BEAUMES DE VENISE - Stronger and Sweeter

BEAUMES de VENISE

Having completed a long promised trip to the top of Mont Ventoux, the white mountain of Provence (and of the Tour de France), we found that the temperature (which had been 6 degrees at the top) was a very pleasant 26 in the valley.

By the time we got to Malaucene at the foot of the 1912 metre high mountain, we were ready for more. On the map, I spotted a road linking us with Beaumes. It turned out to be a beautiful country road through the vineyards and passed close to the mountains called the Dentelles (lace).

It was mid-afternoon when we reached Beaumes and the cafes were busy in the otherwise sleepy village. Could perhaps have sought out the Cooperative but, in the heat,  settled for the convenient shop of Domaine des Richard  in the centre of the hamlet where a lady, with two year’s English, took great care of us.

Her tasting samples were generous to say the least and we left well stocked with the famous fortified (15%) sweet wine called Beaumes de Venise and also the producer’s own Plan de Dieu, a lovely red.

Opened a bottle in the sunny garden last Sunday at lunchtime and the promise from those generous tastings was fulfilled. Well worth a try and, while making a call this week to Bradley’s in North Main Street for that new Stonewell Cider, I spotted that they had some of the Beaumes on the shelves, though not the exact bottle that I am enjoying – still have some left!

CLONAKILTY IS THE CREAM

Hospitality & Dining 

In Clonakilty we take great pride in the quality and exceptional standard of food provided by our numerous restaurants, cafes and bars. Whereas fine dining used to come at a price to match, you're now guaranteed to find great food at affordable prices when dining out in Clonakilty. And to complete a great night out, we have some of the finest traditional and live music venues in Ireland.....


Eating out is just one facet of a visit to Clonakilty. Find out more here

BALLYVOLANE HOUSE

We are delighted to be hosting a charity 'Beer & Curry Feast' in the vintage tent in the gardens at Ballyvolane House on Friday, 22 July 2011. All proceeds will go towards the Malawi Orphan Appeal Fund and we are expecting over 100 people to attend.


For more details and all the other summer news from Ballyvolane House, please click here

TIPP CHEESE & KILKENNY SYRUP

HIGHBANK ORCHARD SYRUP & COOLEENEY CHEESE

Had heard only good things about Kilkenny’s Highbank Orchards Syrup which was launched in 2010. Spotted the bottle in Iago in the English Market recently and snapped it up. The price is close to 10 euro and looks high for 200ml but the organic product has a long shelf life and is very versatile.

"Ireland's answer to maple syrup", this sweet and delicious, pouring, organic syrup, is the first of its kind. Grown and produced by Highbank Orchards in Kilkenny, Ireland. With years of research, Highbank launched the Orchard Syrup in 2010 at Savour Kilkenny.

There was a little leaflet hanging from the neck with quite a few suggestions. Drizzle it on your porridge was one. I tried that but didn't find it very successful. More joy though when I added some to cheese.

Uses suggested on the site are: Drizzle on porridge and muesli, pour on ice cream, pancakes and desserts, glaze your ham, sausages or vegetables, flavour your stews, oat cakes and breads. As a hot healthy drink or in whiskey. Drizzle on cheese (particularly blue cheese), on paté and game terrines. Delicious on bananas as well as poured on Waldorf Salads!

Tipperary’s Cooleeney was the cheese in question. Met them at their stand at the recent Cork TasteFest and, for three of those controversial Corkers, I got a small round of their Dunbarra Farmhouse Brie (this with garlic). 

Cooleeney make quite a range as you can see on their site. They often suggest a matching wine and Pinot Noir was their choice here. Just happened to have one and yes that New Zealand Marlborough Little Beauty and Cooleeney got on well together. But perhaps the best match was between the Tipp cheese and the Apple Syrup from neighbouring Kilkenny.

SAVING OUR SEED.

The importance of diversity in Food Plants and Animals

Have you heard of the Lumper potato? Probably not, but it was the variety of potato, apparently the only variety (a prodigious one), grown in Ireland in the years immediately before the famine. If we then had more varieties, the famine may have been avoided or at least may not have been as serious.

"A crisis is looming: To feed our growing population, we’ll need to double food production. Yet crop yields aren’t increasing fast enough, and climate change and new diseases threaten the limited varieties we’ve come to depend on for food. Luckily we still have the seeds and breeds to ensure our future food supply—but we must take steps to save them."

This paragraph is taken from National Geographic Magazine which has highlighted the looming problem in a brilliant article in its July Issue: How Heirloom Seeds Can Save the World. If you can't get your hands on the magazine, you can get some of the same info here. Lack of diversity in our "food" animals is also attracting the same kind of attention.

Viña Izadi Spanish Wine dinner at Donnybrook Fair

Viña Izadi Spanish Wine dinner at Donnybrook Fair

The Restaurant @ Donnybrook Fair is delighted to welcome Almudena Imhof from Viña Izadi on Wednesday 31^st August at 7.45pm to host a Spanish wine dinner. This exciting event takes place in association with Liberty Wines and tickets are priced at a tempting €60 per person or €100 per couple.

Almudena (Almu to her friends!) will introduce a selection of outstanding Spanish wines from the regions of Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Toro.  These wines will be paired with a four course menu specially designed for the occasion Ben Anderson, Head Chef of The Restaurant @ Donnybrook Fair. The menu will feature traditional Spanish fare to complement Almu’s wines.  Each of the wines featured in the tasting will be available to purchase at a reduced price.

