Old Vine special and Ballymaloe event

Beso de Vino, Old Vine Garnacha 2010, Cariñena DO Spain, 13.5%, €9.00-11.00 stockists

I’m a sucker for old vine wines and this medium red, with its aromas of dark fruits (cherry and plum) is no exception. It is a delicious mix of fruit, spice and herb flavours, with an excellent balance and a long kiss goodbye.

Indeed it is a little like that little bull Antonio that gets his pic on all the bottles: forward, but in a nice kind of way. An excellent wine at a brilliant price. Highly recommended.

===============================================================

Ballymaloe Wine Event, next Sunday

 ‘A New Zealand Wine Adventure in Ballymaloe’, Sunday 16th September, 4.30pm

With New Zealand winemakers Larry McKenna, Escarpment Wines, Martinborough & John Hancock, Trinity Hill Wines, Hawkes Bay.

Meet the winemakers, listen to their story, and taste their wines with a wine tasting given by the winemakers. A great way to learn more about New Zealand and its wonderful wines. This Sunday, at 4.30pm, in The Grain Store, at Ballymaloe. € 15 (includes wine presentation and wine tasting). Tel:             021 4652531       colm@ballymaloe.ie

Inchydoney Island Taste of West Cork

Sweet, sweet Inchydoney

Inchydoney Island Taste of West Cork

Hannah-Rose Farrington of the Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa has been in touch to tell us all about their tempting Autumn Food and Wine Evening



“As we welcome Autumn and all the wonderful harvest it brings, Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa are delighted to announce their Taste of West Cork Autumn Food & Wine Evening which will be held at 7.30pm Friday 21st September.

The Taste of West Cork Evening is a unique evening to showcase the best of West Cork produce and artisan producers. The team of Chefs are already working on combining the wonderful autumnal produce to create exciting flavours mixed with exquisite presentation.

The evening will begin with a Champagne and Canapé Drinks Reception at 8.00pm, followed by a 7 course Autumn Tasting Menu, created by Head Chef Adam Medcalf and his team. Filled with flair and imagination the evening will combine the best of seasonal produce from West Cork which will be paired with wines carefully chosen by Harriett Tindal of Tindal Wines.

Once you have enjoyed the Seasonal Menu and paired Wines, we invite you to complete the evening in Dunes Pub & Bistro where you can enjoy an evening of music with our Resident Musician.

Tickets priced at €60, are now available and can be purchased from the hotel reception or by calling (023) 88 33143. Should you decide to make an evening of it, we would be delighted to offer a reduced rate of €75 per person sharing. Enjoy overnight accommodation in a deluxe room with ocean view terrace or balcony and in the morning wake to Chef’s full Irish Buffet Breakfast. You will also enjoy access to the heated Seawater Therapy Pool, Sauna, Steam Room, Gym and Relaxation Areas.

We hope you will join us for what promises to be another great Taste of West Cork Evening.”

My Introduction to the Wines of Irouleguy

My Introduction to the Wines of Irouleguy

Irouleguy, not far from the Pyrenees, is among the smallest of the French appellations. It is situated in the Pays Basque and is the only AOC there.

This June, I bought some wines after a tasting in La Cave Irouleguy in the town of St Etienne de Baigorry, which is 32 miles inland from Biarritz. The wines are excellent and the AOC is well worth a visit if you are holidaying on that lovely stretch of the Atlantic Coast.

The grapes used for the red wines are Tannat, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. For the whites, they use Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng and Courbu. For me, the highlight was a rosé, which had no less than 80% Tannat!

Argi D’Ansa, Rosé 2011, 12.5%
This is a rich looking pink with a fruity (strawberry) nose. It is fruity and dry, entirely loveable and gluggable. Love at first swallow.

The stern reputation of Tannat can put punters off. “The man’s grape” you hear. Maybe so. But add in 10% Cab Sauv and 10% Cab Franc and you end up with this gem or, at least, the winemakers of Irouleguy did! If you do get down that way, look out for this Gold Medal winner at Paris 2012.

Xuri, White 2011, 14%
Has a clean golden colour, with complex aromas: fruity and floral. On the palate, it is fresh and fruity, full and elegant, dry and well balanced, second glass appeal. Pronounced Churi, is has been aged on its lees in barrels and casks. It won a Silver medal in Paris 2012. I’d have given it Gold!

