WINE COURSE

O'Donovans Off Licence

One week left to go before WSET Level II Wines & Spirits (Intermediate Cert) Course starts next Tuesday 20th September. Gary O'Donovan who has over 20 years experience in Wine Education & The International Wine Industry will be running this course. Please hurry - limited places available! Please contact deirdre@donovansofflice.com or 021 4296060.

Roger Ravoire Wine Dinner at Donnybrook Fair

Lubernon vines with Ménerbes in background

Roger Ravoire Wine dinner at Donnybrook Fair

Olivier Ravoire (above) from Roger Ravoire will host a wine dinner on Wednesday 19th October at 7.45pm in The Restaurant @ Donnybrook Fair. Olivier will introduce a selection of wines from his family’s winery located in the heart of the

APPLE RECIPES

Apple & Blackberry Cobbler

APPLE RECIPES

It is the apple time of year, lots of them now becoming available at fruit farms and in the farmers markets. Thanks to our friends at All Recipes UK and Ireland, we’ve got no less than 482 apple recipes for you! More than an apple a day.

Find apple recipes for all of your favourites - apple cake, apple crumble, apple pie. They have savoury ways with apples, too - apple-stuffed chicken breast, apple and cheese bruschetta and more.

So get picking and peeling and click right here 

LES GOURMANDISES: Premiere classe

LES GOURMANDISES

With recent Food & Wine kudos for both the chef and the sommelier, you’d have thought we were on a good thing when we visited Les Gourmandises at the weekend. Well, we were but we knew that even before the awards were announced as this Cook Street restaurant is, and has been for some time now, one of the very best in Cork.

Started with the Les Gourmandises tasting plate: Parsnip Soup, Black Pudding with Foie Gras and breaded John Dory with green puree. The Parsnip soup was delightful; the Black Pudding outshone the Foie Gras while the fish was spot on. A good start is half the battle.

Next up for me was the Roasted duck leg confit with confit potato and cherry. A beautiful piece of duck, so well cooked. It also looked fantastic, a tempting light colour, and it fell away from the bone at the slightest touch. Tasted as well as it looked, much better than similar efforts I ate in the Dordogne in the summer of 2010.

CL was also very happy with Fillet of Cod with Celeriac and Apple puree and mushrooms. The fish and puree combination was top class, every little bit welcomed onto the palate. We both got a side dish of sautéed potatoes, shaped into small globes, not much bigger than marbles (or glassy alleys, as we say around here).

We each had the same dessert: Red Berry Jelly and Lavender Panacotta, with a Lemon Madeleine. I’ve had some variation of this here previously. It was fresh and lively, a really smashing way to finish off a meal, the combination of sight and taste sending two happy customers on our way into the night.

We were on the Prix Fixe menu which is priced at €27.50 for two courses, €29.50 for three. Do the math and you’ll see that the dessert cost just two euro! Two glasses of Lombeline wine, one Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, the other Syrah/Grenache from the Gard, brought the bill to €72.70.

No complaints with the wines, each was excellent. The following day, by chance, I spotted that The Wine Store sells the Sauvignon Blanc for €10.99 a bottle. The glass at Les Gourmandises is priced at €6.85. The Bridge Bar and Grill in Dublin internet site lists their glass price at €7.00, their bottle at €24.00. These would all seem to be rather large mark ups.

And the other thing about Irish restaurants selling wine by the glass is that you are rarely told how much wine is your glass, whereas in some European countries, Austria for example, you have the choice of one or two decilitres and, in some cases, the glass is marked.

MIDLETON FOOD FESTIVAL

Midleton Food Festival 10.09.11. Click on image to enlarge. Post to follow...

MIDLETON FOOD FESTIVAL

Had really been looking forward to this year’s Midleton Food Festival and neither the food on offer nor the people offering it let me down in any way. A stroll down (and up, and down and up again) the main street this Saturday morning was a foodie pleasure.

Enjoyed my chat with Claire of Amandine who make sweet temptations from the most gorgeous French style pastries to personalised birthday cakes. Two of her pastries, Pear & Almond and Lemon Meringue Tarts, have been shortlisted for the 2011 Irish Food Awards in Dingle and they were the two we bought.

One of the pleasures of these festivals, especially if you go early, is the opportunity to chat with the stallholders and we compared notes with Claire on Provence (where she is from and where we, and she, holidayed this year). Bonne chance in Dingle, Claire.

Also had a chat with Jon Ward and Kevin Aherne from the inventive Sage Restaurant  who played a big part in the festival with a few stands out on the street as well as one in the courtyard.

