Superb Cono Sur & Penfolds Tasting in Cork, Part 1

Superb Cono Sur & Penfolds Tasting in Cork

Two of the world’s leading winemakers were in Cork last week for an unusual double tasting. Adolfo Hurtado came from Cono Sur in Chile to link up with Andrew Baldwin of Australia’s Penfolds. The event, in the Blue Angel Bar at the Opera House, was organised by Findlater Wines and was more a masterclass than your basic tasting. Lots of notes and photos were taken and it’s been a job to edit it all down to two posts, the first below features Adolfo and Cono Sur, the second (here) sees Penfolds in the spotlight with Andrew going solo!

Part One

Cono Sur

Adolfo Hurtado, MD and winemaker at Cono Sur, grew up on his father’s dairy farm in the beautiful Casablanca Valley in Chile. The young Adolfo was interested in farming and went on to study Agronomy and began to realise that he wanted to do winemaking. There was a tradition of winemaking on his mother’s side as her father had been a wine-maker.

We asked him about his and Cono Sur’s commitment to organic wine-making. It is not just about the photo opportunity that their geese (who gobble up the bad bugs!) and the bikes that get the workers around the vineyard provide!

“The country itself was the first motive,” he said to me in the Cork Opera House last Wednesday. At the end of the 20th century the Chilean land was “in extraordinarily good condition, diseases were absent and in 1998 we decided to use the advantages that Chile could offer”.

“Sure there is more paperwork but the possibility of replacing chemicals was an incentive. We couldn't use nitrogen anymore and that was a problem at first. But now “it is amazing, so healthy. And it is really beautiful now and the results are better.”

And Chile added to its natural isolation with strict controls to limit the access of four legged or winged creatures that might harm its vineyards and is determined to keep its land clean and healthy. The geographic isolation has four main features: desert (to the north), Andes (to the east), ice (to the south) and the Pacific (to the west)

The shape of the country too too helps it diversity as a wine-producer and remember that the diversity is found as much in an east-west direction as much as in the north-south line.

Cono Sur have some 400 acres certified as organic and many more acres are farmed in an organic way even if not certified as such.

Yours truly with Adolfo (left) and Andrew (right)

And some of the organic ways are so so simple. Here are two examples that Adolfo mentioned during the tasting. Remember those geese? Well they are there to stop the Burrito beatle. This beetle climbs the vine and can do huge damage. But a band (an INIA band) around the trunk of the vine halts its progress, it falls back down and then the geese go to work.

The California thrip is another big pest as it can damage the vine at its flowering stage. The solution is to plant rows of very colourful flowers between the vines. The thrip  now leaves the plain flower of the vine and heads for the “sexy” colourful flowers.

Talking to Adolfo you'll soon realise that Pinot Noir is a favourite of his. “It is our flagship, a most important wine for us. We bought an estate that had been planted with Pinot Noir in 1968 by the previous owners and in 90s we started at the block. Our first Pinot Noir was exported to Japan and the UK and they liked it. It became more and more popular and we are now the biggest Pinot Noir producer in the world, selling some 6,000,000 bottles annually.”

Does he think that Irish people know much about Chile, aside from its wines and footballers?

“Chile needs to be re-discovered and the perception has changed a lot. People from outside now think of it as being a really natural country, beautiful, even with volcanoes and earthquakes,  and are more interested in discovering it.”

While wines from Chile do very well in Ireland, Adolfo and his team still have much to do on the wider front. I pointed to the 2016 edition of the Hugh Johnson handbook where Switzerland has more space than Chile and where New Zealand has 11 pages of listings as against four for Chile.

Adolfo responded: “Chile had been known for its good value for years. And the challenge now is to get people to trade up, to get them to realise that Chile is also a producer of premium wines and that is why we organize events like today.”

We asked Adolfo to recommend a couple of wines to an Irish consumer that was interested in starting to explore Chile and he picked two from their Bicicleta range, the Cabernet Sauvignon and, of course, the Pinot Noir! Cheers.

Concentration from Cork's own Chilean, Francisca!

The Cono Sur Tasting

20 Barrels Sauvignon Blanc 2015

From the El Centinela vineyard in the Casablanca, this brings with it “a hint of saltiness” from the nearby ocean. “It is mostly citrus with great concentration and a nice minerality”. And a lovely freshness that could be applied to all three whites.

