues, Restaurant offers, Roof Top Dining, are among the offerings available at Limerick’s award winning Strand Hotel this summer. Details here.

Shorts


To apply for National Organic Week funding, complete the Online Organic Week 2012 Form by Monday, 16th July.  Thanks to ‏@Bordbia on Twitter.

Hasn’t been quite the weather for dining al Fresco but I’m sure many of you have sheltered corners where it is all possible. In that case, and besides there is quite a lot of the summer to come, you’ll be interested in a host of summer recipes provided by All Recipes UK and Ireland here.

Help save the sandwich! The tuna in your sandwich needs help. The World Wild Life Fund is working with the industry to get more sustainable seafood in your sandwich.  Check it out here.

Carlow’s Curim. A Golden Treat

Carlow’s Curim. A Golden Treat
Curim Gold, Celtic Wheat Beer, 4.3%, Carlow Brewing Company 


Took an instant liking to this because of the look: gold, bright and sparkling.

Can’t always judge a book by its cover but this instant judgement worked out well on this occasion. The lightly hopped beer is a terrific refreshing drink with hints of fruit and a good dry finish.

Definitely my favourite of the three Carlow beers in this tasting, thanks to a win in a recent online Galvin’s Wine.

O’Hara’s Red Ale, 4.3% abv, Carlow Brewing Company

This is really red, quite a dark one! With hoppy aromas; malty and caramel on the palate, really pleasant and then a tasty dry finish. Convinced and converted.

O’Hara’s Irish Pale Ale, 5.2%, Carlow Brewing Company

“A full and lasting bitterness”, they say on the bottle. And I can agree with that as there is a stout like dryness in this deep amber beer.

“...followed by a zesty citrus burst.” Not too sure about that. Not to my liking but do try it for yourself. That is the beauty of craft beers. There are so many, you are sure to find some that you will really like as companies such as Carlow are rapidly banishing the bland.

Excellent Portuguese white and good value too.

Stella Blanco 2010, Setubal (Portugal), 12% abv, €8.99

at Curious Wines 

Looking for a versatile white wine for the summer? Then look no further than this excellent Portuguese white.

Colour is that of light straw and it has a lovely scent (not over-powering in any way). On the palate, rich fruit (mainly mango) flavours abound in an almost creamy mouthfeel, yet it is crisp and dry.

It is produced from the famous dry Muscats grown in the Pegoes region of the Setubal peninsula and is great value for money. Oh. Don’t forget to “serve this really cold”!

• Watch out also for its red counterpart, the Stella Rosso.

Gubbeen. “A gentle and fertile corner."

At Ballymaloe, l to r: Fingal and Giana Ferguson, yours truly and Rory O'Connell 

Gubbeen. “A gentle and fertile corner.”

“We are dairy farmers and farm over 200 acres in West Cork, with Mount Gabriel behind us and the Fastnet out in front of us. We have a mixed herd...but are very proud of our Kerry cows,” said Gubbeen’s Giana Ferguson as she addressed those of us privileged to be in the attendance at the Trimbach Wine and Cheese evening in Ballymaloe last week.

It was a very special evening in the Grain Store, so much more than the sum of its advertised parts: wine from Alsace, charcuterie and cheese from Gubbeen and the blue cheeses of Cashel and Crozier. But put these special families together, the Allens, the Fergusons, the Grubbs and the Trimbachs, as Ballymaloe's Colm McCan did, and you have the perfect mix for a few magical hours.

Instructive too. For these family “businesses”, more a labour of love, have a certain honesty and simplicity, not forgetting an abundance of hard work, not just in the day to day tasks, but also in acquiring and maintaining the necessary skills, that put together enable them to reach the highest of standards. They don’t boast about it either but they are a shining example to us all.

Take the Fergusons at Gubbeen where they have been farming for many generations now. Like many farmers, they have cows, they have pigs, they have poultry and they have a kitchen garden. But here, they have been put together in a rather special way by a family who work hard, respect the land, their animals and their customers.

