SUNDAY MORNING AT BALLYMALOE

Ballymaloe last Sunday, click to enlarge

SPARKLING MORNING IN BALLYMALOE 

It was a sparkling spring morning as I drove into Ballymaloe on Sunday: blue sky, the pristine greens of the trees and fields and the bright yellows of the daffodils along the drive all
combining in the show.

And the sparkle continued upstairs in the Grain Store where wine ace Mary Dowey was hosting the final session of her popular intensive weekend wine course at the East Cork venue. This course has been going on twice a year for the past eleven years and Colm McCann, the Ballymaloe wine expert, told me on Sunday that it has lost none of its attraction.

That no doubt owes much to the expertise of Colm and Mary. Their enthusiasm is still high and that was quite evident as, at the end of the session, the attendees expressed their thanks. Evidently, they all had a good time and learned much about wine.

Thanks to Colm, fellow blogger Paul Kiernan  and myself were able to attend the final session which dealt with sparkling wines and champagne. We started with three non-champagne sparklers: a Prosecco, a Cava and a New World made in the champagne manner.

That New World example, Croser Petaluma (2006) from the Adelaide Hills, fermented in fresh oak, was a big favourite. It was more concentrated, smoother (smaller bubbles) and very well balanced and priced at €29.00.  And it underlined Mary’s point that it is better to spend thirty euro on a New World sparkling wine than on a poor champagne.

Not that there were any poor champagnes in the three tasted after the coffee break. I rather liked the second one, the Taittinger Brut Reserve NV, with its light and lively style, its softer acidity and the long gentle finish. Price is around €49.00.

The experts went for the third: Bollinger Special Cuvee Brut NC. There are quite a few similarities between this and the Croser but not in the price as the Bollinger will cost you €60.00. Again that underlines the point about the value in New World sparklers.

But whatever you choose, be careful when opening that bottle. Mary said the pressure is tremendous, equal to that of a bus tyre. She also cautioned that nibbles (olives, toasted almonds) are almost essential when drinking this type of wine. Oh, if you find French champagnes too acidic, then try one from a warmer climate (New Zealand, Australia, California).

Mary, a terrific teacher who passes on her knowledge in an easy and often humorous way, has vast experience of the wine trade and has no shortage of experience in the Champagne region and that came through when the discussion got around to vintage versus non-vintage (NV): “NV is highly regarded in the region; they take great pride in it. A skilled cellermaster is required to get the blend correct because year after year they want consistency. I have a huge respect for NV. Vintage is supposed to be made in very good years but sometimes is made in so so years.”

These enjoyable courses take place twice each spring in Ballymaloe. You are welcome to email colm@ballymaloe.ie if you would like to be added to the wine events mailing list.