Killavullen Farmers Market, Sustainable Packaging Initiative. Remaining 2019 Market Dates

Bring your own bottle

Killavullen Farmers Market, Sustainable Packaging Initiative

Killavullen Farmers Market is one of the oldest farmers markets in Ireland so it is fitting that it should be leading the way in environmental initiatives too. We are encouraging all market goers to bring along their own containers, bags and boxes for produce bought at the market.

Be that fresh breads or doughnuts from El Door, locally grown fruit and vegetables from Mossie Buckley or Noreen O Brien you can bring your own bags and containers to cut down on waste. Our suppliers ideally try to use no packaging at all or if they have to, use recycled and recyclable packaging wherever we can. Maura's kitchen offer refunds on their Cordial and Cider vinegar bottles and will gladly take empty jar returns for their homemade jams and chutneys.

No plastic. Bring a bag or box or carton

Killavullen Farmers Market also runs a very successful buyers group where members can bulk purchase ethically sourced and environmentally friendly products. The buyers group also has a stall selling products, many which are sold on a refill basis, including cleaning products.

The café only uses mugs, no disposable cups here! The second hand bookshop offers great value and every type of book, €1 each or 3 for €2. Our arts and crafters utilise sustainable and recovered material such as old natural wood for Arthur Cronin’s incredible wood turning, Martin's stained glass ornaments, Betty’s bags and cushions! The list goes on and on!

Markets for the rest of the year

There are only three more markets remaining this year all on Saturdays, in the grounds of Nano Nagle Centre Killavullen. From 10.30am to 1pm on 30^th November and 14^th December and then our special Winter Solstice Christmas Market from 3-7pm on Saturday 21^st December.

Visit our facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/killavullenfarmersmarket/ or call Ciarán on 0863761816 for more information. If you are interested in having a stall please contact us too!

An October Wander in Mayo and Galway

An October Wander in Mayo and Galway

Afternoon near Letterfrack

Dozio & Pears in TIA

So here I am in Mayo, in Louisburgh to be precise, enjoying a delicious Swiss-Irish cheese in a lovely friendly Portuguese-Irish cafe. The cheese is called Dozio ( pronounced dots-i-o) and the café is called TIA. It is the last Friday in October, it is dull and showery, but I’m nice and cozy and enjoying the grub and the  lunchtime buzz.

TIA tiles

TIA, according to Google, means aunt in Portuguese and there is a family feel about the place, lots of school kids in either with a parent (maybe an auntie) or without and a fair bit of banter between the customers and the staff. And the food is local as exemplified by the board that says the lamb chops are PJ’s. They appear on the list of more substantial meals (more like your dinner).

We study the other board and order a couple of delicious salads. There is a Sourdough toast, honey roasted ham, Barr Rua cheese (also from Dozio), relish, salad and TIA crips. The potato, chorizo, kale and fried egg combination looks attractive, well priced at €8.50. All the dishes seem well-priced and all the food is sourced locally.

Achill Island

This section also details a Chicken, Mozzarella and Ciabatta salad; another salad of Sausage rasher, fried egg with Blaa; and a Vegetarian Burger with Sautéed potatoes, salads and pickles.

I go for the Warm Roast Pear Salad, Dozio Cheese and excellent homemade brown bread (12.00). Danilo Dozio and Helen Grady are making cheese in Mayo, using ancient recipes from Canton Ticino in the South of Switzerland. They make a few different varieties including the soft Zing (with apricot) that I so enjoyed with my salad. Meanwhile CL was loving the Warm Chicken salad, pickles, wedges and a Chilli Mayo (10.90). And it was two happy customers that left the Halloween decorated café to continue our journey to Clifden in the heart of Connemara.

The Breaffy House Hotel, our base for the middle night.

Our trip had started two days earlier near Ballina with a visit to relatives. Later that evening, we dined in the quirky Gallery Wine Bar in Westport, details at end. The following day, on the Thursday, we took up an invite to visit the Foxford Woollen Mills and its gorgeous revamped café. Terrific food here also from Chef Kathleen Flavin and you may read about the mill and the meal here…

The morning hadn’t been great but the sun was out and about as we left the mills and so we decided to head for Achill (a change of plan as we had been thinking of visiting the nearby National Museum featuring country living, our rainy day option). And quite a few stops were made and many photos taken as we made our way around the nearer loop (we didn’t go as far as Keem Bay), taking in the sights including the Grace O’Malley castle.