Grapes: Gros Manseng 60%, Petit Manseng 30%, Courbu 10%.

Andere D’Ansa, White 2011, 13.5%
This is a Gold medal winner from Paris 2012. It has been two months on lees and the grapes used are Gros Manseng (80%) and Petit Manseng.

Colour is a lovely clean Gold/Green and the nose is aromatic with minty herby hints. On the palate it is dry and fruity (mango, citrus and pineapple). It is fresh and zingy with a sharp finish. Said to go well with fish (including shellfish), sheeps cheese (Including the local Ossau Iraty), Asian cuisine and may be also drank as an aperitif. Another good one.

Gorri D’Ansa, Red 2009, 13.5%
This red, a Gold Medal winner at Paris 2011, has a dark ruby colour and black fruit aromas with hints of white pepper. On the palate it is fruity and slightly spicy with active tannins. This is nicely rounded, a wine of character but perhaps not for beginners. Recommended for lamb, duck and cheese.

The fruit is hand harvested and most of the reds have a high proportion of the Tannat grape. This, with 60%, is no exception. The other grapes are 30% Cab Franc and 10% Cab Sauv.

Premia, Red 2010, 12.5%
Tough going on the steep terraced slopes of Irouleguy and they don’t want to waste all that hard work on crap wines. Quality is the over-riding aim and they achieve it quite regularly as they do here.
This is dark red with a nose of red fruits (Raspberry for me) and floral notes. It has excellent balance, is tasty and fruity, smooth with a good long aromatic finish. Superb match for grilled meats, charcuterie and cheese.

Domaine de Mignaberry, Red 2010, 13.5%
I’m told this is a pretty good one but I’m also told to hold on to it for another three to five years. Will do my best!
The blend is 60% Tannat, 20% Cab Sauv and 20% Cab Franc.

Aherlow House Hotel Spanish Chef. Local Food.

Aherlow House Hotel
Spanish Chef. Local Food.

View from the dining room.

Had a mini-break recently in the spectacularly located Aherlow House Hotel and enjoyed it immensely. Great views and terrific food. Not forgetting the friendly service.

That service started and ended with the reception crew but, in between, was also seen and appreciated in the bar and the restaurant. They serve food in the bar but we went for the appropriately named Treetops Restaurant.

Its huge windows give you a massive view over the Galtee mountains to the south as does the outdoor seating area. But it also dishes out some gorgeous food, much of it supplied locally. On the evening we were there, the beef and lamb came from near neighbour Tom Lewis, the veg was supplied by Eden Growers (Tipperary Town) while the fish came from Atlantis Seafood in Kilmore Quay. Well done to Spanish chef Jose.

Clockwise from top left: Pavlova, Smoked Salmon, Cheeseboard, wine, steak,
duck with fennel, grilled Asparagus & Peppers.

Smoked salmon was available at dinner and at breakfast and that, coming from the Burren Smokehouse, was a delight. Great too to see cheese makers Gubbeen, Cashel Blue and Cooleeney represented.

I had that very Smoked Salmon, with poached Tiger Prawns and a rocket and lemon dressing, for my top drawer starter while CL was also very happy with her gorgeous Grilled Asparagus, Roast Red Peppers and Coriander dressing.

I had some of that Lewis beef in the shape of a Pan Fried Ribeye Steak with Homemade Onion Rings and Sweet Potato Chips. Tender, delicious and cooked as requested. The other mains, another winner, was Breast of Duck with roasted Fennel, Celeriac Fondant, Caramelised Pear with a Honey and Thyme Sauce. Cracking stuff.

Dessert too was well up to standard, especially that Cheeseplate, served with a Tomato and Apple chutney, Celery, Grapes and Artisan biscuits. I enjoyed my Mess of Pavlova with fresh Raspberries and Strawberries and Chantilly Cream.

And the wine came from Spain and quite good it was: La Cruz Tempranillo and Syrah, a delicious warming blend, red berries and spice, from Finca Loranque Vino de la Tierra de Castilla.

The four course meal cost €35.00 per person, set price, while the wine came in at €22.00. No wine at breakfast, but again a terrific choice, including that Burren Smoked Salmon. Terrific friendly place to stay and all very helpful with queries on the local attractions, especially the lovely walks, many of which start close to the hotel.

