Wine in a Tube! For a cosy tête-à tête. Sweet Sauternes.

Sauternes. Sweet for My Sweet
Wine in a Tube! WIT Or Witless?

Château Lamourette 2005

Château Laville 2001

You've got to hand it to the French, never short of ideas when it comes to marketing. Just been browsing the Maison du Sauternes and came across the WIT (wine in tube). Discover our new concept for a cosy “tête-à tête”. Be astonished. Spend a delicious time - share original Sauternes. Two different wines for moments of delight. This pack contains “S for her” and “S for him”. Special offer. 22€. This price includes postal charges.

Might take a punt on that but then maybe the the revenue might come looking for their share of the proceeds. Maybe not! By the way, I wonder what do they call it in France. WIT or VIT? Looks like WIT on the website.

Just one surprise from Sauternes. The other, for me, on a visit there last year, was that it was quite an ordinary village and indeed the Maison Du Sauternes was one of the bigger buildings there.

Another surprise came in a local restaurant, Auberge des Vignes, where we had an excellent three course Menu du Jour, that also included wine and coffee, all for just sixteen euro per head. Read more about the meal and the village here.

Richard the Lionheart praised the wines of Sauternes in the 12th century and this sweet Bordeaux has been a regular on royal tables since. You’ll pay 1,000 euro or more for the top end but prices start at about 12 euro and that means a Sauternes also appears on more humble tables, including mine!

The World Atlas of Wine, while acknowledging that not all Sauternes is top class all the time, says it is “lamentably underappreciated but incomparable, it is a speciality that finds few real rivals”. "In great vintages the results can be sublime, a very sweet, rich-textured, flower-scented, glittering golden liquid.” Sauternes is widely available in Ireland, not sure though about the tube.

I’m currently enjoying the Lamourette. It comes from a vineyard not too far away at all from the headliner Chateau d’Yquem and is very impressive. It has the usual nose of candied fruit. The palate is creamy, that candied fruit is still there but it is balanced and pleasant with a long spicy finish.

Overall, this is lighter than expected and you could see why the Maison du Sauternes can recommend drinking Sauternes all through a meal, even recommending it with Leg of Venison (which has been marinated in Sauternes, of course!). It is a sweet wine, no doubt in the world about that. But there is a terrific balance here, a wash of acidity that negates any hint of heaviness or any tendency towards a cloying feel. 2005 saw plenty of noble rot - a good year. I haven’t tried the Château Laville yet but I'm hugely encouraged by what Jancis Robinson had to say about the 2001 vintage: The rain that spoilt the reds encouraged botrytis to such an extent that this is a truly magnificent, long-term vintage, helped by a greater degree of selection and cellar expertise than ever before. Perhaps the greatest Sauternes vintage in modern times. For a good insight into Sauternes (including noble rot) see here.

The 2001 Laville is no longer featured on the Maison du Sauternes website but you may check the 2010 here.

The Lamourette now available is the 2009. Info here.

Recipe for the Sauternes Cup

I found this on the website. Doesn't say it is is for one or two. What do you think?

In a large glass bowl, place fruit depending on the season ( apricots, peaches, pears, melon, etc ... ), diced and sliced ​​oranges. Pour the Sauternes (about two glasses per person), add one or two glasses of brandy. Macerate about an hour in the refrigerator. Serve with ice cubes and carbonated water. Sauternes, with the bouquet and strength, lifts the heart: the wine of the happy day.

Cork Summer Show No 209! Numbers Rise Again, Up To 60,000!

Cork Summer Show No 209!

Numbers Rise Again, up to 60,000!

If you’re going to bring tens of thousands of visitors to your show in the fields, then you'd better arrange food for them. The 209th annual Cork Summer Show certainly attracted the visitors in large numbers and, yes indeed, there was no shortage of food, ready to eat on the spot. Lots of tables and benches as well.

All kinds of food were being served up, anything from Asian to Italian to good old Irish and, in between I spotted an Argentinian grill! When I began to get a little hungry I was quite close to O’Crualaoi’s and they had quite a choice and, as is the case in their cafes, the items were well priced. We got two burgers (one steak, one chicken, and a drink) for a tenner all in. Quite a substantial lunch.

Cathal at De Roiste

While there were many selling food to eat, I was disappointed that there were so few producers at the show. I was really expecting to see more. Wasn't expecting though to see Mag Kirwan from Kilkenny but it was a pleasure to again meet the woman (there is also a man!) behind the innovative Goatsbridge Trout Farm. By the way, you can get her gorgeous fresh trout at the fish counter in Dunne’s Stores. Just look out for the Irish farmed trout sign as it is not packaged!