Superb burger, with local beef and bacon and topped with Dubliner cheese, at Oxtail in Balla.

That evening, we headed out to Balla for an excellent evening meal at the Oxtail Kitchen (you’ll find it above the Shebeen Pub on the main street). Here, Balla born Patrick McEllin and French lady Rebecca Miton, support local farmers and producers through the ever changing menu, a menu Patrick describes as classical with a modern twist. We certainly enjoyed our visit. Details also at end.

The following morning we met up with a friend of ours in Westport and enjoyed a chat and the coffee in Leafy Greens before heading west along the road to Louisburgh. First though, we stopped to see the impressive famine memorial in Newport and the horrors of the famine would again be in our minds as we headed to Leenane via the beautiful Doolough valley, haunting and maybe haunted by the happenings there during the famine, and now commemorated by a plain stone memorial as you go through the Doolough Pass. A yearly walk is held along this route in memory of the Doolough dead  of 1847 and to highlight the starvation of the world’s poor today. Otherwise though it is a lovely drive and a terrific cycle route (I’m told!).

Detail from the famine ship memorial in Muirisk

On then through some spectacular roads, including the final Sky Road, to Clifden. That night we would dine in the Marconi Restaurant in Foyle’s Hotel in a room whose decor recalls the exploits here of Marconi and also the story of Alcock and Browne. A good meal was followed (indeed accompanied) by pints of Bridewell, the local brew. Some excellent music in Mullarkey’s Bar meant a pleasant extension to the evening.

The famine memorial in the lovely Doo Lough Valley

Napoleon was all over the
place, even in the bathroom!

We spent the night in the Napoleon room of the quirky and hospitable, if expensive, Quay House, an 8-minute stroll from the town centre. The Quay, which closes up for the winter, has one of the brightest and well appointed breakfast rooms in the country, a conservatory room indeed and a breakfast to match.

Thus fortified, we started up the trusty Toyota and headed south, enjoying the benefit of the newly extended motorway, at least to Limerick. After that we drove through a lot of bends and a whole lot of broken promises by politicians before our home city came into sight.

 

Anyone for breakfast? The gorgeous conservatory at Clifden's Quay House.

Also on this visit:
Dinner and wine at Westport's Gallery
Foxford Woollen Mills: Visit and Lunch

Wilson on Wine 2020. Your friendly easy-to-read guide

Wilson on Wine 2020

Your friendly easy-to-read guide

In six short years, Wilson On Wine has become the goto book for wine-lovers keen to prepare themselves for what can often be the confusion of a visit to the wine shop. Shelves and shelves of attractive, and sometime unattractive labels, so a little time reading the current just released edition will help you make a shopping shortlist.

The well-laid out book, with over 350 pages, starts with an editorial, a few paragraphs on Natural Wine, advice on Food and Wine, and a description of wine styles. And then you’re into the wines, 163 in total, ranging over all the styles and in price from under a tenner to over two hundred euro (for the Krug Grandé Cuvée Brut).

So how do you work your way through all the info. Actually, it is not too difficult, thanks to the use of comprehensive indices. You’d be surprised how many reference books come up short on this kind of aid. The first index is by Style, Country, Price. Move towards the rear then for the Index by Wine (name), followed by the all important Index of Stockists.

Colour coding is another excellent aid for the reader. The wines are colour coded under headings such as Sparkling Wine, Crisp Refreshing White, Fresh and Fruity White, Rich and Rounded White, Light and Elegant Red, Rich and Full Bodied Red, Natural Wine, Fine Wine and Fortified Wine.

John was in great form at the recent O’Brien’s Winter Wine Festival in Cork’s Clayton and we had a chat as he signed my copy (reduced from 12.99 to a tenner on the night) and took us through the four wines he was showing on the night, all available at O’Brien’s. You do probably know that John is one of Ireland’s leading wine writers and wine correspondent for the Irish Times.

Cantina Orsogna’s Vola Volé Trebbiano D’Abruzzo (DOP) 2017 was first up. I very much enjoyed this dry refreshing organic white a few weeks back.Very light straw colour, clean and bright. Aromas are of light intensity, more floral than fruity. Lightly apple flavoured (more citrusy if it warms up a bit in the glass) with a noticeable acidity, it is light and crisp and easy to drink. Light seafood dishes are a suggested match. Perhaps with a Goatsbridge trout salad.

