A Quart of Ale± #20. Terrific Irish Ciders. "Lucky to have each of them"

A Quart of Ale± #20

Moving on over to craft.

Terrific Irish Ciders.

"Lucky to have each of them" 

Cider is one of the most ancient of the alcoholic drinks, made wherever apples are grown. Yet some countries, Canada for example, has a law preventing people calling a liquid cider unless it has apples in the ingredients. There is a huge variety of ciders, from dry to sweet, from clear to cloudy. Once at a gite in France, the owner came over with a cloudy bottle, oil to ease a sticking front door we thought, but no it was a delicious homemade cider and there was a basin of strawberries as well!

Normandy and Brittany (where I then was) are well known for their ciders but it is only in recent years that craft cider has hit Irish shelves. And even here now, there is an amazing variety, especially from Munster, Leinster and Ulster. I have just a few examples below, including a non alcoholic gem from Highbank, and they illustrate the variety and quality available.

Con Traas of the Apple Farm, who produces a superb example himself, was asked a few years ago to give his verdict on a couple of the then new ciders, Longueville and Stonewell. He declined, saying we were lucky to have each of them. I feel the same way about the quintet below and others such as those coming from The Cider Mill in Slane, Dan Kelly (also in the Boyne Valley), and others that you can find here at  Cider Ireland .

Stonewell Medium Dry 5.5%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This County Cork cider is approaching its 10th birthday and is tasting as well as ever. It was their first and  “remains our most popular cider”. It is a classic, very popular here too, and we often order it in restaurants as it goes well with a variety of dishes.

You’ll know it’s Irish by the eye catching Celtic design on the front. Aromas of the orchard invite you in. Light gold colour and squadrons of little bubbles flying up to the top. Terrific wash of sweet apple flavour on the attack and then you note a balancing acidity before a satisfying finish.

They say: We don’t complicate things by using artificial additives, apple concentrate, glucoses syrup or dilute with water. This carbonated cider is best enjoyed as a refreshing thirst quencher, chilled to 7 degrees (watch the ice – whilst it will maintain the chill it can conceal the full flavour!). 

With winter approaching, you can put this out the back for chilling as an overlong spell in the fridge would also hamper the flavour. This medium dry contains approximately 20% cider apples and 80% eating apples. The cider apples provide the astringency in the cider and the structure on which the full, rounder and more citrus characteristics of the eating apples depend. The cider is made from Irish grown apples and the varieties used are Dabinett, Michelin, Jonagored and Elstar.

Highbank Organic  “Drivers Cider” 0%, 330ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

I’m walking through long rows of apple trees, all in blossom, pink and white abound. The grass between is ankle height, lush and liberally populated with white daisies. Lush, but recently topped. Had I been there a week earlier, I would have seen battalions of dandelions.

I was in Kilkenny, in the healthy heart of Highbank Orchards, an organic farm owned and managed by Rod and Julie Calder-Potts. It is here they grow their apples and make their ciders (and more), including this one.

Made from organic cider apples from the Highbank farm, Drivers Cider is a refreshing non-alcoholic drink for the designated driver with no added sugar or chemicals. This Blusher apple limited vintage is Single Estate (grown, distilled and bottled at Highbank Farm) and no sugar or sweeteners have been added. 

It is a bit sweeter than the Stonewell but finishes dry. It’s a delicious well-flavoured drink and really works well with food as we found out during the Sunil Ghai Special Lunch in Sage last year. Any drink that pairs well with Asian is worth noting, especially when you’re driving home afterwards. In fact, we enjoyed the pairing so much, we bought a second round of the Highbank! Probably one of the best of the Irish non alcoholic drinks.

Johnny Fall Down “Late Apples” 2017 5.5%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Light gold colour, no shortage of bubbles. No mistaking the orchard aromas. This one comes on strong, packed with complex flavour, smoky and spicy with a lingering dry finish. One for your short list for sure, from the new kids on the block at Killahora. 

At a tasting earlier in the summer, Killahora’s Barry said this Late Apples is driven by 30% Dabinett and lots of French varieties, some inedible as a fruit. And that this is designed “for food”. They suggest it is also one for the red wine drinkers and point the white wine drinkers in the direction of their Early Apples issue.

They say: "We work on what the year gives us. In the cidery, we do as little as possible to it. This deeper bittersweet, medium-dry cider is made from the late ripening, rare varieties of apples in our Cork orchards. Pair with darker meats, spicy food, cheese and oily fish.” Serve chilled, no ice!