And just like the engaging Jean Trimbach, they too know their terroir: the acidic soil, the salty winds from the Atlantic, the early grass (thanks to the Gulfstream).

They started making cheese in the 70s and these first generation cheesemakers were taking a step into the unknown.

But there was help and support from two of Cork’s leading food families: the Allens of Ballymaloe and the Ryans (now in Isaac’s), a support warmly acknowledged by Giana: "The Ryans and the Allens stood by us and kept us going."

Gubbeen chorizo

And they have travelled a long way, without ever leaving Gubbeen, without ever getting “big”. The add-ons are organic. Their pigs have the best views of any pig farm and son Fingal has taken a keen interest here. He admitted to being “fascinated by meat curing” and is “always looking to learn more in the future” Already, he has over fifty products, most from the versatile pig.

Daughter Clovisse has also added to the productivity of the farm.  She is a bio-dynamic gardener and, with a terraced acre and four tunnels, she supplies several local chefs and is the source of fresh salads, vegetables and fruit for her customers.  Her herbs are the key flavours in Fingal's cures for his smoked meats, and in the summer - if you get down early enough - you can buy her salads at the Schull or Skibbereen Farmers’ Markets.

Parents Tom and Giana have been the pioneers, Tom as the herdsman and Giana as the cheese maker; she also keeps poultry in the yards.  Special people making special food. A regional and national treasure.

• Don’t forget to visit the Gubbeen site here.

The Grubbs: Blessed be the cheese makers.

Sarah Furno speaking in Ballymaloe

Jean Trimbach loved the cheeses

Blessed be the cheese makers
The Grubbs and Cashel Blue



About this time last year, I was buying some wines in the Rhone village of Rasteau.


The English speaking saleslady was telling me all about their Signature Vin Doux Naturel which, unusually for a dessert wine, is red. She was suggesting cheese matches and mentioned the blues of Auvergne and Bresse. But when she moved on to Stilton I just had to interrupt and tell her we had our own blues in Ireland.

When she asked for a name, I gave her Cashel Blue. And she carried on as before. “Now you take a glass of Rasteau and Cashel Blue and you have a perfect match.” Quite a saleslady but glad I spoke up when I heard Sarah Furno of Cashel Blue (and Crozier Blue also) in action at this week’s enjoyable Trimbach Wine and Cheese evening in Ballymaloe.

Sarah had quite a story to tell and told it so well. She explained that their family farm in Tipperary was struggling to make ends meet in the hard times of the early 80s. Would they go into yoghurts? Into ice-cream? But they had noticed the rise in cheese-making and after much research (including visits to Gubbeen), they decided on making a blue cheese.

There was obviously a market here as the country was importing something like 25 tonnes of Danish blue at the time yet people still “thought we were mad”. But, led by parents Jane and Louis, they kept experimenting and it took them all of four years to create Cashel, which is made from cow’s milk.

The Crozier followed about ten years later. This is made from sheep’s milk. Earlier, they had been told: “You can’t milk sheep”. Sarah: “They graze on limestone fields and produce just two litres a day...It is liquid gold, high yielding, very rich.”

If Blue cheese was something of a mystery to those in Irish agriculture in the 80s, then moulds were even more so. “Something wrong with your cheese?” The moulds are important as Sarah’s husband Sergio explained: “We use mould for flavour. We rely heavily on external mould on the rind to encourage the development of the creaminess and complex flavour from the sweet nature of the wonderful milk.”

And I must say, I just love these blues for those very reasons. And so do consumers in Australia, United Kingdom and United States and online .

It was really fascinating to hear Sarah speak and tell the story and her frequent references to the terroir, references also made by Giana Ferguson of Gubbeen. Sarah for instance mentioned the limestone fields on which the sheep graze while Giana referred to the salt spray from the Atlantic that hits their fields and the warming effects of the gulf Stream.

Sarah just touched on the recent decades. For more on the Grubb family story – it goes back as far, if not further, than that of the Trimbach’s – and indeed much more on the fantastic cheeses and how they are made, go to the Cashel Blue website here.