Also called to the regular Farmers Market which was also running and delighted here to meet up with Noreen and son Henry from Woodside Farm  and also the busy and ever inventive Deirdre Hilliard of Cobh’s Just Food .

Back to the food now. Let’s start with the bread, a lovely sourdough (already tested) from the Granary who have a pleasant permanent position just off the main street. Three lots of cheese came back to the city: two from the Old Irish Creamery  and one from Ardsallagh .

Isabelle Sheridan was manning the On the Pig’s Back stand and here we helped ourselves to some Chicken liver pate and to a slab of Venison Terrine. Also a box of Victoria plums from the Rose Cottage Fruit farm .

At the Farmers Market, we bought the veg from Ballycurraginny Farm (regulars at Mahon Point), got some Pork and Apple Burgers from Woodside and a Muesli and pot of Ratatouille from Just Food.

Madeline from Pure Sushi told me she was delighted with her award at the Mitchelstown Festival and we treated ourselves to a six pack for this evening. Some sweet stuff too. In addition to the cakes from Amandine (who have a permanent stand in the Mahon Shopping complex), we spoiled ourselves with a bag of gorgeous mixed chocolates from Benoit Lorge .

As you know, I regularly buy Irish, buy local. But it is not always easy. Lorge has quite a reputation in the chocolate field and many of you may have seen Eve Chocolates  from Dennehys Cross highlighted in the Evening Echo during the week.

Yet last week, at the English Market, two US travel agents told me they were disappointed to find only two Irish chocolate products on sale in an otherwise well stocked chocolate shop there.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA GEMS FROM MORAMBRO CREEK

Click to enlarge

SOUTH AUSTRALIA GEMS FROM MORAMBRO CREEK

Brad Rey, Brand Manager at Morambro Creek, the home of Jip Jip Rocks and Mt Monster, was at Karwig Wines in Carrigaline last Wednesday and oversaw one of the most fascinating tastings I’ve ever been at.

And it wasn't just because of the wines, which included a few surprises for this punter and were all of outstanding quality, that I’ll remember Brad. It was mostly for his convictions about wine and his common sense.

The Canadian born and raised Brad brought a breath of fresh Rockies air to the proceedings.

 “Most of New World Chardonnay..is concocted crap.”

“Oak shouldn't be the dominant characteristic. Wine is made from grapes and should taste of the fruit.”

“The earth is like a tea bag. All that grows in the vicinity...elephant fennel, wild rosemary..eucalyptus..finds its way in.....and ends up in the glass.”

“Don't wash your wine glass with water (fluoride in Ireland!). Wash it with wine, maybe bottled water.”

There were three sparklers on the table. A Mt Monster brut, an easy drinker, something like an “Aussie Cremant” was the first. Then came the Jip Jip Cuvee from 2009. Very pleasant indeed and again easy drinking.

Brad maintains that Aussie sparklers are on the up and up. They were up too, many moons ago. They’ve been making them since 1890s and they were extremely popular in Oz in the early 1900s, then seemed to lose their way but are now on the firmly on the way back.

And the third sparkler seemed to confirm this. It was Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz, a medium bodied mouth friendly wine. A very pleasant surprise indeed and Brad recommended using it with pork or duck or “anything you’d use Pinot Noir with”. Must try that.

After knocking much of the New World Chardonnay, Brad opened his own bottle. “I try to let the fruit speak, let Mother Nature do the job.” And this unoaked bottle spoke the fruit. Gorgeous and refreshing with a little richness added through limited contact with the lees, perhaps another lesson from the Loire which Brad knows and likes.

And France was in his mind too when making the Jip Jip 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. Citrusy and soft, fresh and clean and well balanced, made that way because Brad doesn't like high acidity.

He was delighted with his Mt Monster Shiraz of 2008. “Good, the way I want to see it. Very minimal oak. May be served slightly chilled. It is light fruit, blueberries and raspberries and the tannins are fruit tannins. This is about balance and reminds me of the joven I used to make in Spain.”

Then we moved on to a more traditional Shiraz, the 2009 Jip Jip, a multi medal winner that has spent quite a while in 2, 3 and 4 year old French oak. But the oak doesn't dominate. “Drink it on its own; it is easy drinking.”

He was quite proud of the next one also as it has been his “first go” at Morambro Creek Shiraz. This 2008 had been in 20% US oak but from now on it will be 100% French barriques. The annual spend on oak is now massive, well over a million Australian dollars. Good wine, though!

The finish was a beautiful Mt Monster Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. No oak, lovely and bright, not heavy, tannins enough and easy drinking, according to Brad who admitted to being “chuffed by that”. Remember, Brad hasn’t seen most of these wines for a while as they are long gone from Morambro.