Killahora was founded by two cousins, Barry Walsh and Dave Watson, with the goal of growing the best rare apple and pear varieties on Irish soil and to use artisanal techniques to turn them into award winning drinks. 

Dave brings a passion for and encyclopaedia-like knowledge of apple and pear trees, while Barry brings the wizardry of fermenting, blending and creating new drinks. “We make everything as naturally as possible with minimum intervention and use wild fermentation.Everything is handmade on site with 100% fresh juice and we take our time, allowing our products to mature for up to a year to get the most complexity of flavour.”

Highbank “Proper Irish Cider” 2016 6%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This organic cider from Kilkenny’s Highbank Orchard has an amber colour, with fountains of bubbles rising. Aromas are tart and true to the orchard fruit. On the palate, it is just amazing, this masterpiece of deliciousness and refreshment and then that dry finalé. If Bach had made cider, he’d have been happy to put his name to a bottle like this, precise and satisfying from first drop to last.

They say: This traditional, dry cider grown and produced by Highbank Orchards Matured on its wild yeasts Highbank Proper Cider has no added sulphites, no added sugar and is Irish Organic with naturally high tannins. A delicious, refreshing drink, Proper Cider should be served chilled over ice particularly with a fish course.

Highbank Organic Orchards, owned and run by Rod and Julie Calder-Potts, produce their ciders in small batches with an emphasis on pairing ciders with different foods. All organic, with no added sulphites and gluten free, the cider apples are from Highbank’s own organic trees grown on Highbank Organic farm in County Kilkenny. It is a beautiful farm and this is a beautiful cider.

Longueville “Mór” Cider 8%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Longueville harvest

This Longueville House cider had a clear amber colour and pleasing orchard aromas. This is a medium cider with a delicious full flavour, slight touch of tannins (on the lips) and a satisfying finish. Rubert Atkinson of Longueville: “No ice! It waters down the flavours and kills the sparkle. Enjoy this like a wine, in a wine glass.”

Longueville House (near Mallow, Co. Cork) grow two varieties of cider apple, the Dabinett and the Michelin - “No chemicals and no pesticides”. The regular Longueville House Cider, has an abv of 5.9%. The sugar is natural and they use no extra sulphites. 

Longueville’s Mór gets its higher abv (8.00%) and distinctive flavour from fermentation (1 year) in their just-emptied 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 couldn't agree more! Made from 100% fresh apples. Contains only naturally occurring sulphites.

They say: William O'Callaghan and his father Michael before him have been fermenting exceptional craft cider and distilling Ireland's only Apple Brandy now for almost 35 years. We have brought the cider and brandy production to another level while maintaining the very natural and respectful processes of our fore fathers, the terroir and sustainability - crushing, pressing, fermentation, filtration, light carbonation, pasteurisation - all while using no pesticides, fungicides, insecticides or any other ‘cides in our orchards. 

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.

A French Red and White. Each Very Highly Recommended.

A French Red and White. Each Very Highly Recommended. 

De Brau Pure Pinot Noir Pays D’Oc (IGP) 2018, 13.5%, €16.60 Mary Pawle

A very approachable Pinot Noir with good body and length. 

That’s how importer May Pawle sums up this Pay D’Oc Pinot Noir and indeed you soon realise why it’s “A real favourite with our customers.”

Colour is a shiny mid to dark ruby. And the aromas, cherry and berry, are just as attractive. The good news continues on the palate with a pleasing mouthfeel and a host of black cherry notes. Very soft tannins too and a long finish. 

The Languedoc may not be the usual place for Pinot Noir but this is a winner all the way and Very Highly Recommended. Which is what I also said about the 2015. Serve at 15 -16°C with grilled vegetables and meat (duck, lamb), poultry, even medium spiced Indian food.

De Brau make full use of the Languedoc's predictable sunshine and the cooling sea breezes. A desirable scenario for growing grapes! This organic wine is part of the winery’s PURE range, started in 2006. Other single varietals include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah along with Viognier, Egiodola, Petit Verdot, and Fer Servadou. Some unusual grapes there!

Fessardière “La Gloire De Nos Pères”  Sur Lie Muscadet Sevre et Maine (AOC) 2016, 12%, €18.25 Mary Pawle

The outward signs are good with this wine from the vineyards of Nantes, a city where many an Irish driver got lost in the early days of Brittany Ferries.

It was around here too that many of us made our first acquaintance with Muscadet, usually from the bottom shelf or, perhaps more daringly, from the one just above it. And then we had so much of it (and Gros Plant, which also needs lees to improve its character), we went off it. Bit by bit though, we began to realise there was really good Muscadet and many of them had the magic words “Sur Lie” on the label.