Just been checking and found I still have a bottle of that Rasteau, bottle number 08446 from the 2007 vintage Signature Vin Doux Natural. Next stop will be the English Market to get one of those blues from Tipperary, maybe both.

Trimbach, family run since 1626!

Colm McCan (left) and Jean Trimbach

Vendanges Tardive 2002

Trimbach, family run since 1626!


Close to four hundred years ago, a Swiss called Jean from the village of Trimbach (not far from Basle) left and crossed the Rhine to Alsace and in 1626 the young man, now called Jean Trimbach, founded the wine business that stills bears his name.

Last night in Ballymaloe, his descendant, also Jean Trimbach, took us through four flights of their top class wines and matched them with charcuterie and cheeses made by two of Ireland’s leading food families, the Fergusons of West Cork and the Furno’s of Tipperary.

There was so much went on in the Grainstore last night that I think I will reserve the Ferguson and Furno stories, even if they do not go back to 1626, for future posts. Watch this space – I won’t delay! Well, except for a family wedding tomorrow.

Jean first showed three Rieslings, “all bone dry”. The 2006 Reserve was “creamy, crisp, refreshing, very versatile with food”. Then came the Cuvée Frederic Emile 2004, named after his great great grandfather: “..dry Riesling at its very best, voted top dry in the world, a serious wine”.


Serious work too he said because of the steep slopes on which the wines are planted. If you don’t watch your step and your bucket while picking, you could well accompany it in a roll down the hill.

The third, the Clos Ste Hune 2004, was a real treat for us. “Just 800 cases for the world. Just beautiful. One of the finest in the world. Collectible. The one to collect right now is 1985.” The match with these three was the Gubbeen chorizo.

Then Jean presented two Pinot Gris, at pains to point out that this was originally a grape from Burgundy and not Pinot Grigio as some people might think. This is fuller, richer, creamier, great with Foie Gras. They were matched with the impressive Crozier Blue (8 weeks).

First was the Reserve 2008, “a bring me home tonight wine and value for money”. Then we had the Reserve Personnelle 2001, which is not produced every year. “This,” said Jean, “was bottled in April 2002 but it looks as if it was bottled yesterday.” It went very well indeed with the cheese.

The next flight was two of the Trimbach Gewürztraminer. Gewurz means spicy, he told us. We first tasted the 2009: “elegance, finesse, focus. Just like the cheese, a beautiful match”. The cheese this time was Gubbeen smoked which also went well with the Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre 2005, a wine deemed worthy enough to pay “homage to the counts of the village”.

We ended the evening with a couple of dessert wines. The Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardive 2000 was paired with the Cashel Blue (14 weeks) while the Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardive 2002 was matched to the Crozier (16 weeks), both perfect pairings.

Jean explained about Botrytis (the Noble Rot) and praised his brother Pierre, the Trimbach winemaker, as indeed he had throughout the evening, in his management of this dodgy process.

Balance is everything. As the rot sets in, the sugar goes up and so too does the acidity. But at a certain point, they can get out of synch and the winemaker must make his own decision, daily testing, to pick the shrunken fruit at the optimum time. “Sweet yes but think about balance.” I think everyone agreed that Pierre got it right with this pair as he did with all the others.

Next, a surprise as Jean came back to the mike and, accompanied by Ballymaloe’s superb sommelier Colm McCan, treated us to a song. Then we all moved outside to the Wildside Catering barbecue. A superb evening and more about the charcuterie and cheeses in posts over the next few days.

The visit was arranged through Des King and Claire Lomasney of Gleesons/Gilbey Wine Merchants and enjoyed our table chat with them and also with Eileen and Michael Fleming, long time friends and supporters of Jean.

Stonewell Cider goes Dry!

Stonewell increases cider options


Thanks to a recent win in a Galvin Wines competition, I got the chance to compare the two ciders now on offer from Stonewell. Many of you will be familiar with the Medium Dry but now they’ve added a Dry.