The fennel is in here, fresh mint, cassis, blue and red fruits, all in a rich texture with velvety tannins. It has been getting a great reaction.

Morambro is certainly a name (three names really) to watch out for and to make it easier, you can get all three at Karwig Wines.

Karwig Wines: Cannonau di Sardegna

Stella & Mosca’s Cannonau di Sardegna

Barriques

Cannonau di Sardegna DOC Vendemmia* 2008, 13.5%, €11.95 (Karwig), 3.5 stars.

This island wine held my interest from start to finish. Colour is a weakish medium red but this is Grenache with muscle: mouth filling, juicy, fruity, spicy, straight-up. A lovely lively wine made from the Cannonau grape, a cousin or clone of Garnacha. I’m deliberately using the Garnacha here as it was the Spanish who planted up the island  many moons ago.

This rugged island version is some distance from the smooth and polite Grenache you find on the Rhone and  none the worse for that. Variety is the spice of life and this Sardinian effort underlines it.

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Cannonau di Sardegna DOC Riserva 2007, 14%, €15.25 (Karwig)

Noah, it is said, used a garnet lantern to help him steer his ark through the dark night. Garrnet is the colour of this wine and I wouldn’t mind having more of this in the dark nights to come.

It is a while since I smelled violets so I can't confirm the label’s description of the bouquet except to say it is quite a pleasant one. But the mega pleasure comes when the wine hits the palate. It is like velvet.

The basic Cannonau above may be Grenache with muscle; this Riserva doesn't lack muscle but let us say that it is extremely well toned, supple and subtle, positively smooth and altogether very attractive.

It is a beautiful mouthful, the finish long and delicious and there are subtle spices from start to end. One to note, for sure.

·         Vendemmia = Harvest or vintage.

·         The Cannonau, with a big load of flavanoids, may be good for your health. Check it out here. 

TOP NOTCH SANTA RITA RESERVAS

FIRST CLASS SANTA RITA WINES

Carlos (right) and yours truly at Isaacs

Carlos Gatica, Chief Winemaker with Santa Rita, the second biggest wine producer in Chile, was in Cork yesterday and brought a strong line-up to the Gilbeys Wine Tasting Lunch at Isaacs.

Many of you will be familiar with the Chilean winery’s 120 series and Carlos referred to the story (with a strong Irish connection) behind the 120 and you may read more on that here.

Santa Rita’s current mission though is to “educate” their Irish sellers, including hotels and restaurants who were well represented here, in an effort to broaden the appreciation of the better Santa Rita wines and particularly their reservas.

The introductory handshake was a very pleasant concentrated white: the Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2010. This was accompanied by a selection of tempting tapas.

Could have happily stayed with those tasty bites but move on we did and Carlos then presented their 2009 Gran Reserva Medalla Real Chardonnay,

This has quite an intense bouquet and is a well balanced wine with silky texture and went down well with a warm salad of Marinated Chicken, smoked bacon and rustic potatoes.

Now it was on to the steak and the first of the reds. This was the superb Pehmén Carménère 2007 made with grapes from an old vineyard in the Apalta Valley. Aging is in 100% French oak barrels for 18 months. Really liked this flavoursome persistent wine.

The cheese made its appearance as it was time for the piece de résistance: a vertical tasting of the classic Casa Real. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon “seeks to obtain the maximum expression of the Alto Jaheul terroir”. New French oak barrels are used.

Many of you will know that vertical tasting means tasting the same wine from different years. The vintages at Isaacs were 2007, 2002 and 1999. The still young 2007, marginally higher in ABV @ 14.5%, was of excellent quality, the fruit concentrated after a good year, but was overshadowed by the other two.

The very elegant and concentrated 2002 (14.4%) was perhaps my favourite. Well balanced with ripe flavours and tannins, it has a full body and “a sleek finish”.

No vote was taken but the number one choice was the 1999 (4.3%), an “opulent” wine from an “opulent” year. The winemaker’s comments covered it all: "As a terroir concept, the 1999 vintage has been undoubtedly considered as the maximum expression of a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon to date.”

Maipo Valley

Interesting to note that Santa Rita has a presence in six wine areas of the country, allowing it to grow many different kinds of grape and expand its portfolio. Some of their areas are north of Santiago de Chile, some to the south (Carlos lives in Curicó), some are close to the coast, others in the foothills of the Andes. The valleys are Limari, Casablanca, Leyda, Rapel, Maipo and Apalto.