20 Barrels Chardonnay 2014

Adolfo wasn't convinced of the usefulness of concrete eggs in the vineyard until he tried them with this, 10% in eggs, the balance in new French barrels. “The egg helps with complexity, good for the palate, doesn't do much for the aromas.” Another delicious white with good balance and, yes, those salt elements again. It comes from the same estate as the Sauvignon blanc.

Single Vineyard Riesling 2015

This one is from the cool south, from the Bio Bio (pronounced bee-o, bee-o) valley. It has a nice concentration and “the six grams of residual sugar helps the balance”. You’ll find note of flowers, apricots, peaches and grapefruit. But no petrol. You might get that next year when it has spent 10-12 months in the bottle. This was bottled just last August.

Ocio Pinot Noir 2013

This is Cono Sur's “first ultra premium Pinot Noir”. Ocio, pronounced Ossio, means leisure (your time to enjoy). Think you could enjoy this beauty at any time. Adolfo certainly does and told us his favourite match with this Casablanca wine, produced just 30 kilometers from the ocean, is Tuna with blueberry sauce.

Silencio Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

Adolfo and Cono Sur are also very proud of the Silencio, recent winner of the Best Red Wine in Chile award. It comes from Alto Maipo, close to Santiago. The aging process consists of 22 months in French oak (100% new, medium toast), two months in stainless steel and two years in bottle. Full of character, silky with “deep concentration” it is another winner from Cono Sur, a winner with an aging potential of at least 10-15 years, maybe longer!

Go to Part 2, featuring Penfolds

Findlater's Ken Kinsella enjoyed that one!

Part Two tomorrow feature's Penfolds winemaker Andrew Baldwin

Taste of the Week. Potato Loaf by Diva Bakery

Taste of the Week.
Potato Loaf by Diva Boutique Bakery Cafe & Deli

Visited the Diva Cafe in Ballinspittle recently at lunchtime (review here) and also called to their bakery and deli across the street. Lots of that morning's bake had been sold but there were still some interesting breads on offer, including a Toasted Walnut Loaf. My pick was their Potato Loaf, our Taste of the Week. Lovely and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and full of flavour overall. Keep up to date with the bakery and cafe here. 

Longueville House Lunch. Award Winning Cider and Apple Brandy

Longueville House Lunch

Award Winning Cider and Apple Brandy

It is a big country house. And the fire is on. Not just to warm the building and its hosts and guests. But to cook your lunch. Don't worry, that big haunch of lamb will be ready in time. Welcome to Longueville House.

What's for lunch?

The welcome begins at the front door where an engaging posse of rascally dogs, all well behaved, snuggle up to their visitors. Once indoors, you are warmly welcomed by Aisling and William O’Callaghan. Their house, the central block of which was built about 1720, stands in a 500 acre wooded estate, and on a rise over the Blackwater Valley.

Lamb roasting, slowly

Sunday lunch here is a legendary leisurely affair, the rush of the 21st century left behind when you turn off the Mallow-Killarney Road. It is highlight after highlight in the relaxed dining rooms.

The first thing that catches your eye is the Appetiser Buffet. Could be a rush here! But, no. All is well organised. The staff organise the flow and there is never anything approaching a queue, just a line of five or six, moving smoothly along and getting any information they need from the helpful staff at the buffet.

One selection of starters

The buffet can change from time to time of course. Here is last Sunday's selection: House patés, House smoked fish, Longueville Pork Sausage in puff pastry, Egg mayonnaise, Potato salad with Garden herbs, Seasonal salads and pulses, Garden leaves, Garden fruit chutney, Homemade mayonnaise, Herb infused vinaigrette, various breads. Take your pick!

The main course is served at your table and the lamb was the number one pick, certainly at our table! Think I’ll just give you the choices as listed:

Leg of Longueville lamb cooked over an open oakwood fire, sausage of braised shoulder, garden thyme sauce.

Pan fried fillet of Cod, Longueville House cider, tomato and chervil velouté sauce.

Garden Pumpkin pithivier, baby garden vegetables, sorrel pesto.

Lamb

 The lamb, accompanied by a selection of vegetables and potatoes from the garden, was superb, full of flavour from “lands as beautiful and fertile as any in Ireland”. Our gaze though turned from the distant valleys and hills, now lit by the sun after heavy rain of the morning, to a table to my right when dessert was announced, another buffet, another irresistible selection. And, after all that, tea or coffee at your table or in one of the nearby rooms. Just relax and linger awhile.