Click on the links to read a fuller account of the brief stay.
Glen of Aherlow  Cahir Castle  and the Swiss Cottage.

Old Shop. New online.

Bradley’s Now Online!

When I started buying beer in Bradley’s, I was conscious of resuming a family tradition. But with a difference. My father would have bought bottled Guinness but the black stuff I was buying was from craft breweries in places like Kerry, Waterford, Carlow and nearer home. Bradley’s are a great supporter of craft beers (and ciders) and have a fantastic selection.

A few years back, I was in a local wine store and they were amazed at the quality of the wines in Bradley’s. “He must have some buyer,” they said admiringly. And that sterling selection is still available.

When you visit, be sure and take a look too at the Sherries, the gins, the whiskeys. Fantastic selections. And if Michael Creedon hasn’t got it in stock, he’ll get it for you.

Man doesn’t live on beer alone of course. You gotta have bread. And Bradley’s, founded in 1850, have the best of it, the beautiful loaves produced by Cork's own Arbutus. Great stuff. And if you like jam on the break, then look no further then Gs’ award winning jars, another proud addition to the shelves in this amazing store.

And they has so much more, such as great porridge oats from places like Kilbeggan and Ballybrado, cereal from Staple Diet, local honey, coffee from Fermoy's Badger and Dodo.

But not much good having shelves groaning with the best of products unless you have the service to go with it. And here too Bradley's excel. Expert advice and knowledge is just a question away. A lovely store to visit and a great place to make a purchase. And now you may purchase online. Take a look at their spanking new website!

Three Clare champions at Ballymaloe

Three Clare champions at Ballymaloe

Birgitta

Fit for a queen

Met three champions from Clare at Ballymaloe last evening. The first, Skillogalee founder Dave Palmer, comes for the Clare Valley in Australia, while the other two, Birgitta Curtin of the Burren Smokehouse and Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith of St Tola, come from our own County Clare, after which the Australian valley is named. It was a promising line-up and they delivered big time.

Colm McCan of Ballymaloe greeted us all with a Skillogalee Sparkling Riesling. “A very unusual wine, only four or five are made in Oz,” said Dave. “It is light, dry and refreshing and aromatic. It is a properly made sparkler, bottle fermented and aged on its lees.” Great start.

Siobhan

Hard

Ash

Dave then took to the stage at the Grain Store to introduce his two whites for the evening: the Riesling 2011 and the Gewurztraminer 2011. “These are cold climate wines. We pick pristine fruit and try to preserve it all the way through”. These were matched with the soft goats cheeses and the smoked salmon. “Matches made in heaven,” according to Dave. “I think the lemon and lime flavours in the wine is one of the reasons.”

Next on the wine list was the Rosé (a Cabernet Malbec blend) 2011, a rosé “with attitude..brings out the summer berry characters”. Delightful all the way through from its initial beautiful strawberry bouquet.

Two Gold medal winning reds followed as the high standard was maintained: The Cabernets 2007 and the Shiraz 2008. Quality control is vital in Skillogalee and you won’t find The Cabernets 2008. They didn’t make it as the fruit wasn't good enough.

The reds were matched with the St Tola Hard Cheese, just three months old. Very good now, like Gouda, but Siobhan promised it will get better as it matures (more like Parmesan in the end).

Dave

Quite often, the language of wine maker and food producer is the same. They are one and all affected by factors outside their control including the obvious one of the weather. They are one and all dependent on their terroir. Siobhan knows that if she were to transport her 200 plus goats to an inland county that the cheese flavours would be different.

“We have a peaty soil near the Atlantic. The St Tola Log cheese is quite natural, a little fruity, hints of the peat and undertones of salt. The St Tola Ash is made in the same way but in smaller log and is rolled in a food grade charcoal to produce the Ash rim. The Ash makes it stand out on the cheeseboard and keeps it fresh.”

The hard cheese is weather dependent, made only in summer with surplus milk. In a good year, St Tola make it from May to July/August but this bad summer they were curtailed to making it from June to mid July.

It soon became obvious that you really need to know what you are doing with hard cheese. “Timing is very important. If done wrongly, it can even explode!” With its beautiful taste and texture and creaminess, it proved a great match for the Cabernets.