I had been in early enough and that allowed me the chance to have a chat with some of the stallholders before things got hectic. Cathal was fine-tuning the De Roiste displays and had all their black and white puddings and sausages lined up. Excellent products and you could hear the pride sizzling as he spoke. He also introduced me to their Breakfast Time pack, which includes rashers, sausage meat, black and white pudding, egg and mushroom. Easy for the lazy!

Mobile banking!

Also spent a bit of time in the Craft Drinks Tent, especially with Barry Fitzgerald, Brand Manager of the new St Patrick’s Distillery who are based in the old mills at Douglas. They are different to other distillers in that their spirits are potato based. There are easier ways of producing alcohol but the Douglas team believe that it is well worthwhile as their spirits are naturally smooth with the added bonus of a grain free process given a naturally gluten free result.

Certainly that smoothness, some little sweetness too, is evident in their Potato Gin, a classic juniper gin. They won't divulge the full details but most of the regular botanicals are in use here and the potato makes it that bit different from all the others! Worth a try. Widely available around Cork, not so widely (yet) in other counties. See the stockists here.

The drinks tent was fairly well populated with producers. There was beer from the Cotton Ball, Franciscan Well and Blacks of Kinsale, cider by Stonewell and Hyde’s whiskey (which I have yet to try!). But generally, there was a lack of producers overall and I’d personally like to see many more of them for the 210th anniversary next year. Don't know exactly what the problem is. But hard to ignore sixty thousand punters in over the two days.

I hadn't been to the Summer show for a few years and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Great space there for the stands and the parking and everything seemed to be very well run indeed.

Walk this way

It is a terrific place to bring the kids. They had their own “zone”, which includes a small animal pet farm, Bouncy castles and a fairground with some super high flying machines. For something more gentle, there was the option of taking a trip around the Show on board the magical mystery train (Noddy Train).

A family event!

 No shortage of musical entertainment either with a marching band liable to turn up anywhere. The main focus though was the big stage in the Entertainment Zone which saw everything from Crystal Swing to Gospel, Ska to Soul, Funk,Trad (even magic!) and some of the best voices of Ireland. There is also face painters, balloon makers, stilt walkers, and clowns in this area to entertain the kids. And convenient as it is packed with tables and benches and situated right next to the Food Zone.

Too hot for this guy!

In addition there was the equine events, the farrier’s tent, the dog show, trade stands, cows, sheep and poultry and more including a vintage rally zone, farm machinery, and home and garden show.

It is a fantastic day out both for adults and children, for town and country. A record sixty thousand punters is a massive endorsement. Here’s to the 210th edition next year!

He was in the petting enclosure.
I didn't chance it 

Out of the blue

Amuse Bouche

Who needs Abramovich, Lennox sells a lot of chips…

Who needs Abramovich, Lennox sells a lot of chips...

(to the tune of ‘La Donna è Mobile’ from Verdi’s Rigoletto)

from Death of a Football Club by Neal Horgan.

The Brooklodge Hotel. Excellent Base for Wicklow.

The Brooklodge Hotel at Macreddin Village

Excellent Base for Wicklow Attractions

The saints of Ireland invariably seemed to end up in the most beautiful locations. St Kevin of Glendalough fame found another beauty spot not too far away in Macreddin, the present day location of the gorgeous Brooklodge Hotel.

Macreddin was important in the history of the area for a long time afterwards but then fell into decline, revived only by a band of brothers, the Doyles, who reimagined it and rebuilt the little village. Here, in the heart of the Wicklow countryside, they have everything you need to get away from it all in the 21st century.

Then again, there are not too many hermits nowadays and you may need a little company, maybe a lot of it!. So, you can have birthday party here. Or indeed a full scale wedding - they even have their own village church! Kevin may have come for the food, wild and organic, and that was why I visited a few weeks back. More precisely, I was there to try out their splendid Wild and Organic Tasting Menu.

That menu was served up in the Strawberry Tree, the premium restaurant in the village. But there is another one called the La Taverna Armento, which features a full Southern Italian menu. There is a bar in the hotel and another in the village. Oh, there’s lots more including a spa, conference  suites, an equestrian centre, a food store, and a golf club. Reckon if Kevin came back, he'd stay around for a long while. Might even buy his food at the very popular Macreddin monthly farmers market.

I was there for just the one night and was very impressed. Took a walk around - there are quite a series of rambles, some long, some short. Mine was just around the green, saying hello to the hens of course, glad of the organic message their presence indicates. And I was friendly towards them. After all, they were supplying the eggs for breakfast.

And that breakfast, served in a beautiful room (you may also have it in your bedroom), was indeed a delicious affair. No shortage of juices and also the Macreddin Village Smoothie. All the cereals, also fresh fruit, yogurts and my pick which was the Porridge with Honey and Cream.

