Stylish Sauvignons from O'Briens plus more on wine, spirits and beer in Cheers #14

Stylish Sauvignons from O'Briens

plus more on wine, spirits and beer in Cheers #14

STYLISH SAUVIGNONS
By Lynne Coyle MW | O'Briens Wine Director

One of the most popular white wines on the planet, this week we are asking why is Sauvignon Blanc so popular and with such a vast array available to choose from, we highlight a few savvy Sauvignons perfect for this time of year.

Sauvignon Blanc, believed to originate in Bordeaux, is widely planted in the Loire, Chile, South Africa, California, and New Zealand. To understand why it’s so popular, consider the style of wines it makes. Translated as “wild white”, Sauvignon Blanc, is a green skinned white grape known for its exuberant aromas and flavours. Grown in a cool climate, herbaceous green and tomato leaf notes are to the fore and from a warmer location look for melon, and apricot. The grapes are generally fermented at between 12 and 15°C which retains the aromas and primary fruit flavours, typically Sauvignon is dry, and unoaked with high acidity ensuring a refreshing, food friendly style.

See Lynn's picks here.

Tullamore Dew's Jane Maher is at the Thompson Micro Brewery on Sunday afternoon (Aug 30th)  as part of Design Pop Cork. There'll also be other food and drink related events over the Saturday (Aug 29th) and Sunday. See the Design Pop Facebook Page for full schedule (28-30 Aug).


Next Saturday in the Ballymaloe Drinks Theatre

Half-time refreshments at last week's Cider event in the Drinks Theatre

Next event - ‘Summer Fizz ~ Sparkling Wines’ Saturday 1st August 5pm Drinks Theatre at Ballymaloe with @seamusmcgrath03 & @colmmccan #sparklingwines #summerfizz #drinkstheatre #event #sociallydistanced #fullyseated #limitednumbers - bookings through eventbrite here

" We will explore various styles, regions along with some surprises!

Saturday 1st August, 5pm, Drinks Theatre at Ballymaloe, Pre booking essential via Eventbrite, Fully seated, socially distanced, restricted numbers"

Meadery tours in Kinsale

Kinsale Mead Co have been running their online shop selling mead to mead lovers old and new all through the shutdown but now they have re-opened for Meadery tours in Kinsale. They've had great fun welcoming a number of visitors since the end of June, both day trippers to Kinsale and people making a longer tour around Cork and the south coast. Thanks to everyone who has visited so far or booked for a later date. 

Tours run at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. Tickets cost €14 pp. Please prebook. https://www.kinsalemeadco.ie/kinsale-meadery-tours/ or  by calling 021 477 3538.

Getting to know Ramón Bilbao’s Rueda Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Innovation in Spanish winemaking is not just reserved for the new wave of artisan winemakers. Ramón Bilbao proves once again with its new Rueda Sauvignon Blanc that a big player can just as easily throw away the rulebook. Hailing from its shiny new winery La Finca Las Medias, winemaker Sara Bañuelos, has been given licence to thrill with an SB/ Verdejo blend but even more interestingly a 100% single varietal Sauvignon Blanc. David Kermode picks up the story (via The Buyer) here.

FULL PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED FOR DESIGN POP. Cork’s food and design festival returns for its second year

FULL PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED FOR DESIGN POP

Cork’s food and design festival returns for its second year

AUGUST 28-30, 2020

Cork City

3 pop-up pavilions, an Irish Design Shop, exhibitions, furniture showcase, and discussions from special guests MASER, WhyDesign Founder Kim Mackenzie-Doyle, + over 16 free events!

Design Pop, Cork’s new food and design festival, is truly a celebration of innovation and creativity. It takes place in various locations across Cork: Thompson House, Elizabeth Fort, Emmett Place, and Blackrock Castle, from 28-30^th August 2020.

The intention of Design POP has always been to celebrate the incredible talent in Architecture, Design, and Food/Drink producers in Ireland. It is more important than ever to celebrate creativity, collaboration, and support our local talent.