Just like Dave and Diane Palmer, Birgitta and Peter started their Clare business about 23 years ago. Now the Burren Smokehouse is internationally recognised and its products are stocked in speciality food shops in places such as London, US and Kuwait. They too set high standards and their excellence has been regularly recognised and many awards have come their way.

They love their location but even here there are challenges, like the scarcity of wild salmon. She told us the wild salmon is a little drier and the flavour lingers a little longer. They get theirs from a fisherman on the Nore and it ends up in the most unexpected places. Like the Queen’s table, for example. Last year, during the Queen's visit, Ross Lewis choose Burren Smokehouse Wild Salmon for the state banquet. Another honour for Birgitta and company!

Birgitta is Swedish and explained that hot smoking is prevalent in her home country while cold smoking is more common in Ireland. She showed a selection at Ballymaloe, including the Donegal Silver (fresh, sweet and full of Omega3) and the slightly paler Clare Island.

Her Hot Smoked Organic Salmon “is slightly spiced, fully cooked and more meaty.” Birgitta suggested it is a good way to get young people interested in smoked fish though she suspected that “the real fish eaters might prefer cold smoked”.

The Burren Smokehouse is quite a tourist attraction. “Some 30,000 people visit us each year, 10,000 of them from France. Please call in!”

A terrific entertaining and informative evening was drawing to a close but, with Dave Palmer on hand, there was to be a sweet ending, a tasting of the famous Skillogalee Liqueur Muscat, made like a Tawny Port, the fermentation stopped at the right point (the tricky part) leaving a 25% sugar content. Great nose and great flavours, not at all cloying and with a long lingering finale.

Thanks to Dave and Dianne Palmer, to Birgitta and Siobhan and indeed to Colm and all at Ballymaloe.

Amuse Bouche

The entrance to the restaurant is lined with cages of snakes, cats and tortoises. A man takes a skinned dog off his bicycle rack and delivers it to the kitchen. The fish and prawns jumping in enamel basins splash water onto the stone floor and remind one the sea is not far away.

There really is nothing Guangzhou people do not eat. Tonight I have tasted snake, cat, turtle and raw fish.

From Red Dust by Ma Jian

Sun Shines on Midleton Food Festival

Midleton Food Festival

Top centre: Birthday boy Barrie Tyner at the Farmers Market

and, right, Mella and her award winning Fudge at the Festival

Enjoyed my ramble through the busy Midleton Food Festival yesterday morning. We had a couple of bags with us but were soon presented with another by the Festival folks as we walked down the main street.

Lots of activity. There was a small craft fair in one side street, a photo exhibition in another. Perhaps the best off-street atmosphere was at Sage Restaurant where their courtyard saw salads being served nonstop, punters relaxing in the sun on giant bean-bags and a live band in action. “Like a mini Electric picnic,” quipped Head Chef Kevin Aherne.

Back then to the big picnic on the street. Lots of hot food available, including kangaroo steaks. On the Pig's Back were busy as was Ballymaloe Relish and they were lining up to sample Mella’s gorgeous fudge. Seymours gorgeous biscuits were also in demand and I helped myself to a few packets of the Cheese Biscuits.

Day’s of Whitegate had a big stand and a big crowd. Ballycotton Seafood were also busy; picked up some fresh John Dory there and also a bunch of mackerel. Big rings of Clonakilty black pudding were being cooked in huge batches and sold on the spot. Close by, BBQ Joe’s were ready for action.

Some of the local restaurants, including Pizzeria San Marco, joined in the spirit of the day and the pizza slices were in demand. There is only so much food you can eat on a walk-through like this and I was more than happy with a tender steak sandwich from local butcher Jim Crowley, unbelievably tender!

Lots of hot food about but not too many producers in the Festival itself. To find them in numbers, you had to go to the usual Saturday morning market, and an excellent one it is, at the Cork side of the town. I’ve often thought that these producers, in Midleton every Saturday of the year, should be given pride of place on the main street on Festival day. I think it would add a solid backbone to the whole experience.

This band of musicians get attention!

Buffalo Tasting at The Mills Inn

From tongue to tail in Ballyvourney
The Buffalo Tasting Evening in The Mills Inn.


"Failte roimh gach einne chuig an Dinnear Speisialta. Ta suil againn go mbainsidh sibh taithneamh as an ocaid seo."