This one has those two words and a beautiful golden colour. Gorgeous aromas too, melon, muted aniseed, floral notes. An amazing concentration on the palate, sharp pineapple, more rounded apricot, and a salty acidity too. And that enlivening fresh and fruity combination tango all the way to a persistent finish. Second glass appeal? You bet. Second shelf for this one? I think you could safely go a little higher. Very Highly Recommended.

This is relatively new to the Mary Pawle portfolio (though she has some other excellent Muscadet from the same producers). “There is more than a hint of the briny Atlantic Ocean in this full bodied wine. Ideally open a short while before serving and you will be well rewarded.”

The label advises much the same: Open one hour in advance, serve 10-12 degrees. It pairs well with fish, spicy white meats, and apéritifs gourmands. Domaine de la Fessardière is located in the west of Loire Valley in the heart of the vineyard of Nantes City. The 25 hectares domain is essentially planted with Melon de Bourgogne grape variety, the grape used to produce Muscadet. Since 1997 vine growing has been following organic methods.  

Amuse Bouche

The nine-person FAI delegation and their advisers gathered early on.. 10 April in a room … of Boswell’s Hotel. As the FAI delegation ordered breakfast, Delaney arrived with Aidan Eames, his new personal solicitor…..

… Although Delaney ordered a fry-up he barely touched it, but drank cup after cup of coffee. The fact that Delaney would not be answering any questions about the €100,000 transaction, nor indeed anything about his 15 years as CEO, dropped like a bombshell for the rest of the delegation.

from Champagne Football by Mark Tighe & Paul Rowan (2020). Very Highly Recommended.

A Quart of Ale± #19 Moving on over to craft. Wheat Beers (Part 2)

 A Quart of Ale± #19

Moving on over to craft. 

Wheat Beers (Part 2). Check out Part 1 here

The most famous wheat beers come from Germany and Belgium where the refreshing drinks are known as Weissbier and Witbier both of which translate as white beer, hence the Westport and Kinnegar whites in this and the previous post. The style normally contains a large proportion of malted wheat. Like all beer styles, Wheat Beers are on the move. Just when you think you know something about it, your brewer thinks of a variation and, according to Craft Beer for the Geeks, “fruited wheat beers are the new normal”.  San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery has the ultimate: Hell or High Watermelon! I was wondering if there were any Irish contenders and then along comes Hope’s Grunt below. 

St Bernardus Wit 5.5%, 33cl bottle Bradley’s of Cork

This famed Belgian, a classic, has a hazy golden/yellow colour, not too easy to see the bubbles but they are there; nice head at the start but won’t be around for long, a lacy veil is all that remains. 

Audaciously aromatic with clove notes standing out, touch of orange and coriander too. Very refreshing, your perfect thirst quencher as herbs and fruit mingle merrily in this traditional unfiltered Belgian white beer. 

It was developed in collaboration with Pierre Celis, the legendary master brewer who founded the Hoegaarden brewery, brewing their signature beer that was the driver of the resurgence of white beer in the 1950s.

They say: This incredibly versatile beer can be paired with almost any recipe from anywhere in the world. Its most outstanding role is perhaps that of a refreshing contrast when served with creamy dishes - a risotto for example - or in combination with shell fish and white fish. Do you serve a slice of lemon with your fish? You can echo that or a lemon sauce or dressing with this beer with its strong hints of citrus.

Note:

The unusual lower serving temperature of 2 - 6 °C.

Bitterness: 15 EBU.

Elbow Lane “Arrow Weisse” 5.0%, 500ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Brewed according to the German Purity Law, this Cork wheat beer has an amber robe with a fairly ample white head that stays full for a minute or two, then shrinks to a narrow disc. Typical aromas of clove and banana and those flavours also on the palate which has a refreshing citrus-y streak. Apparently the clove and banana come from the special yeast used to brew this satisfying beer. No artificial preservatives or additives are used and they indicate it is best served at 7-8 degrees.

Somewhat heavier on the palate than both the Japanese and the German (in Part 1) but do remember that Elbow brew their range of beers to match the dishes in the group’s five restaurants in Cork City. The Arrow Weisse was the critics’ choice  recently to pair with ox tongue and kimchi salad. By the way, you’ll note that the staff in the various restaurants are well versed in the merits of each of the beers. 