This year's theme for the festival is Resilience, which will be explored through the pavilions, talks, and conversations, happening over the weekend. The programme features over 16 free events, and two special ticketed events.

The launch night, Friday night, 28th August, will feature talks and discussions with guests The Project Twins - the Irish based graphic art duo, James and Michael Fitzgerald, who will speak about their studio and some of their interesting projects to date; Founding Director of The Glucksman, Fiona Kearney, will share her insight on running a leading museum for creative learning and access to the visual arts.

Saturday morning offers a creative workshop for children, suitable for ages 4-12, with plant based food company Banana Melon; later, join a panel discussion about gender equality in design, led by Founder of WhyDesign Kim Mackenzie-Doyle with guests: Head of Innovation VHI Lorna Ross, award-winning designer and Creative Director at Deloitte Digital Claire Dowling, and Head of Design Thinking at Bank of Ireland Lesley Tully.

Into the afternoon, there will be a Networking Lunch for Women by WhyDesign; a talk ‘Back and taking over the family business’ hosted by OHK O’Herlihy’s, Kinsale; Dublin based architecture and design studio Studio Anois will speak about their studio and projects to date; “Creative Process Behind Launching a New Brand” discussions with guests Graham Vard (Billion), Ernest Cantillion (Kinsale Gin and Red Earl Whiskey), Tony Speight (West Cork Coffee) and Clonakilty Black Pudding.

Saturday evening, Darragh Breathnach of DUA - Design Urbanism Architecture takes to the hot seat to discuss his studio and projects to date, followed by chats with renowned contemporary artist MASER, followed by a Q&A.

The final day of the festival welcomes many more special guests from food and design backgrounds: artist Kari Cahill will provide a demonstration of her artistic process; a panel discussion on “Interior design and finding new ways of diversifying” will be moderated by Kate O’Neill (The Visual Loop), Niamh Mc Cabe (Spacey Studios), Cathy Angelini (Flamingo Interior Design) and Lisa Marconi (Dust Design); photographer Brid O’Donovan is joined by William Murray (Currabinny Foods) to discuss “Food Style and the Creative Process Behind It”; Simon Roche (Bureau), printmaker and visual artist Shane O’ Driscoll, and Robin Foley (Hurrah Hurrah) host “Graphic Design, Print Art, and finding new ways of diversifying”; Architecture on the Edge presents Rural Architecture - a discussion moderated by Frank Monahan (Architecture on the Edge), Alan Macilwraith (JCA architects), and Rae Moore (Atelier Rae); Jane Maher of Tullamore Dew will also take to the stage - all happening at Thompson House, MacCurtain Street.

At the core of the festival, Design POP brings together top Irish design teams to create pop-up installation structures, which will go on display in various outdoor locations across Cork city. Each designer is paired with a Cork-based food or drink producer to create a bespoke space which the public are invited to explore and interact with.

The pairings for the 2020 edition are:

1)   Ciarán Meade and Mark Cronin from Bobo’s Cafe team up with computational designer Mark Horgan to create a pavilion at Elizabeth Fort.

2)   The Crawford Gallery Café joins forces with a collective of young Architects and Designers for a pavilion at Emmett place.

3)   Blackrock Castle and Observatory team up with Cork Architectural School for a pavilion at Blackrock Castle.

On Sunday night, a talk with all the designers and collaborators that created the pavilions for Design POP will close out the festival.

Thompson House will also be home to a pop-up Irish Design Shop for the duration of the festival, showcasing some of Ireland’s best handcrafted textiles, prints, artworks and much more. At the festival HQ, you’ll also find The Glucksman’s ‘New Light’ exhibition of 8 different poster-based artworks, and finally, The Milking Stool exhibition featuring 13 Irish furniture designers. These stunning furniture pieces will be sold off by silent auction during the festival.

All events are FREE with the exception of the Why Design panel discussion (€6) and the MASER event (€10). Tickets are available on designpop.ie or EventBrite and tickets include one complimentary drink.