And, if you feel like it, take a walk, a short one or indeed a long one. I had come with a group from the Munster branch of the Irish Wine and Food Society and we had a walk that morning, guided through the orchards by William himself. The harvest was in full flow and would go on right up to Christmas. It is a late one this year, three weeks behind normal.

There are 25 acres of apples and the orchard is 20 years old. “We don't spray Roundup here,” William said. “We try to stay away from them. No pesticides.” One way they counter the aphids, a tiny bug that can do enormous damage, is to encourage the hoverfly by planting the likes of Fennel, Angelica and Yarrow. These attract the hoverfly, a natural enemy of the aphid.

 Sheep are normally kept in the orchards and they ensure a low level of grass. But they do have to be taken out immediately before and during the harvest. I began to wonder about the meat cooking below in the house!

Soon though we were back in the buildings and in the crush house where the process of making cider, and eventually apple brandy, starts. We met Dan the distiller and he handed out samples of raw brandy, starting from the still. That warmed us up!

 Then we had a “proper” tasting with William and Dan. We started with the now well established award winning Longueville House medium dry cider. More recently they have launched Longueville Cider Mor which has a more robust ABV of 8 per cent, “a bit like a Bordeaux superieur” someone observed! And then we sampled the apple brandy, a really serious drink and another award winner.

Back at the house itself, we were welcomed in from the rain with a glass (or two) of mulled cider, a superb drink, quite a few saying they'd prefer it to mulled wine and I concur. After that it was time for that leisurely and lovely lunch. A terrific venue and Very Highly Recommended.

William (right) speaking to some of his guests last Sunday.

• Back in the mists of time, these lands were owned by Daniel O’Callaghan but after the collapse of the 1641 rebellion O’Callaghan’s lands went to Cromwell. Amazingly, the wheel came full circle in 1938 when the present owner’s grandfather Senator William O’Callaghan bought the property, restoring it to the same family clan of O’Callaghans. You may read all about the centuries in between in a leaflet they hand out at the house and, on the back, is a map of the many and varied walks on the estate! Info also on the website here http://www.longuevillehouse.ie/home-3/your-hosts-their-history/ I know I stressed the relaxing apsect of Longueville but there is much scope for activity here too, including shooting and fishing and more, and you may read all about it http://www.longuevillehouse.ie/activities/

Amuse Bouche

The waiter slapped down my pavé au poivre….. The knife slid through the meat; the thinnest layer of crusty brown opening to reveal a pulpy red heart. I watched as the pink juices puddled into the buttery pepper sauce.

Gwendal looked up. I must have uttered an audible gasp of pleasure. “I don't know why you can't get a steak like this in England,” I said, careful, even in my haste to lift the first bite to my mouth, not to drip on my sweater. My fork and knife paused in midair as I let the salt, the fat, the blood settle on my tongue.”

from Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard (2010)

The Malbec Quartet. Wines of Mendoza

The Malbec Quartet

Wines of Mendoza

The leading soloist in this Malbec Quarter is the Llama but the four are all worth noting and one can see why the US has taken to Malbec in a big way. Each of the quartet is from Argentina and each is from Karwig Wines.

And as we post this, there is a sadness that Joe Karwig will no longer be around his Carrigaline shop to guide us on our wine adventures across the vinous globe of his packed shelves. May the good and generous man rest in peace.

Finca Ocho Siete Ocho Malbec 2012, Mendoza (Argentina), 13%, €14.65 Karwig Wines

Finca 878’s vino tinto is, they say, “intended for young consumers, who like enjoying good wines.” I say: “Why should the young have all the fun?” These wines are “fresh, fruity, easy drinking.” And I enjoyed their Malbec/Merlot blend a few weeks back.

Colour of this Malbec solo is cherry red with a healthy shine. Jammy red fruits on the nose and same red fruits too on a smooth palate, a little spice too, tannins also play on the lips, then a good dry finish. “Easy-drinking” may be under-rating it a little. Highly Recommended.

Belasco de Baquedano Llama Malbec (old Vine) 2013, Mendoza (Argentina), 13.5%, €17.50 (now reduced to 14.00) Karwig Wines

This has intense aromas of ripe red fruit and announces its arrival on the palate with fruit, spice and tannin. Easy to welcome this rather smooth wine, a worthy guest that makes a lasting impression. Elegant and well balanced, it is Very Highly Recommended.

The winery focuses exclusively on Malbec, according to the Wines of South America and “lies in Mendoza’s finest vineyard zone”. Its “Swinto” Malbec makes the book’s Top Ten. Must look out for that!