Viña Izadi was born out of a passion for top quality gastronomy and the efforts of a group of enthusiasts devoted to wine. The winery and vineyards are located in the Rioja Alavesa, the highest part of the region. This gives a dramatic difference (up to 20ºC) in temperature between day and night, resulting in a more perfumed, food-friendly style of wine. The vineyards, planted at the foot of the Cantabrian mountain range, are mainly planted with old Tempranillo bush vines ranging from 30-100 years old.

Izadi, meaning nature, are fanatical about quality and finding the best expression of terroir in all their wines. They have expanded into other emblematic regions of Spain, and formed the group of wineries Grupo Artevino. Artevino now consists of four wineries: Viña Izadi and Orben in Rioja, Vetus in Toro and Finca Villacreces in Ribera del Duero. Between them they produce top quality wines from some of the most exciting and prestigious regions in Spain.

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Booking Details:

DATE: Wednesday 31^st August                   TIME: 19.45

LOCATION: The Restaurant @ Donnybrook Fair

COST: €60 per person / €100 per couple / limited places available

T: 01 6144849 E: restaurant@donnybrookfair.ie

http://www.donnybrookfair.ie/therestaurant/winedinners

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About Almudena Imhof …

Almu grew up in La Rioja in northern Spain, surrounded by people fanatical about wine. She studied English and Philosophy at university but decided soon afterwards that her true calling lay in the wine industry. She therefore decided to start work for a wine company which shared her same passions and ideals, namely Grupo Artevino. Almu is the Brand Ambassador for each of the estates within the group and the wealth of experience which she had amassed during her several years working all over the world with top sommeliers and wine connoisseurs is second to none.

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For further information please contact:

Paula Connor, Marketing Department
Email: paula.connor@donnybrookfair.ie
Tel: 01 668 3556   ext 236
Visit: www.donnybrookfair.ie 
Address: Donnybrook Fair Head Office, 89 Morehampton Road, Donnybrook, Dublin 4

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ISAACS: GOOD AS EVER

ISAACS: GOOD AS EVER

Told you before. I’m a specials kind of guy. And that policy worked a treat for me when I dined in McCurtain Street’s Isaacs this weekend.

Had a quick look at the regular menu before getting down to serious consideration of the Specials. Four starters were listed and I choose the Pan Fried new season lambs liver and kidney salad with rustic potatoes and crisp bacon. Delighted with it: very tasty and surprisingly substantial.

Also very happy with the main course of Pan Fried John Dory fillets. Really well done as were the accompanying vegetables. Again, a substantial and tasty dish. The Sherry Trifle was also fine, scattered with broken bits of honeycomb and on a base of soaked cherries. Cherry Trifle maybe?

LITTLE BEAUTY IN SEE THROUGH RED

Little Beauty Pinot Noir 2009 (Marlborough, New Zealand), 14%, €23.99, stockists


This Little Beauty comes in a see through red with scents of plum and spice. Is there substance behind the sexy intro?


Yes indeed, that first kiss lingers. It does finish, of course, as all good things come to an end. But not before the passion ignites.  

CORKABOUT: NEW KINSALE ART GALLERY

Kinsale restaurants, Fishy Fishy and The Bulman, feature as Buckley Fine Art open new gallery in centre of Kinsale. read all about ...

CORKABOUT: NEW KINSALE ART GALLERY: "THE GALLERY: NEW IN KINSALE The bigger risk? Painting in the lands of a rain forest tribe in Borneo or opening a new art gallery in these r..."

KANTURK'S ROYAL BUTCHERS

MCCARTHY’S OF KANTURK

Jack (left) and Timmy

When Queen Elizabeth visited Ireland recently, McCarthy’s black pudding was served at the state banquet.  It was chosen because of the quality and flavour imparted by fresh blood from free range pigs, coarse Macroom Oatmeal, fresh cream and butter from North Cork Dairy and Midleton Special Reserve Whiskey.

NOUGAT HEAD TO HEAD

LORGE AT LARGE

In a rural setting, between Kenmare and Glengarriff, in a Kerry village called Bonane, a French chef called Benoit Lorge makes exquisite chocolates that end up in all corners of the world.

This success story started back in 1995 and goes on and on. They ship worldwide via their website  while local stockists here in Cork are Nash 19 (Princes Street) and the Sugar Cafe (Washington Street).

WASTE NOT WANT NOT

Waste not Want Not Summer Salads

50% of Lettuce we buy ends up in the bin! – FACT

With barbecues and salad days fast approaching Stop Food Waste reminds you that 50% of the lettuce we buy ends up in the bin. While a head of lettuce may seem cheap at around under €1 you can see how quickly this amount of waste can add up in euros over time. The STOP Food Waste programme is funded under the EPA National Waste Prevention Programme (NWPP). Waste Prevention is the preferred waste management option in Ireland.

Odile Le Bolloch, spokesperson for Stop Food Waste at the EPA, has the following advice for lettuce lovers in time for Midsummer’s Day: “When you buy lettuce, make sure to take it out of its bag and wash it as soon as possible. Spin the lettuce in a salad spinner to dry off the washing water and store it in the fridge in the salad spinner. Leave a small

Hard to beat this Old Vine Garnacha

Corona d’Aragon old vine Garnacha 2009,  Cariñena,  Spain, ABV: 13.5%, stockists  

This Wine Alliance  import comes highly rated by Jay Miller of The Wine Advocate Robert Parker who gave it 89 points. Other awards include Decanter Award (Bronze) 2011 and IWC Bronze Medal 2011. It is certainly a quality wine and comes at an attractive price.