Abiding by the current covid-19 regulations, each event will be 45 minutes long and restricted to a capacity of 50 in the venue at all times. This capacity number may change in line with the government guidelines and phases. After each 45-minute event, organisers have a team to clean and sanitize the seating and venue to have it ready for the next speaker or panel discussion. The seats will be set out in accordance with the social distancing guidelines. There will be a number of sanitizing stations throughout the venue and organisers strongly encourage everyone who enters the venue to wear a mask.

Full details on Design Pop, 28-30 August, can be found at designpop.ie 

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Cobh Bedecked with Flowers. Well worth a visit.

Cobh Bedecked with Flowers. 
Well worth a visit.

Cobh is becoming as well known for its displays of flowers as for it well perched cathedral.

Water's Edge Hotel, The Quays Bar & Restaurant and the Sirius Art Gallery all in this block

The Crescent has splendid views over the town centre and the harbour.

Looking well: the Commodore Hotel

Welcome to Cobh

Seasalt, a lovely café battling in the Covid19 aftermath

Not a vegan café, I'm told

Time to chat at Cuppacity

Like Harbour Browns, you'll
find Leonardo on the West Beach

Does what it says on the tin.

Lights guide you into this shop called Turkish Delights

Looking down from cathedral 

Handiwork

Café in heritage centre

Say it with flowers

Café on Rushbrooke side of town

Hederman's famous smokehouse is near Belvelly bridge

A bite on the way in or on the way out at Bramley Lodge

New Kids on the Block. #51 Cornmarket Street. We took a knock. We go again.

New Kids on the Block. #51 Cornmarket Street.

We took a knock. We go again.

David Devereaux and Anne Zagar, the young couple behind #51, are delighted to be back up and running at their new restaurant in Cornmarket Street. The enthusiastic pair and equally enthusiastic small staff had something of a false dawn back in March when Covid19 forced a sudden closure just a couple of weeks into their opening run.

Still, that youthful enthusiasm, backed by the solid experience they have acquired in various kitchens as they learned the ropes, is undimmed after their “second coming” as I found when we visited for lunch last week. We enjoyed it and said so. “Do come by again when we’ve expanded a bit,” I was told as I left! Can’t beat the youth!

While both are chefs, David has the Head Chef title here and “is the brain force behind our kitchen and the driving passion behind our ethos”. From the nearby north side, he began his studies in Cork which led to a scholarship in Johnston & Wales (RI, USA), an apprenticeship under Michael Fleming and a further stage in London’s Mayfair. David has been cooking around Cork for several successful years while always searching for somewhere to call his own and has found it in the Coal Quay, in what was previously The Parlour. 

Fish fingers like never before!

Now at #51, he has a clear vision, using many local suppliers to create a dining experience that is “funky, fresh and professionally thought out. His cooking style is modern Irish with a special focus on seafood while also being a dab hand at a Lemon Tart every once in a while.” 

Those local producers include O’Mahony Butchers, Ballycotton Seafood, Pana Bread, Kilbrack Farm, Annabella Farm, English Market, McCarthy’s Kanturk, O’Brien’s Free Range Eggs. And even more local is the nearby rooftop farm, now with the addition of their own hens!

They do everything in-house including curing their own fish. We got a sample of their rainbow trout as we left and it is superb. Do look out for that House Cured Rainbow Trout (more sustainable than salmon). You’ll see it in their Eggs Royale with Eggs and Hollandaise.

Herbs at hand

Anne herself has quite a distinguished CV as well. She trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School and studied French Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London. She was head chef at The Pavilion Garden Centre, owner-operator at Something Sweet, head chef and kitchen manager at Rachel's, and manager/coordinator at Hotel Isaacs Cork. 

She’s well able to take a turn in the kitchen but last week she was out front, keeping an eye on and serving their customers both inside their little terrace and also at the tables now allowed on the wide pavement of the Coal Quay itself. 

And she’s even got the mayoral nod of approval for her baking, particularly her scones which come in quite a few flavours: Blueberry and lime, white chocolate and cranberry, Cinnamon, pecan and toasted oats, and the traditional sultana.