Moncagua Malbec 2012, Mendoza (Argentina), 13.5%, €13.95 Karwig Wines

Colour is ruby and bright and aromas are intensely fruity. Outstanding ripe reds on the palate too, very fruity, juicy and a little spice too, a perfect balance between fruit and structure. A second glass wine for sure and Highly Recommended.

The vines are raised in the foothills of the Andes at some 1020 metres, under the shadow of Monte Aconcagua (you can see where they got the name for the wine), the highest mountain in the Western and Southern hemispheres.

Finca Pasión Mi Amor Malbec 2012, Mendoza (Argentina), 13.5%, €13.50 Karwig Wines

Made from hand-harvested fruit, this friendly Malbec is Highly Recommended. Ruby is the colour and the aromas are of dark fruit, plum and cherry prominent. These dark fruits are in evidence on the palate also, now with a good wash of spice, fine tannins too in this well balanced and pleasant wine.

Nine Market Street. Loved the Lunch here.

Nine Market Street

Loved the Lunch here.

Lamb burger

A big lunch was required and we found it in a small narrow street in Kinsale, in Nine Market Street to be precise.

A big welcome later and we were studying the menu. A man could do with a burger, I was thinking. And so too was CL - well, she was thinking a woman could do with a burger!

We would both be happy.  I went for the regular Macroom Wagyu burger, served with crunchy slaw and skinny fries (€15.50). Man-sized and full of flavoursome meat and I shared some of the chips with herself.

She was very happy with her Spicy Lamb Burger (man sized too!) and that came with big sweet potato wedges (ideal for sharing, of course!). Both plates were cleaned out! The Lamb was a special, at €13.95

We were driving so had to leave the wines, the craft beer and the Stonewell cider behind. Lots of other drinks here too include a series of Fentiman's sodas. Tea and all the coffees too.

Restaurant front, cakes

And we did have a big cup of Maher’s coffee with the sweet bits, shared again. Quite a choice on the Specials Board, placed over the counter, including Lemon Cake slices and Chocolate Caramel squares. These were gorgeous.

I had been tempted to have a starter, mainly because I would have a slice of their special brown bread, made with Beamish stout. I’m sure the soup (curried celeriac and potato)  and the chowder (we tasted that at the recent Chowder cook-off in Acton’s Hotel) would have been superb. On another day, perhaps!

The restaurant opened early in 2015 and seems well established already. They open at 10.00am and open late Thursdays to Saturdays. Now dinner there could well be a good idea. You could start with their Market Sharing Platter or maybe the popular Smoked Salmon and Prawn Cocktail. They have steak and hake in the mains and the Curried Buttermilk Chicken with the Mango Salsa appeals to me! And keep an eye on the Specials Board.

This is a comfortable spot with good food and friendly service right in the centre of the town. Well worth a call.

Chapel Steps Three Years On. Tempting New Menu.

Chapel Steps Three Years On

Tempting New Menu

Monkfish

Bandon’s Chapel Steps celebrated their 3rd birthday in September and confidently moved into their fourth year with a brilliant new Autumn Menu, full of great choice and sprinkled with innovation too. All well cooked and also well served if our visit last week is anything to go by.

The lovely room, the centrepiece of the O'Reillys’ restaurant, will still see orders for fish and steak. These have been on the menu from day one, the fish from nearby Union Hall, the black Angus beef from even nearer home.

Pork

There were at least three different fish dishes on the menu when we called and, indeed, one of the specials allowed you to taste all three on the one platter. Our choice was the Medallions of curried scented monkfish in a tempura batter with saffron yogurt and tangy couscous. This was delicious, the fish not smothered by the thin veil of batter, and the tangy couscous was a terrific match.

And my choice? Not an easy one. Even after the fish and steak, there was still a Butternut and Feta Gratin, their Beef Burger, Duck 2 Way, Blade of Beef and chicken. The one I did pick was the Celebration of Pork: pan-fried pork belly, Rosscarbery black pudding croquette, smoked pork cheek, celeriac puree, salsify, apple and pear jus. Quite a long description but just a short one to sum it up: excellent. That smoked cheek came in its own mini-pie and was quite a treat. A quality dish indeed.

Mackerel Smokie

Back to the starter now and again the thing that strikes me is the great choice on the list. You can actually see the full menu (aside from specials) here. I don’t think I’ve ever had a mackerel smokie before so I went for it: diced smoked mackerel, tomato concasse, and topped with parmesan herb crust. Full of texture and flavour and a great way to start.