The main event was Poached Eggs on Irish Potato Cake and I could also have had had their version of the full Irish, also pancakes with Highbank Apple Syrup or Grilled Wild Fish. No shortage of lovely breads, their own of course, and organic tea and coffee to wash it all down.

Our room was excellent, very well heated and that is another story. Comfort was top class and no shortage of space either. The bedroom was on a spacious glass-walled mezzanine with its own bath. The main TV was downstairs but there was also a mini-one above. Shower and toilets were downstairs.

Staff were excellent throughout, at reception, in the restaurant, in the bar, everywhere, and helped make it a stay to remember in a place to remember.

• Brooklodge, away on its own, is still a good base to see the main Wicklow attractions. Avoca village is just 15 km, Glendalough 20, Wicklow town less than 30 while Powerscourt Gardens is about 50km via the M11. They provide directions to the village from Dublin but not, for some reason, from the south.
  
  
  Related posts: Strawberry Tree's Wild and Organic Tasting Menu.
  The Beautiful Gardens at Powerscourt
  Lakes and Walks of Glendalough 
  Highbank Orchards Visit
  Crystal Gin from Ireland's Smallest Legal Distillery

Three Reds and a Rosé. Dadá is me daza!

Three Reds and a Rosé

Dadá is me daza!

Dadá is me Daza

Dadá De Finca Las Moras, Art Wine 1 2014 (Argentina), 13%, €10.99 O’Donovan’s Off Licence

This wine went down very well indeed at Our Table  in Cork last Sunday night when 400 white-clad dinners enjoyed a three course meal on the street!

On the nose, it is vanilla, no doubt. You’ll also find Art Wine 2 and 3 but this #1 has had contact with medium toast American oak, hence the vanilla. They say this is “an artistic wine inspired by Dadáism, a cultural movement that began in Zurich in 1916”.

Art inspired or not, the vanilla remains a major feature on the palate, spice there too and soft tannins. Hard to discern by taste just what grapes are involved. But look at the back label and you’ll see that Bonarda and Malbec are used. It is an opulent blend. The winemaker has had a major say here and I admit I’m a convert. Very Highly Recommended.

Masi Campofiorin 2009 Rosso del Veronese (IGT), 13%, €15.99 (now at 12.99), Bradley’s Off Licence

This deep ruby red has aromas of red fruit, mainly cherry. Serious and rich are the immediate impressions as it reaches the palate, good concentration and some spice too, well balanced with lengthy finalé. 

“Friendly at the table” the makers say and I couldn't disagree. On the label, in Latin, it says (Google translation, so beware), Nectar of Angels and Men. The angels have had their share, now time for mine. Highly Recommended.

It has been a success for Masi since 1964 and has won numerous awards. The blend is of three native grapes: Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara. And the appassimento technique - the grapes are dried to obtain greater concentration of flavour and aroma - is used here.

The Masi Masianco white has been Very Highly Recommended in a previous post.

Velenosi Querciantica Lacrima di Morro d’Alba (DOC) 2013, Marche Italy, 12.5%, €17.10 Karwig Wines

Just one variety of grape in this bottle, the Lacrima di Morro d’Alba. Colour is a rather intense ruby and there are rich aromas of red berries, strawberries and raspberries, some cherry too and floral hints. Medium bodied and very smooth, it is fruity and juicy, easy drinking, with slight spice and just about noticeable tannins, all followed by an excellent finish. Very Highly Recommended.

Claude Val rosé 2014, Pays D’Oc (IGT), 13%, €12.25 Karwig Wines

Summer time, they say, is rosé time; never confined myself to just one unreliable season though! And certainly not with this excellent example from the Pezenas region of the Languedoc. It is a blend of three grapes: Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah.

Colour is pink, of course; quite an arresting blush actually. The red fruit aromas are also attractive and there are floral notes too. Fruit is generous and it is very pleasant on the palate, lingering on and on. Approachable, easy drinking and fantastic value could all be applied here and the producers would have no problem with that as it was indeed their aim! Highly Recommended.

Going Greek With Glenisk!

Going Greek With Glenisk!
No Hardship

Preparing breakfast,
with yogurt, fruit and oat flakes (recipe below).

Ever since coming across thick creamy yogurts in France during summer holidays many moons ago, I have always liked them. So I was very happy to see that Glenisk are now doing them and happier again to get some samples.

And I have indeed been enjoying the new Strained Greek Yogurts. It looks like as if they have benefits for fitness fans and for anyone watching their weight. Check the details here.   