Stonewell Cider, 2011 Medium Dry, 5%, Distributed by Galvin Wines


This, Stonewell's first, has slight amber colour, very slightly cloudy. Classed as Medium Dry, it is certainly dry enough for some palates, and I’ve been an admirer since the start.

Now, both it and the Dry version are made from five different types of apple, all locally sourced: Dabinett, Michelin, Falstaff, Jonagored and Elstar.
While it has made many friends in what are still early days, it is still not dry enough for some, hence the new cider in the yellow version of the bottle with the distinctive Celtic motif.

Been drinking some good Basque ciders over the past few weeks while on holidays in the area (SW France, NW Spain). The craft cider there, used quite a lot with food, is cloudier and noticeably drier than anything here. Didn’t come across any that was even close to medium dry!

Stonewell Cider, 2011 Dry, 5.5%, Distributed by Galvin Wines




The first thing you notice is that this new Stonewell is darker, more of the amber. And the instant it enters your mouth, you know this is a dry cider and a very pleasant one too. It is made from the same five apple varieties.

It gets an unanimous thumbs up from this mini-tasting yet each of the tasters agreed that he or she would not be saying “No!” to the medium dry. No doubt, as time goes on, each cider will have its devotees and occasions and quite often there will be a pleasurable overlap.

King of the Rosés

King of the Rosés

Tavel, Cuvée Royale 2010, 13.5%, France

Tavel, in the Rhone valley, is fairly close to Avignon and the Cuvée Royale is a vineyard selection from vines grown on pebbles (not little ones but quite big rounded stones - see pic below). Tavel is one of the eight Crus of the Southern Rhone and makes only Rosés and boasts that it makes the best in France.

This particular wine, that I enjoyed with veal at the weekend, is redder than most rosés, but still see-through as you can see in the photo. Red fruits dominate the nose and, on the palate, it is round and full bodied (much more so than the usual rosé). It has beautiful strong flavours and a dry finish.

Rigorous quality control in terms of yield, vine age and vinification lead to this exceptional full bodied wine, produced by Les Vignerons de Tavel where I bought it in the summer of 2010. For more on my visit to Tavel, and the strange little animal I saw after the tastings!, click here.

Power & Smullen Wine Merchants Ltd, Booze.ie and O'Brien's, are among those selling Tavel wines in Ireland.

Amuse Bouche. Wine is good for your career!

“In the 18th century, the quality of the Rochegude wines led Thomas Jefferson to introduce them to President Washington.....At that point, he was appointed Secretary of State.” From About Our Wines (Cotes du Rhone booklet).

O’Hara’s: A Double on The Dark Side

O’Hara’s: The Dark Side
Tasty Stout Double

Most craft breweries would be happy with one good stout but the crew at Carlow Brewing Company  have come up with two, both under the O’Hara’s label. Thanks to a recent win in a competition by distributors Galvin’s Wine, I enjoyed both last night.

O’Hara’s Traditional Irish Stout, 4.3%, Carlow Brewing Company 

Award winning...full bodied...luxuriously smooth. That is what it says on the bottle and it is all of that. Definitely a traditional stout, dry and smooth and full of lip smacking flavour with a finish that says don’t leave me too long on my own.
An award winner as far back as 2000 and still on O’Hara’s first team. Be sure to put it in your selection.

• The head though is more cream coloured than white!
• Suggested food pairings: Excellent with Seafood particularly shellfish and smoked salmon. Also pairs well with strong flavoured cheeses and dry cured meats such as Parma ham.
• Carlow Brewing’s own tasting notes here

O’Hara’s Leann Follain Extra Irish Stout, 6.0%, Carlow Brewing Company

Another award winner. Smooth and powerful and a more noticeable bitterness to balance the complex chocolate and coffee flavours. Full bodied for sure but it purrs on the palate, a Rolls Royce of stout. Indeed, a terrific example – not the only one around! – of how the country’s craft brewers can banish the bland to the bars of yesterday.

• Suggested food pairings: Matches well with any strong cheeses or cured meats.  Also goes well with desserts.
• Carlow Brewing’s own tasting notes here