These were the words of greeting as we arrived at the Mills Inn in Ballyvourney for the first ever tasting dinner for the local Toons Bridge buffalo meat. We certainly enjoyed the occasion which started with Don O’Leary of the Mills introducing us to the men behind the buffalo venture, Toby Simmons (The Real Olive Company) and Johnny Lynch (farmer).

It all started over a drink just three years ago. There was some trepidation about the buffalo, that the Irish wouldn't take to them. But, as Toby said last night, everybody is fascinated by the buffalo. And that was underlined when the farm was the subject of TG4 documentary Cogar: Buabhaill ar na Bánta (Where the Buffaloes Roam).

Don O'Leary said the joint venture by the two local men has been an inspiration to people in the area and has been an eye-opener. It could lead to a few more entrepreneurs starting up and indeed there is one venture currently brewing, involving local skill and ingredients, that may well be up and running by Christmas. We’ll keep you posted!

The starter plate: Poached Buffalo Tongue with its own mousse and Cauliflower Pickle; Buffalo Mozzarella with Pesto and Sun Blushed Tomato; Carpaccio of Buffalo with Rocket Salad, Buffalo Cheese and White Truffle Oil.

Buffalo Broth with Autumn root vegetable and a Tailmeat Wanton (served with Mills Brown Bread and Buffalo Cream Butter).

Pan Roasted Aged Dry Buffalo Sirloin with a Potato Gratin and a Buffalo Milk Horseradish and Mixed Pepper Ice Cream, Caramelised Onion Puree and Roast Garlic Jus; Fillet of Buffalo and Wild Mushroom Cottage pie with a Colcannon Kale.

Toons Bridge Buffalo Ricotta with local Ballyvourney Honey on a Sweet Tuille;

Buffalo Cream and Blackberry Tiramisu.

As I said at the start, Buffalo from tongue to tail. With Buffalo in every course, this meal ran the risk of being boring! But it was far from that and here great credit must go to the Mills chefs, Kevin Purcell (Head) and Alan Rossborough, who put a lot of work and thought into the menu.

But what did the meat taste like? Unless you were expecting something exotic, you would not have been disappointed. After all, the Buffalo is a bovine, as is your normal cow. The main course, particularly the Sirloin, perhaps provided the clearest tasting and I must say it was very pleasing indeed. Some wines are described as easy drinking. Well, this was easy eating. Delighted with it, taste and texture.

Much depends of course on how any meat is handled. This was killed about five weeks back and was beautiful and tender. Ballincollig's Christoir O'Crualaoi was the butcher and I met him at the meal. He was very happy with the outcome and aptly described the meat as a mild beef with hints of lamb. In any event, it is a fine meat that can easily find a place on the Irish plate and a welcome on the palate.

Everyone had their own favourite course. I enjoyed them all. The broth though was a highlight also, really tasty and warming.

Many of you by now know and appreciate the Mozzarella coming from Toons Bridge. I hadn’t tasted the Ricotta before but, combined with a dash or two of the local honey, it turned out to be a gorgeous surprise as indeed did that whiter than white sliced butter, once I recognized it as such. Thought it was a cheese at first. 

It was that kind of night. A night to learn and explore. Hope you get the chance soon. Indeed, if you are in the Cork area on Sunday why not pop in to the Mills Inn at lunchtime where you’ll find Buffalo on the menu!

Food and Drink Spotting

Food and Drink Spotting

One of the Fenns Quay Puntsavers.
One old punt or two euro!

Food Champs Wanted

Fáilte Ireland is seeking nominations for emerging food champions with a resounding passion and belief in Irish food, and a commitment and drive to actively influence and shape the future of Irish cuisine and food tourism in their region.

12 nominees will be selected, representing a mixed group of owner/managers of food service businesses and members of the wider food tourism community, who are committed to playing a role in developing Ireland’s food tourism proposition and reputation More here.

Midleton Food & Drink Festival

From 10 am on Saturday morning till 5pm The Midleton Food and Drink Festival will be on the Streets, with over 60 food stalls, craft maker demonstrations, Craft exhibition, The Farmers Market, children's entertainment in the Library and on the streets, Fashion shows. Come to Midleton for a great day out for all the family.

Slow Food Tours at Waterford Harvest Festival

Ireland’s biggest food festival – ‘Harvest’ which takes place in Waterford from September 10 to 16 has announced a series of Slow Food Tours to take place throughout the festival week.