Our other starter was the Chicken liver paté with fig and apricot compote and warm toast. Easy enough to put out a slice of top notch paté but matching it with this particular compote made it a winner.

Tart

And another winner came at the end. We were facing defeat though when the dessert list was presented but made one last joint effort and ordered the Warm Treacle Tart, with praline, honeycomb, quince, caramel sauce and caramel ice-cream. Don't often see this on a menu. More's the pity as it was terrific. Next time though, we might manage two between us, this and perhaps the White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake!

And the good news is that the Treacle Tart features on the Chapel Step’s Christmas Menus, both lunch and dinner. The menus feature a mix of seasonal dishes (including Christmas Pudding of course) and some of their regular favourites. Prices are good: €22.00 for lunch, €30.00 for dinner.

We had a lovely meal the other night, trying out the new seasonal menu as guests.

Photo courtesy of Chapel Steps

Chapel Steps

Patricks Place

Bandon, Ireland

(023) 885 2581

http://www.chapelsteps.ie/

Taste of the Week. Custard Tarts by La Cocina

Taste of the Week
Custard Tarts by La Cocina

This Taste of the Week comes via Silvia and Olga Iglesias, the two sisters than run La Cocina. One of their outlets is at Mahon Point Farmers Market (they also do Douglas) and it was there that I picked up this little treat, all dressed up for Halloween. It is small but massively delicious and they use lemon flavoured custard as part of their take on the traditional Portuguese favourite. La Cocina makes artisan Spanish food (savoury, as well as sweet) in Cork and they may be contacted at lacocinacork@gmail.com. You'll find them on Facebook here.

Miyazaki Japanese Take-Away. On the corner, a “treasure box”

Miyazaki Japanese Take-Away

On a Cork corner, a “treasure box”

Salmon

The always busy Cork corner between Barrack Street and Evergreen Street has a new feature, a Japanese Take-Away called Miyazaki. It looks as if this corner will get even busier as top chef Takashi Miyazaki has opened up a “treasure box” of Japanese food. “I want people to enjoy the real flavours of Japan.”

The owner-chef is a native of Fukuoka in Japan and has over twenty years high level experience. The use of fresh local ingredients and Takashi's essential ingredient of dashi broth brings you a traditional Japanese cuisine known as “Itadakimasu”.  I was there last Friday and got lunch and supper for forty euro for the two of us.

The “treasure box” is just that, a small boxy place with room for just a handful of sit-down customers. You sit on stools near the a shelf along the window and watch the people come and go outside. But you don't do much watching really as your eyes and attention are on the flavours in the dish.

Soup

 We were there just as the doors opened at 1.00pm and got two of those precious high stools. We studied the menu and, of course, the specials board! As we waited, we were served with bowls of a lovely Miso Soup (with tofu, wakame seaweed and dashi), delicate and delicious.

Neither of us knows much about Japanese food so we were consciously or unconsciously looking for familiar words. And so it was that CL chose the Teriyaki Chicken Bento (grilled chicken, marinated with homemade teriyaki sauce). This was superb, a great balance between the flavours, the rice too playing a role here.

Chicken. Yes that's half an egg at top.

I went for the Salmon Zuke Donburi (fresh Atlantic salmon marinated in soy based sauce on steamed rice). This was served in a bowl with slices of marinated salmon and ikura (salmon roe) on top and a little dollop of wasabi. Lots going on here, the colour, the flavour, the amazing texture of the salmon all adding up to lunch-time perfection!

Lunch was over but the remarkable experience was to be soon continued. We had a look at the take-away section (this gets very busy in the evenings) and picked two items for sharing later on. The first was Nori Bento (Nori seaweed, breaded fish, fish cake with kimpira burdock). It looked a small enough container but there was certainly enough there as a shared starter. But never mind about the quantity, the quality (flavour and texture) was once again outstanding.

Yakiniku Bento

 And it just got better with the (Stir fried beef and vegetables with Miya’s yakiniku sauce). Once again an amazing mix of flavours and, of course, that lovely softish crunch that you get with stir-fried vegetables.

So if you want remarkable food from this amazing chef, head to Evergreen Street (just a few minutes from the English Market) and you’ll find Miyazaki’s doors open between 13.00 to 16.00 and 17.00 to 21.00 Tuesday to Sunday. Phone number is 021-4312716.

Find him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/miyazakicork/ and his Twitter is @miyazakicork  

Nori Bento