This cooperative specialises in crafting organic and sustainable wines from local grape varieties. The Vola Volé range of wines are dedicated to the protection of bees (featured on the label) by protecting their habitat from pesticides and herbicides and is certified by Biodiversity Friend.

Next we moved to the Loire to sample the Les Secrets de Sophie, a 2018 Sauvignon blanc from the Touraine. This comes under the Crisp Refreshing White style and is light with a snappy dry finish. John  suggests trying it with a goat’s cheese salad, tomato salad, or Greek salad. “Sauvignon loves salads.”

John was smiling as he poured our samples of the Domaine Coudoulis Dédicace Lirac 2017. Lirac is one of nine villages in the Southern Rhone that has its own name as the AOC name. The others are Rasteau, Vinsobres, Gigondas, Beaumes de Venise, Vacqueyras, Tavel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Cairanne (most recent 2018) and all nine  are regarded as crus.

September's harvest from Coudoulis Facebook page 

Why was he smiling as sipped this one? Well it is something of an iron fist in a velvet glove, packing an abv punch of 15%. But it is an excellent smooth mouth-filling Rhone from an appellation just across the river from Chateauneuf du Pape.

We stayed in the same style for the final tasting: Lunaria Ruminat Primitivo 2018, a big jammy organic red from Sicily. John describes it as a full-on Primitivo, “powerful yet soft, it delivers a mouthful of fruit”. Just like Zinfandel, its New World counterpart.

So there you are. If you’d like a bit of friendly easy-to-read guidance before you hit the wine store this Christmas, or indeed at any time, do pick up a copy of Wilson On Wine.

Ballymaloe Craft Fair. Busier Again This Year.

Ballymaloe Craft Fair. Busier Again

Spent Sunday morning wandering around the 150 plus stalls at this year's Ballymaloe Craft Fair in the Grainstore and surrounding buildings including the now iconic Big Shed. If truth be told, spent most of that time in the shed, as that was where most of the food and drink was to be found.

Golden Bean coffee

One of the most eye-catching stalls was that of Joe's Farm Crisps where two generations of the Burns family, including crisp-maker Sandra were stationed. It was eye-catching in the sense that it was the first time I had seen their lovely new packaging. Lovely new design but with echoes of the original.

Long
necked
bottle

Anyone of you who have enjoyed dinner at Barnabrow will know that Head Chef Stuart Bowes is a dab hand at the petit fours. Now, Stuart and Barnabrow have expanded the service and owner Geraldine was on hand at the fair with boxes of their delicious handmade chocolates. Had a tasting - can now recommend especially the raspberry "jelly" topped dark chocolate and also the salt and caramel one and I may indeed another few favourites before the day is through.

Got down there about 10.30 on Sunday morning (the final day of the 3-day festival) but by then there were hundreds of cars parked - ample car-parking by the way. The Grainstore, packed with craft stalls, was also packed with people, but soon became more comfortable once you got away from the area immediately adjacent to the entrance. And if you got yourself a cuppa and a treat, you had lots of benches and seats at your disposal.

Interesting lighting!

One tea of quite a few from remedyroots.com

Great to say hello to Micheál and Aoife of Galtee Irish Honey Farm. Lots of other little chats too,
including with Geraldine of Barnbrow, Sandra of Joe's Farm Crisps, Kate of Kinsale Mead, Lisa
and Stuart of Remedy Roots

Amuse Bouche

The cafe at Chardonnay Gulf isn't quite what you’d hoped for, just an OK steak with field greens, and the waitress isn’t a California girl but a heavy guy who generally services the machinery, but the wine stays good all the way down the bottle. You’re burning the days, you’re a millionaire of time, and the sun will never sink on the county of San Luis Obispo….

You may as well head back to the car so you can hit San Francisco in time to find a good hotel. The girl sings ‘Do you know the way to San Jose?’ and you make the car hooter stand in for the Bacharach flugelhorn.

from A Possible Life by Sebastian Faulks

Goldie. Where Fish Reigns

Goldie. Where The Fish Reigns

Sardines

It’s new and cool. Check out those white tiles with black designs opposite the counter. Ease yourself into those comfortable low-backed chairs and, if someone to the side talks to you, just swing round a few degrees and go face to face. But most of all, Goldie is all about the fish.