The first Slow Food Tour of the Festival takes place on September 10 and will visit a prize winning dairy farm at milking time to view the process in action and will then meet John Flahavan at the sixth generation miller’s facility at Flahavan’s Porridge in Kilmacthomas.

The final stop is an opportunity to meet Grace Kiersey and take a tour of her vegetable garden also near Kilmacthomas, County Waterford. For the rest of the programme, click here

Cornstore Mussels!

The September Mussel Festival has just kicked off in both Limerick and Cork Restaurants! Details.

White Horse Food, Beer and Music Fest!

The annual White Horse festival kicks off next week. Thursday Sept 13th is Meet The Brewer In Assoc. with The Franciscan Well Brewery. It includes a welcome beer, a 3 course tasting menu with beer pairings, and a brewing talk from Fran, the Well Head Brewer. Tickets €15 from www.whitehorse.ie or from the bar.
Full programme


Fenn’s Quay Top Taster Offers

Fenn’s Quay Restaurant is pleased to present a new PuntSaver selection in addition to their lunch and dinner menus. Kate Lawlor, who is known as a chef with a passion for local ingredients, has created an array of new scrumptious items available for just €2 each.

Each day, she now offers several items on the €2 ‘PuntSaver’ taster menu based on what is available fresh from the local producers. Taster items include: Rosscarbery white pudding & shellfish de la mer scallops, Goatsbridge trout caviar, Ardsallagh goats cheese & crispy wild rock samphire, or Ballyhoura mushrooms with wild sea samphire.

Dee’s Quinoa Pots

Dee's is about to launch 3 New Food-to-Go Quinoa Pots. Quinoa? Dee tells me that quinoa is a fantastic, naturally gluten-free grain and is a complete protein so you get all the essential amino acids your body needs, not to mention packed full of vitamins and minerals. Read all about it and the new pots here

Drinks

Ballymaloe

Sunday 16th September, 4.30pm

‘A New Zealand Wine Adventure in Ballymaloe’

With New Zealand winemakers Larry McKenna, Escarpment Wines, Martinborough & John Hancock, Trinity Hill Wines, Hawkes Bay.

€15 (includes wine presentation and tasting)


The Restaurant at Donnybrook Fair  have their October Wine Dinner taking place on the 31st where they will welcome Dr John Forrest from Forrest winery in New Zealand as host..

Shorts

‏Dates for your diary. Sept 22nd and 23rd. Ciderfest (and apple fest) at The Apple Farm.

Cork newest restaurant. Check out the menu here

Bradley’s Off Licence's new website:

Friday fiver at Griffin’s Garden Restaurant in Dripsey! Where would you like to begin your weekend? Sitting outside looking at the meandering river and eating a full gourmet lunch for just five Euros. Well Griffins can guarantee that (except the sunshine but a high probability it will be sunny) Lunch will be served from 12:30 till 3:30.

Home on the Range. Sierra Nevada.

Home on the Range. Sierra Nevada.

Summerfest Crisp Summer Lager 2012, 5%
Pilsner style for warm days, just like this week! This lager is crisp, refreshing, friendly, well balanced with a dry finish.

Kellerweis Hefeweizen, 4.8%
Hazy golden colour, good flavours with clove coming through. Well made, tasty.  And very smooth. Note that it has special pouring instructions.

Pale Ale, 5.6%
This multi medal winner is their flagship beer. It has a deep amber colour and is full bodied. The purity of the ingredients is stressed and it is well balanced, flavoursome and tasty.


Torpedo Extra IPA, 7.2%
This is the big one, big on flavour, big on hops, big on bitterness and on abv. Not for beginners! It has the highest bitterness of the four at 65!

Summary
 My preferences here are for the two lightweights, the Summerfest and the Kellerweis.




Wisdom Winner
S-Ale-vation though is found much closer to home in a bottle of Wisdom Ale (by Elbow Lane). It has an abv of 4.5% and, like the Nevada range,  is available from Bradley's, North Main Street.

Took a sip of the dark amber liquid and found it more rounded than many others, no extremes of flavour, no overload. It has a medium body with toasted malt (even chocolately)  flavours. Brewed to go well with food or as a stand alone pint, I reckon they've succeeded!