You’ll get a terrific breakfast here but we were in for a spot of lunch, which they start serving about the 12.30pm mark when the menu goes up on the window. No menus handed out at present due to you know what!

Scones galore

The list may be short but is tempting, even includes a few of the egg dishes from the breakfast. We seriously considered the organic Farm Salad (tomato, local feta, potato, mint , cucumber and leaves). Another attraction was the Brisket, Pickled Onion and Celeriac Remoulade and also the Pork Belly with apple and red cabbage.

CL hit the jackpot when she picked the Beetroot, local goat cheese, pesto, pickled onion and organic leaf in a Ciabatta bun. Neatly presented, this is a superb dish, packed with local goodness and that bread is soft and tasty, the dish well priced too. Highly Recommended.

Eggs Royale, with that trout!

And I very much enjoyed another dish that comes into the Highly Recommended category: the crispy trio of fish fingers, superb cod as it turns out, comes with a delicious citrus salsa, and a well-judged amount of sweet curry in a beautiful soft bap. I had sticky fingers and a happy belly by the time I finished this easy-eating beauty, just the job for lunch in the summer-time.

David

Hopefully, David and Anne will be serving many similar platefuls before the summer departs. You’ll enjoy the happy youthful approach at this city centre venue and you know where your food comes from. It’s just a few yards from Patrick Street, so do look out for #51!

51 Cornmarket Street

Cork

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/51cornmarket/

Tel: 083 010 2321

Open Wed to Sun inclusive.

Cool Cider Guys Live as Thundershower Rattles Ballymaloe's Big Shed. Amazing Samples as Drinks Theatre Reopens

Three Talk Cider as Thundershower Rattles The Ballymaloe Big Shed.

Amazing Tasting as Drinks Theatre Reopens with Live Event!

The humble apple was the star of the show as live events returned to the Drinks Theatre in the famous Big Shed at Ballymaloe. On Saturday evening, Barry Walsh (Killahora Orchards), Pascal Rossignol (of Le Caveau, representing Eric Bordelet of Normandy) and Rubert Atkinson (Longueville Beverages), came laden with good things and proudly and passionately spoke on how the drinks were produced.

“Seamus McGrath had been talking about events post lockdown, and we came up with this mad idea,” said Colm McCan as he introduced our trio. Colm promised the series would continue every Saturday through August and the next event features all drinks sparkling.

Cider with (l to r): strawberry, elderflower, ginger.

Expect a surprise or two. The organisers themselves were “ambushed” on Saturday last when the session had to be extended a little as both Barry and Rubert produced surprises, neither has seen a shop shelf yet and each is delicious. 

Rubert came with his ABC: apple, brandy and cream. That cream comes from Ballymaloe’s Jersey cows. ”Enjoy like a Baileys. It is lovely and light and weighs in at 17% abv.” Barry spoke about their exciting champagne style cider, no name yet but due for release later in the year. ‘Based on 40% wild apples, it is quite a robust and interesting drink with the acidity coming from the hedgerow apples. It is clear and naturally carbonated and has been rested on its lees, is fermented in bottle and, like champagne, has been disgorged.” Another beauty to look forward to from Killahora.

Perry Poiré

All three producers frown on ice with their quality ciders, all backing Barry on that as he introduced his Johnny Fall Down Early Apple Cider, a slightly lighter version than the Late Apple. He said you could think of the two as a white wine and a red wine. 

The Early Apple (picked earlier) is “100% juice — wild ferment — a year or more maturation —very dry — tannin a strong feature — bitter sharp, bitter sweet — pairs well with food especially seafood and bbq.” The Late Apple, both were vintage 2017 by the way, is driven by 30% Dabinett and lots of French varieties, some inedible as a fruit. And again this is designed “for food”.

Rubert also had ciders on his stand. The regular, Longueville House Cider, has an abv of 5.9%. “No chemicals and no pesticides” and he told how the estate benefits from the River Blackwater flowing through. They grow two varieties of apple here, the Dabinett and the Michelin. The sugar is natural and they use no extra sulphites. Longueville’s Mór gets is higher abv (8,00%) from fermenting in their apple brandy casks. “It is the same juice as the regular cider but is more robust, has more character, more flavour, well rounded, well balanced, really lovely.” I can agree with all of that! 