What are Greek yogurts? Well here’s one explanation: It's yogurt with much of the watery whey removed to make it thicker. In other words, Greek yogurt. But you can only call it that if it is properly Greek, as the recent legal battle confirmed. In January the British Court of Appeal ruled that Greek yogurt must be made in Greece; otherwise it's merely "strained". Read more of this UK Telegraph article here.

Glenisk Authentically Strained Greek Style Yogurts come in many flavours and  the new range is surprisingly thick and creamy for a fat free yogurt. A 150g serving contains about 100 calories, so you can enjoy a great taste minus the guilt!

Already I have a few favourites, especially that delicious strawberry. I have also used one to add to oat flakes and fruits overnight for breakfast and another has been used by the official blog cook as an ingredient in her absolutely delicious Banana Bread. (brownie points+++++!)

But what else can you do with them? Well Glenisk have thought of that too and supplied a range of recipes (below). I must try that Smoked Salmon one. Take your pick. Going Greek, or should I say going Greek style, with Glenisk is no hardship.

Pancakes (left) and Smoked Salmon Yogurt Cup

Simple Protein pancakes topped with Greek Yogurt & Fresh Fruit

Ingredients

2 Eggs

1 Banana (ripe)

Method

Mash ripe banana well, add in whisked eggs and mix together.

Warm a non-stick or cast iron pan to medium, add oil and add mixture to pan.

Let the cake set for thirty seconds (or when the centre bubbles) and flip it!

Top with Glenisk Natural 0% Greek Protein Yogurt and fresh berries!

Glenisk Smoked Irish Salmon Yogurt Cup

Ingredients

4 tbsp Glenisk Natural 0% Greek Protein Yogurt

1 tbsp Burren Smokehouse smoked salmon, chopped

5 capers

Sprinkle of chopped fresh dill

Zest of ¼ lemon

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

Start off with the Natural Yogurt as the base of the dish.

Chop the Smoked Salmon sprinkle over the top & add a squeeze of lemon juice

Add the Capers & some fresh Dill

Season with the lemon zest, some salt & black pepper and a glug of olive oil (optional)

Serve with bagel chips

Overnight Oats (1 serving)

Ingredients

35g Steel cut porridge Oats

200g Glenisk Natural 0% Greek Protein Yogurt

Mixed Blueberries, Strawberries & Raspberries

Optional: Chia Seeds, Cacao Nibs, Honey

Method

Layer the porridge, yogurt and fruit in a jar or bowl.

Cover and put in the refrigerator overnight so the porridge absorbs all the yogurt.

In the morning stir so all the layers are mixed together and top with more fruit and anything else you might like to add.

Energy Boosting Smoothie (2 servings)

Ingredients

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 banana (peeled and chopped)

230g Glenisk Natural 0% Greek Protein Yogurt

Cinnamon to Taste

Method

Pour peanut butter, cocoa powder, Glenisk Organic Yogurt and ice cubes into blender and mix at high speed.

Slice banana, add into mixture, and re-blend.

Pour smoothie into two cups and serve.

Sprinkle dash of cinnamon on top for extra flavour

Sweet Potato Fries with Cool Yogurt Ranch Dip

For the Fries

2 medium/large sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon cornstarch

big sprinkle of cayenne (about 1/8 teaspoon)

big sprinkle of cumin (about 1/8 teaspoon)

2 tablespoons oil

Salt & Pepper to season

For the Dip

150g Glenisk Natural 0% Greek Protein Yogurt

2 tsp White Wine Vinegar

2 Garlic Cloves – minced

2 tbsp finely chopped onion

Salt & Pepper to Season

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 C/ Gas Mark Seven

Using a sharp knife, cut the potatoes into chip like pieces (keep them relatively the same thickness as this will help them cook evenly)

Soak the fries for 10-15 mins

Place the Cayenne, Cumin & Cornstarch into a bowl and toss the (patted dry) fries in the mix to coat them. Transfer them to a non-stick baking tray and cook for 40 minutes (turning half way through)

While the fries are cooking, make your dip. In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Taste of the Week. Medjool Dates from Mr Bells

Taste of the Week
Medjool Dates

The dates; coffee scoop gives an idea of size.

Just spotted these a few days ago on the Twitter feed of Mr Bells in the English Market. Made a beeline for the stall to get my hands on these big richly delicious dates, widely regarded as the very best. 

There are many sweet ways to eat these. Came across a striking one in Jacques a few months back when dessert was Medjool Date stuffed with Ardsallagh goats cheese, with Almonds and a full circle of Blood Orange. A gorgeous combination.

Didn't have any Ardsallagh handy when I came back from the market but did have a bottle of Sauternes on hand (Lamourette 2005) and a glass of that proved a perfect match for the luscious dates, our Taste of the Week.