Elbow Lane is one of the smallest breweries in Ireland and you’ll find it in the restaurant of the same name. All the beers are called after lanes (some of them no longer exist) in the city. Market Lane is the “mothership” restaurant and the others are ORSO, Castle Café, Goldie and Elbow Lane itself.

Kinnegar White Rabbit Session White IPA 4.5%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store, Bradley’s of Cork

Citrus leads here and there is little enough evidence of the clove and banana that is prominent in some wheat beers in this cloudy lemon coloured IPA, a very well made one, from the innovative Donegal brewery. There’s a generous fluffy white head that lasts a fair bit. 

No let-down in the mouth where the malt and hops get together in an impressive juicy fruity amalgam. A lovely balance indeed and an excellent dry lip-smacking finish with a slight bitterness in evidence. Second can appeal for sure.

They say: This is a classic American wheat beer that blends fruity malt with fruity hop flavours and opens them up with a voluminous, puffy white head.We don’t filter or pasteurise, and we let our industrious little friends, the yeast, carbonate the beer naturally during fermentation.” 

There may be a bit of sediment, so pour this cloudy beer carefully but if some ends up in the glass, don’t worry about it. “It’ll put hair on your chest,” as my mother used to say when she spotted someone’s reluctance to try something new.

Hope Grunt Citrus-y Wheat Beer 4.8%, 440ml can Ardkeen Store

Craft Beer for the Geeks say “fruited wheat beers are the new normal”. Well, here’s an Irish one, so let us see what’s going on in the tin. On the tin itself, there’s  rather fanciful yarn as to how the beer got its name.

The beer  though is not fanciful though the short-lasting head is a bit of a tease. The liquid  is a slightly hazy light gold. It is quite assertive on the palate, bone-dry, citrusy and a little spicy, the citrus coming from the hops plus the adjuncts lemongrass and bergamot. Good refreshing finish too though you have to concentrate hard to find the notes of juniper, the other addition. An excellent beer but I’m not sure I’d be guessing its style correctly in a blind tasting.

EBU, by the way, is 21 and they say Grunt is an excellent accompaniment to most food, in particular fish, to replace a traditional dry white wine, but also spicy food, where the strong flavours and refreshing quality of the beer can hold its own where a wine could not. It is also good with both strong cheese, and creamy cheese.

Had I not known about wheat as an ingredient (listed on their website, but not on the can), I’d have been inclined to class this as an IPA rather than  wheat beer. In any case, it’s a very decent drink indeed.

Ingredients: Water.

Malts: Pale Ale, Wheat, Acidulated

Hops: Citra, Cascade

Yeast: European Ale Yeast, American Ale Yeast

Spices: Juniper, Lemongrass & Bergamot

Check out Part 1 here

Christmas Comfort Kits from Sligo's Pudding Row

 Seasonal Christmas Comfort Kits from Pudding Row 

 

Everyone’s favourite seaside bakery Pudding Row have announced their new Christmas Comfort Kits which are now available to pre-order.  Since reopening as a grocery store earlier this year, Pudding Row have continued to trade as a takeaway offering their highly sought-after pear sandwiches, fresh bagels, and sweet treats. 

 

Commenting on the new festive kits, proprietor and head baker Dervla Conlon said: “We launched our original comfort kits during the initial lockdown in March and they quickly became a phenomenal success. We were blown away. We had orders from all over the world; people sending comfort kits to friends and family across Ireland and the UK. Our new Christmas Comfort Kit is a seasonal twist with delicious Pudding Row treats and the very best of Irish produce. It is the perfect gift for people to send to loved ones that they might not get to see this Christmas.”

The new Christmas Comfort Kit features artisan produce and homemade Christmas goodies from the Pudding Row team. 

 

The Kit consists of 1lb homemade Christmas pudding; 6 homemade mince pies with brandy butter, 4 homemade shortbread biscuits, 1 jar of raspberry jam; 1 jar of tomato chutney; 1 bag of housemade granola; 1 bag of Ariosa Christmas Blend Coffee and a handwritten Pudding Row Christmas card with a custom message for the recipient. 

 

Each Christmas Comfort Kit costs €70 with free delivery nationwide. Pudding Row Christmas and regular Comfort Kits are available to order online at puddingrow.ie 

press release

Food Heroes. Three Courses. Three Sources.

Local Food Heroes.

Three Courses. Three Sources.

Creamy!!!

The best Panna Cotta ever. An exquisite Pâté. And a classic Beef Bourguignon. 