Crumpet

The clue of course is in the name. Most natives and many visitors will know that the big fish that forever swims at the top of the tower in Shandon has forever been nick-named Goldie. And the city loves its fish both in sentiment and in tasty reality. And Goldies makes that reality even more flavoursome.

Prawn cocktail crisps

The restaurant takes the ‘whole catch’ from the Ballycotton small day boats (so they take whatever is caught on the day, regardless of the quantity and species) ensuring a daily changing menu featuring the freshest produce available. They also buy in the English Market. 

Goldie operates a ‘gill to tail approach’, using as much of the fish as possible. So you’ll see some surprises on the menu, not just the species on offer but also the parts. Anyone for crunchy fish spines?

Lemon Sole

We were prepared to be surprised when we visited the other day. Front of house is very friendly and on the ball here. There’s an immediate welcome, help with the menu if need be and a chat or two over the evening. We were in early and it filled up quickly enough. Another upstairs room is being readied even as the confident new restaurant takes its first accomplished steps.

The window, more or less facing the “parent” Market Lane, shows the words Fish and Ale under the main title. And the beers come from the Elbow Lane Micro Brewery, also across the street. Brewers Russell and Davide have specially formulated the ales to suit food and, as customers of Market Lane and Elbow Lane itself will tell you, they have been very successful in that regard. 

I enjoyed a pint of the Jawbone Pale Ale with my fish. It is on draught as are the others: Angel Stout, Elbow Lager and Wisdom Ale, all named after Cork lanes.

Gurnard

Jawbone

The menu is divided into four sections. Inexpensive options come under Snacks. Next step is Small Plates, followed by Mains, and Desserts (no fish but they do use sea salt!). A quartet of sides available also including Sea Salt Shoestring Chips, Crushed baby potatoes (with scallion and seaweed), Roast Cauliflower (with hazelnut brown butter), and Sea Vegetable kimchi salad (with squid).

There were five snacks on the Friday we called and we enjoyed the Golden Crumpet and seaweed butter and enjoyed, even more, the Prawn cocktail crisps with cultured cream and seaweed, each priced at €2.50.

Harty’s Oyster feature on the small plates but our choices were the Salt Fish brandade, seaweed cracker and pickled celery, a very tasty combination indeed (7.5). The similarly priced Seared devilled sardines with pickled celeriac were superb, so good I thought briefly (it was raining outside) I was back in the old town of Albufeira enjoying a plateful in the hot sun with a glass of wine. By the way, they have a wine list with most of the whites very well suited to the fish.

Panna Cotta

The superb mains were yet to come. I’m a sucker for Gurnard but rarely come across it when eating out. The Pan fried Gurnard here (21.50), with bok choi and lasooni butter, is a delight. Simply delicious, especially with the sauce.

And the chicken butter sauce with the Pan Fried Lemon Sole (22.50) was also a winner. There was a decent chunk of swede (how often do you come across that veg in restaurants?) on the plate as well. We could have had sides but resisted the temptation as we were determined to go through all three courses.

Budino

As it turned out, the strategy worked very well indeed. We completed the three and felt good for the fourth! Just a short list of sweets but two were enough for us. The Pom ‘O apple port Panna Cotta with caramelised apple and crumble and the Achill Island Sea Salt and caramel pudding with hazelnut biscotti were each that bit different to the usual dessert and a lovely finalé to a superb fish dinner.

Goldie is the result of an exciting collaboration between Aishling Moore (25), former head chef of Elbow Lane, and Stephen Kehoe, (39) executive chef of the Market Lane Group. 

Authenticity is very important to us. Lingenfelder Masterclass in Cork

Authenticity is very important to us. Lingenfelder Masterclass at O'Brien's Winter Wine Festival in Cork

Georg Lingenfelder. Thanks to Liam Campbell for the pic from the Dublin show.

“Half the production in Germany is red.. that is not internationally known. There are big steps in red wine.” This was the surprising opening statement by Georg Lingenfelder as he introduced us to the estate’s wines at a masterclass, part of the O’Brien’s Winter Wine Festival in Cork last Thursday evening. Climate warming may well be a factor in the increase.