When Eric Bordelet was starting off, some 30 years ago, he was advised to make “poiré as winemakers make wine”. Pascal has known Eric, a biodynamic grower, for decades and says while he has the 30 years behind him, he is still learning, even now with the challenges of climate change. “Back in 1992, he noted a gap at the top of the market but also realised he needed granitic soil”.

Cider colours: Killahora, Normandy, Longueville

With all that sorted - I didn’t quite get the details here as a thunderstorm rattled the old shed - Eric has become one of the most renowned cider and perry makers in the Normandy region. We had his Sidre Brut, a classic dry cider, tender or mellow in the mouth, yet also lively with plenty of acidity and extremely refreshing in front of us now. “It is made from 20 varieties and fermentation goes on for much longer than his other products, bottling in May or June, the exact time decided by tasting.”  Eric’s training as a sommelier helps him pick the correct moment.

And that experience and training also come into play with his Poiré Authentique. This juice spends just  2 to 3 months in barrel as Eric seeks “the main balance he wants” between sugar, acidity and tannin. “It is all about subtlety.” And we could appreciate that as we sipped this refreshing perry. It is made from about 15 varieties of pears. By the way, Pascal confirmed that some of Eric’s pear trees are over 300 years old!

Barry (l), Pascal and Rubert (r).

When it comes to pears, Killahora has no less than 40 varieties on their south-facing slopes in Glounthaune. They have a lovely 2017 Poiré (Perry) as well. Barry: "A slight floral nose - a Pet’ Nat style - not too many bubbles - lemonade, gooseberry, slight smokiness - - we use only wild fermentation - no temperature control, only the small barn - everything is vintage based.”

At half-time, our trio didn’t produce the oranges but we did have some refreshing fruit ciders. Three big colourful jugs appears and ice was now allowed! One had elderflower mixed in, another had ginger, while the third was made up with strawberry. All absolutely delicious and refreshing and Rubert encouraged us all to make them ourselves. “Use a good base cider like the ones in front of us and experiment to find what your favourite taste is. You don’t have to rush off to the supermarket to buy this type of drink. Support local and see how versatile cider really is.”

Killahora's Late Apple, their sparkling cider, and Longueville's Mór

The ABV went up a bit as we approached the final round, beginning with Killahora’s Pom’O. Barry: “The last pick of the apples, bitter-sweet with apple brandy and hedgerow added. It is aged in fairly neutral Irish whisky barrels and this 2018 has a great balance between the freshness of the apple and the alcohol. It’s perfect with dessert, particularly with blue cheese, and, not too sweet, not too strong, is also perfect for cocktails.”

Then he produced their Apple Ice Wine. “We’re very happy with its reception. This is 11% abv, depends on the vintage. We freeze the juice, then slowly thaw it to increase the concentration of flavour and tannin and so. Sweet yes but the must have acidity is there. Great with goats cheese, with cheese in general. It is 100% natural, just juice.” An amazing drink and no wonder it is getting so much attention.

Longueville House Apple Brandy is well-known at this stage and has picked up many an award. “Very smooth, no burning, and with a lovely aftertaste,” said Rubert. “It is a quality spirit and as such does not need a mixer or ice. Enjoy!” 

We did enjoy that final sample as we had enjoyed the event from the first flight (Perry) to the smooth farewell from the brandy. A superb opening to the series which continues here next Saturday with all kinds of bubbles on show.

Amuse Bouche

“Let’s eat,’ I say. ‘Come on.’

I have prepared what I know Fonny likes: ribs and cornbread and rice, with gravy, and green peas. Fonny puts on the record player, low: Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On.

‘Maybe Tish can’t gain no weight,’ says Daniel, after a moment, ‘but you sure will. You folks mind if I drop by more often - say, around this time?’

from If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (1974). Very Highly Recommended.