My second tasting and my opinion that this is the ale for me is reinforced. The range of Sierra Nevada beers are available at Bradley's, North Main Street as is the Wisdom Ale. Check out their new website here.

Reinforcements for Celtic Cook-off Champ!

Ondine's Roy Brett makes welcome return to Taste of West Cork!

2011 Celtic Cook Off winner, Roy Brett of Ondine Restaurant in Edinburgh, is bringing three of his brigade with him to the West Cork Hotel in Skibbereen to provide “A Taste of Ondine” on Tuesday 11 September. Roy and his team will work with Chef Aidan O’Driscoll and the West Cork Hotel team to cook a Scottish themed meal using the very best of West Cork produce.

Roy loved his visit to the A Taste of West Cork Festival so much last year that he discussed the possibility of coming back with Neil Grant, West Cork Hotel General Manager, as soon as he returned to Scotland. “Roy has been an unbelievable ambassador for West Cork and its incredible food produce since his visit a year ago,” explains Neil. “Roy featured Rosscarbery Recipe’s White and Black puddings, Sally Barnes Smoked Salmon and he even started baking his own Soda Bread after his visit. I understand he knocked back numerous offers to attend various events this year in favour of attending this year’s food festival, so we are thrilled to have him.”

Roy will be a busy man. Not only will he be cooking a meal at the West Cork Hotel, he is also judging for both the Food Festival’s Schools’ Cookery Competition and this year’s Celtic Cook Off event. Roy was blown away by the quality of cooking on show at last year’s Schools’ Competition and vowed to return. “If you asked a kid in Scotland where there food came from they would say ‘Tesco,’” was Roy’s quip on seeing the young chefs talk about the provenance of their food being cooked last year!

It will be fascinating to see Roy judge the Celtic Cook Off as he is very familiar with Tony Singh of Scotland as well as Jack Stein and Stephane Delourme who are coming from the Rick Stein Company and representing Cornwall and Brittany respectively. “I can’t wait to put them under a little bit of pressure,” says Roy. We can’t wait either!!

Roy’s Taste of Ondine will be a six course tasting menu at €40 per person and will be served at 7:30 PM on Tuesday 11 September. Roy may even drag a few of the Celtic Cook Off competitors into the kitchen to support him!

The produce for this Celtic Feast is kindly sponsored by artisan food producer members of West Cork Food. As Neil Grant says, “We are lucky to have such a wealth of great produce in this region. The producers have such passion and their passion combined with Roy’s artistry….wow. We are in for a great night!”

Bookings can be made through the West Cork Hotel reception. +00 353 (0)28 21277

Txakoli, the Basque Wine

Missed!

4 weeks in the Basque Country

Txakoli, the Basque Wine

Way to do it!

Aitako Txakolina 2010, Getariako (Spain), 11.5%



Txakoli (or Chacolí in Spanish) is a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol. It is the wine of the Basque Country (Euskadi) which has provinces on each side of the French-Spanish border on the Atlantic coast.

Getariko (Getaria) is a lovely coastal town between San Sebastian and Bilbao and centre of one of the major producing areas. The major grape used in this bottle is Hondarribi Zuri.

The wine, as far as I know, is not exported to Ireland but apparently has strong sales in the USA where Basque cuisine is highly regarded and where the lower alcohol levels are attractive.

This one is somewhat more advanced, more complex, than your ordinary Txakoli (meant to be poured and drunk quickly). The bubbles and acidity are there but the flavours don’t vanish after the initial pouring, though the “head” does.

Properly poured!

The Aitako vineyard say they have made a careful selection, have harvested at the optimum time and have fermented at low temperatures for a more intense aroma. The wine has also benefited from being raised on its own lees as this “gives volume, smoothness and balance in the mouth.”

While this bottle, bought in a wine shop in the main street in Getaria, a town I visited three times during a recent holiday, is undoubtedly the best I’ve tasted, I will happily say that I also enjoyed more modest efforts.

As a visitor, I was delighted to be able to try out this unfamiliar wine in the local restaurants – while it is produced in Spain, it is drunk on both sides of the border.

One of the unusual elements is that it is poured from a height, from about two feet above the glass, usually a sturdy tumbler, the intent being to increase the bubbles and release the flavours. It sure added to the novelty and the fun. Still does, especially if you try it yourself!