Credit to Gilbeys for putting on this excellent event “the first of many around the country”. Well done also to Carlos for his descriptions and humour and for bringing such a stunning selection to Isaacs.

Tiramisu Pancakes

Just for the crack:

Tiramisu Pancakes

IRISH MISSING OUT ON PECHARMANT

MISSING OUT ON PECHARMANT

Bergerac's wine museum (with large shop in front)

According to winesearcher.com, quite a few Irish merchants stock wines from Bergerac but none stock Pecharmant, the best red from the area. Just finished off the last of my 2010 holiday purchases the other day, hence the reason for the search.

Of course, I could have kept it – they age well – but I was tempted by “drink it now for the pleasure of its fruit” on the label. Really a pity that it is not available here as it gives many highly rated and more expensive Bordeaux a run.

Iron in the soil of this sub region of Bergerac gives the AOC wines (they make only rich red ones) minerality and grip.

Château de Tiregand Pecharmant 2007, 13%. The blend: Merlot 54%, Cabernet Sauvignon 23%, Cabernet Franc 18% and Malbec 5%.

Colour is dark red with elegant aromas of dark fruit. Doesn’t quite match the grip of the Peyretaille (below) but, in the mouth, it is a beautiful rounded ensemble. The 12 months on oak has played a part. No wonder, in earlier centuries, the boys of Bordeaux didn’t want these wines reaching these islands via their port.

Chateau Peyretaille Pecharmant 2007, 12.5%. The blend: Merlot 40%, Cabernet Franc 40%, Cot 10% and Cabernet Sauvignon 10%.

A typically rich red; moreish, with a long length; very impressive and not surprised that it won a Silver Medal at the Grands Vins de France 2009.

Colour is a healthy looking black cherry red and the lovely fruity nose is very inviting. In the mouth, the red and black fruit are again prominent and a pleasure. There is a grippy texture in this excellent well balanced bottle.

Looks like I’ll have to make another trip to Bergerac!

SPANISH WINE TASTING OFFER

Spanish wine tasting In the Imperial Hotel Cork
Thursday 15^th September

5.30pm – 7pm

ONLY €20 Per person

Group offer – Book 4 places and bring 2 more for FREE (Only €13 each)

The embassy of Spain commercial office in association with FOOD&WINE Magazine would like you to join us for a fun night of fine wines and traditional food.

You will have the opportunity to taste up to 150 wines.  Meet Ireland‘s leading Spanish wine importers. Ask questions about the wine learn facts and find a new favourite.

Plus sample some of Spain’s finest meats and cheese bought you by Corks very own Horgan’s delicatessen.

So don’t miss out – if you enjoy wine and want to learn more about your favourite Spanish varieties come along with friends, family and colleagues for a Spanish wine tasting extravaganza – In Cork

To book your place, please contact Sarah Currey

On 01240 5387 or emailscurrey@harmonia.ie

KARWIG: TRYING TO KEEP THE SUMMER ALIVE

Domaine Houchart 2010, Cotes de Provence Rose, 13%, Karwig.

In Roussillon in Provence, built from stone from nearby
ochre quarries,  I bought the beautiful rosé below left.

Fair play to Karwig Wines. They are trying hard to keep the summer alive and this rosé will bring you a little sunshine from the Midi even if it is dull outside.

They have a great selection on offer and I was tempted by the Bandol (over a fiver off) but, having tasted a string of Provencal beauties this summer, I picked the Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence. 

Marcus Gates was helping me make the choices and he says that the rosés have been flying this summer and the offer will continue for quite a while yet.

This vineyard is located in Puyloubic, a little village close to Aix-en-Provence, and has been producing “for more than 100 years famous rosé, red and white wines”. Not too sure about the fame of the village but rosés in Provence are generally good, even if not always famous.

This pale pink effort by Houchart doesn't disappoint. Nothing weak about this dry rosé as it roams the taste buds, exciting interest as it gently rolls. Nice sharpish flavours of white fruit that hit home. 

OYSTERS AT THE RISING TIDE

THE CORK OYSTER FESTIVAL AT THE RISING TIDE
Made a quick visit to Glounthaune's Rising Tide this afternoon to sample the oysters from Haven Shellfish. Trish (left, in photo) was on hand with loads of helpful info on the bi-valves. By the way, if you don't fancy them raw, they are also available cooked and they are delicious. Plenty of time yet to enjoy the crack here as the festival continues to-night and tomorrow Sunday. Great credit to the Rising Tide and Sandra Murphy for putting on this festival on the city's doorstep and credit too to their very courteous and helpful staff.

Sandra Murphy (far right and centre) is ready for you in the Rising Tide. Well worth a visit.