O’Brien’s Lynne Coyle MW had introduced Georg, a regular visitor to ireland. “This is the first year of the masterclasses. Georg represents the 14th generation of the family in wine in the Pfalz. Next year is their 500th anniversary.” 

He told us that Pfalz is in the south west of Germany. “One of the driest and warmest areas but still a cool climate. Wines can be more full bodied here in good years. 2018 was warm and dry and some of the 2018 are not too heavy. All hand-picked, all wild fermented, we rely on the natural yeasts that are all around our cellar. 

Georg, at home, with father Rainer

Fermentation is spontaneous - that makes it more individual, unique to our place. It is of course more risky for us and some vintages can be not so good. With wild yeast, you never know how it works. We try and get the temperature to 18 to 20 degrees but it is still unpredictable. But we’ve been doing this forever so we have the experience.”

“The wines with our house on the front label are single plot. We are right next to the Rhine but our vineyards are not too steep - easier to work there. We use sustainable methods, lots of other plants between the rows. This gives bio diversity, very important to us.”

In response to a question on sulphites, Georg explained that sulphite is necessary to make a wine stable. “Sulphur levels in wine are often very low, compared to other foods. Our levels are quite low.”

“We use German oak, from about 15/20 kms away, as authenticity is very important to us. We use some barrels that are 120 years old. There is a big difference between new and old oak and our Pinot Noir is aged in fresh oak.”

The Dornfelder grapes

And he had an invitation for everyone in the audience. “We are a small family winery, always happy to see visitors. Stuttgart and Frankfurt airports are not too far away.”

The first of the three wines in the tasting was their Hare-label Gewürztraminer Qba 2018. “Very aromatic, almost perfumery. Yet this is a dry style, herbal, with an almost bitter finish though the acidity is not too high.” In general, this grape and its “so distinctive” wines, “divides opinions”.

The Hare. The House. The Fox.

The second wine tasted, a Riesling, had the house on the front, so the fruit came from a single plot, quite a small one in this case. The Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2018 is dry, aromatic with crisp, refreshing acidity. Georg pointed to the higher acidity though he also said it was a little sweet on the finish. It certainly has the typical Riesling aromas (citrus-y) and that “little sweetness is well balanced by the acidity. It is, as Georg said, “straightforward and elegant”. He also emphasised that Riesling is a grape “for cooler climates”.

The final wine was the Fox-label Dornfelder Qba 2010, a light red wine, with notes of red berries and a bit of spice and a smoke taint. However it has a nice intensity on the mid palate and is a great match with lamb, beef carpaccio or cheese and is quite close to Pinot Noir.

Georg told us that it is a local grape, initially bred in 1955. It is handpicked, skin fermentation in stainless steel, on the skin for 3 to 4 weeks, the juices take all their colour from the skin (without that, the wine would be white). “It then spends one and a half years (can vary) in German oak, 5,000 litre barrels, so there is really no oak influence. It is a little on the light side, 12.5% abv, cherry fruit, smoke and pepper. It has a lot going for it, including slow -ripening which increases the flavour.”

I like this style and so does Georg who admits to not being a big fan of oaked red: “This is very versatile (in terms of food). It has great ageing potential, good at five to ten years but can get better as the years cool on. Incredibly better.”

Great to have the chance to hear from the latest generation of this remarkable family and to hear how enthusiastic he is about local and authenticity. And so the commitment continues so that the next 14 generations “get a chance to live off the land as well; without herbicides, without irrigation, only minimal fertilisation and lots of biodiversity”.
See also: O'Briens Winter Wine Festival Cork

New Zealand Wines. Ireland Tastings Jan 13th 2020. Trade & Consumer Events

NEW ZEALAND IN A GLASS – 2020 Annual Trade Tasting

Monday 13^th January, 2020

Radisson Blu Hotel, Golden Lane, Dublin 8.

Trade:  2:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Consumer:  6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

CONSUMER EVENT
FLAVOURS OF NEW ZEALAND - DUBLIN 2020
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Monday 13th January, 2020
Venue: Radisson Blu, Golden Lane, Dublin 8.
Tickets are now on sale priced at €20.00.
A great idea as a Christmas stocking filler for the wine enthusiast in your life.


New Zealand Winegrowers will hold their 23rd tasting of New Zealand wines in Ireland in January 2020. With a number of key New Zealand wineries showing at the Dublin show in 2020 there will be over 130 New Zealand wines available to taste.



New Zealand wines have very strong visibility and are very much sought after in the Republic of Ireland. In 2018 New Zealand sold 568,265 cases of wine, rising to 6.4% of the total market of 8.9 million cases. Source: Irish Wine Association Sept 2019



Figures for the retail wine sector in Ireland on a MAT basis, for the period March 2018-2019, show that the market for wine in the off trade grew. According to Scantrack the MAT volume figure for 9 litre case sales to March 2019 were 338,465 up +10.94% on the previous year.



MAT figures to March 2019 from Nielsen Scantrack show that off trade sales of New Zealand wine in the retail sector also increased by +10.14% in terms of value.

Source: Nielsen Scantrack March 2019

Dublin Trade masterclass (13:00)

At the New Zealand in a Glass 2020 will be a number of features, including a Pinot Noir Masterclass presented by Martin Moran M.W. Places at the Masterclass must be booked in advance. Please contact Jean Smullen to confirm your place at this year’s Masterclass.

The themed tables this year will highlight Unexpected NZ and Rose

Participating wineries for the 2020 New Zealand Winegrowers annual tasting include:

Babich Wines; Brancott Estate; Felton Road; Hãhã Wine Company Ltd; Hunter's Wines; Lawson's Dry Hills; Nautilus Estate; Oyster Bay New Zealand; Pegasus Bay Winery; Rimapere Wines Partnership; Sacred Hill; Spy Valley Wines; Villa Maria Estate, Wither Hills and Yealands Wines



To purchase tickets click below (Credit Card accepted)

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-zealand-in-a-glass-dublin-tickets-80645764653


press release

Taste of the Week. Bó Rua Farm Original Farmhouse Cheddar

Taste of the Week

Bó Rua Farm Original Farmhouse Cheddar

The multi-award winning Original Irish Farm Cheddar from the Bó Rua farm in East Cork is our Taste of the Week. Tom and Norma Dinneen are the couple behind this delicious product which this year won the coveted Gold at the Blas Irish Food Awards in Dingle. It is our current Cheese of the Week and, aside from the superb flavour, what I love about it is its extra creaminess.

That is probably down to their Montbéliarde (the red cattle after which the farm is named) and Friesians who all graze outside for most of the year. Indeed, I see on Facebook that they about to go in for the winter around now. Montbéliarde by the way produce the milk from which the famous Comté is produced.

I’ve met Tom a few times over recent years and had a chat with him at the Cork Kerry Food Fair in the City Hall where I bought my wedge of the cheddar. A week or so later, the Dinneens added to their honours list when, at the Irish Cheese Awards 2019 in the Metropole, they were awarded silver in Class 19, best New Cheesemaker since 2016. 

So well done to Tom and cheesemaker Norma (loving the new dairy). Look out for the cheese - it is fairly widely available.

Bó Rua Farm 

Ballynoe

Fermoy

Co. Cork

Cracking Wines at O'Donovan's Wine and Craft Beer Festival

Cracking Wines at O'Donovan's

 Wine and Craft Beer Festival

Paddy from Clonakilty Distillery

I very much enjoyed visiting the 17th annual O'Donovan's Wine and Craft Beer Festival in the Clayton Hotel, Cork City, last Friday night; great to meet old friends and taste some new wines. And it wasn’t just wine. There was mead, from Kinsale of course, craft beers from home and abroad, whiskeys and gins galore including some from new and new-ish producers such as Clonakilty and Beara and more.

The O’Donovan’s staff were busying helping people make the most of it and one of their tasks was to man the tables featuring Gold Star winners from this year’s Irish Wine Show. Some 45 wines were awarded in all and are exclusive to NOffLA (National Off-Licence Association) member outlets nationwide.

Yours Truly with
Gerry Gunnigan
of Liberty Wines

Liberty Wines, with Gerry Gunnigan doing the honours, had two of the winners at their table and, after a conversation, mainly about Mayo, with Gerry, we started with those two. First up was the Italian Alpha Zeta “C” Chardonnay 2018 from the Veneto. Superb tropical fruits and as fresh as could be and it won Gold in the Under €15.00 Old World White Category.

And Gerry’s other Gold winner was the Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 2017 from New Zealand’s Marlborough, which came first in the Under €20.00 New World White Category. Very elegant, tropical fruits again, well balanced and well worth looking out for as the festival season nears. Two fine whites then but perhaps the top white on the Liberty table was the Loimer Lois Grüner Veltliner, an excellent example of the Austrian grape. All their own fruit and organic to boot.

Conor O'Brien (NorEast Beers) with CL

Speaking of Christmas, one to look out for is the Delicato Gnarly Head Viognier from California. “Not over the top in aromatics” but lots of character and a great aperitif. The normal retail price is €18.00 but there’ll be reductions soon! Dave Buckley of Cassidy's also had a couple of well-priced South African whites. The Millstream Chenin Blanc struck a nice balance of fruit and acidity while the Franschhoek Cellars Unoaked Chardonnay had all the typical Chardonnay flavour and a good acidity. Doesn't miss the oak at all.

We then came across an outstanding Verdejo, by Spain’s Protos, at Comans Wines. A fresh and balanced wine from the Rueda with a dry lingering finish. Priced at €15.00, though, like most of the wines, it was reduced for orders during the festival.

Denis and Kate
Kinsale Mead

The Vineyard were showing a pretty impressive white from the Loire, the dry and refreshing Chateau de la Roulerie Petit Chenin 2018.  Nearby, Damien from Tindal had a couple of excellent Pinot Grigio from the Veneto and he was very enthusiastic about both. You could see though that special care had been taken in producing the Zenato 2018, refreshing, soft yet with good character, a really good wine indeed. The San Giorgio 2018 was well balanced, clean and crisp.

In between, we had a chance to chat with Denis and Kate from Kinsale Mead and to taste their Atlantic Dry (white) mead and their Wild Red Mead and to hear of some plans in train and for the future including barrel-ageing and using Irish Honey. Looking forward to seeing the results but it could be a while yet for us punters as the enterprising couple keep their fingers crossed!

No problem finding Malbec when we started on the reds. Mackenway’s Callia “Alta” from San Juan in Argentina, was very juicy, very drinkable, and made an immediate impression with its “fruit bomb” of flavours. The Kaiken Terroir Series Vistaflores 2017, from Mendoza, on show at the Liberty Table, was a somewhat more serious drink, full bodied and silky, the Malbec enhanced by some Petit Verdot and Bonarda.

A couple of superb Crianzas followed. Some of you may be familiar with the El Coto Rioja Crianza, a harmonious mix of red berry flavours, juicy tannins and a well judged touch of oak that help make this the biggest selling Crianza in Spain. This was on the Mackenway table with an RRP of €17.00, with a reduction off that available on the night, as was the case for most if not all of the wines in the show.

Back to Damien then at the Tindal table and he was singing the praises, quite rightly too, of the Luis Cañas Rioja Crianza 2016, saying the extra calcium in the vineyard’s soil makes a difference to the thickness of the skins, so more colour, more concentration and you could taste that in this dark fruit flavoured wine, hints of the oak too and a long and very satisfying finish. Normal price is €23.50 and again the offer on the night brought it down to 19.97 per bottle.

Gold Medal

We finished the wines at the Cassidy Table with Dave taking us through two from California. First up was the Delicato Gnarly Head Zinfandel from old vines between 35-80 years and weighing in at 14.5% abv. Intense and bold the notes declared and yes indeed it is a big wine, loads of fruit. And lots of fans too for this style.

For me though, the next one, the Delicato Gnarly Head Authentic Black, was more to my liking. It is bold enough, full bodied enough “to rock your palate” but the Zinfandel has been toned down through the addition of Petite Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot. Should be superb with food as Dave indicated.

And there was some food around, including Carrigaline Cheese with the dedicated Padraig in attendance having overseen the Irish Cheese Awards the previous evening. Didn’t get much of a chance to try the food and we were heading to Dockland in any case. 

But we did have a beer with Conor O’Brien of NorEast Drinks. The Whitstable Bay Organic Ale, a delightful light coloured ale that is brewed using the brewery’s own chalk-filtered mineral water, is a soft blend of hops and malt. Liked that and must watch out for it next time I visit O’Donovan’s.