Three courses, sourced from three local food heroes, composed a very satisfactory evening meal last weekend. Chapeau to Farmgate Café, On the Pig’s Back and Annie’s Roast (and to Neighbourfood who have all three on their list). 

We may be restricted in our movements but thanks to being able to order online and to deliveries by Neighbourfood, and the work of the Blog Chef, we can still enjoy our meals. I’m sure many of you have found your own satisfactory solutions.

One thing about ordering online is that you can end up sometimes with too little, sometimes too much. We had been thinking about ordering Saturday’s evening meal in (via Click & Collect or similar) but then took stock of what was already in the house and came up with this very tasty alternative indeed.

Think I’ll start at the end with that amazing Panna Cotta from Annie’s Roast. Annie is probably best known to most of us for her market stall that features mainly ducks and chickens (which come from East Ferry Farm owned by her brother Rob and his wife Yvonne). By the way, she’s now taking orders, including goose and turkey, for Christmas

But she also does a variety of prepared foods and this rich and luxurious dessert is one of them. One to watch out for! This classic Italian sweet is made with delicate vanilla bottom and a fresh strawberry topping, using all local-licious produce including: buttermilk, cream, sugar, strawberries (€5.50). 

The starter, from the English Market’s Farmgate was also pretty rich, smooth and superb. Chef Pam Kelly and her team have come up with a very satisfying combination of Carrignavar Duck Livers and Longueville House Apple Brandy. And you get quite a tub of it for just over a fiver.

We’ve got in quite a few prepared snacks and meals from On the Pig’s Back via Neighbourfood. The Beef Bourguignon (€7.95) comes freshly frozen and has a shelf life of 3 months. But it was dispatched here after three days.

It is the traditional French stew prepared with beef braised in red wine and beef broth, flavoured with garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Serves 1-2. Suggested side (not included): Creamy mashed potato. It takes about 20 minutes to reheat - you get instructions!

We did add the mashed potato as suggested and this was yet another winner. Just top class quality beef, hearty and warming, a genuine traditional taste of the heart of France made right here in the heart of the city with the best of Irish ingredients. Superb. But then, the kitchen in On the Pig’s Back seldom (if ever) disappoints.

Farmgate Café 

On The Pig’s Back 

Annie’s Roasts  

Neighbourfood 

Supporting local will be the aim again this weekend. Looking forward to trying the incredibly popular Dim Sum from O'Mahony's Watergrasshill. We missed on their first two offerings of it as it sold out very quickly. Third time lucky though! 

Wildwood Vinegars launch limited edition gift box

PRESS RELEASE

Wildwood Vinegars launch limited edition gift box

Fionntán Gogarty of Wildwood Vinegars has produced a truly exquisite seasonally-inspired gift box for the Christmas market. Just 365 individually numbered Wildwood Four Season Collection gift boxes have been made; one for each day of the year. Within it, nestling amongst seeds, spices and lichens are four special edition barrel-aged Balsamics, each the essence of its season: 

- Wild Elderflower and Wild Rose Petal for Spring
- Wild Mountain Thyme and Wild Fuchsia Blossom for Summer
- Wild Blackberry for Autumn (aged for 6 years)
- Wild Elderberry with Star Anise for Winter (aged for 6 years)

These four Balsamics are not available for sale in stores. 

The gift box itself is beautifully presented, and is in itself a voyage of discovery, featuring inside a sheet entitled ‘The Seasons at Wildwood’ with a thoughtful exploration of each seasonal offering accompanied by a relevant quote. This also explains the Wildwood ethos – recycling Italian glass bottles, sustainable Portuguese cork and offsetting carbon used in foraging and delivery through seven acres of fields reserved for birds and a forest of 30,000 trees. Also included is a pack of wild bee and butterfly seeds encouraging each recipient to continue the cycle in their locality. 

Fionntán explained the thinking behind the gift box, saying, "My work both as an artist and food producer is intricately woven into the seasonal changes, the changing colours and the wonder of nature. These, I hope, are infused into the creating and ageing of these Balsamics. They are as much about a taste of place as a taste of the simple wild ingredients that unlock the magic of nature’s essences.”   

The Wildwood Vinegars Four Season Collection gift box costs €80 and is available exclusively available through www.husseysfarm.com for delivery nationwide. Fionntán Gogarty can be contacted at info@wildwoodvinegars.com. 

Taste of the Week. The Rocket Man's Smoky Corn and Yellow Lentil Dahl

Taste of the Week.

The Rocket Man's Smoky Corn and Yellow Lentil Dahl 

The Rocket Man is one of the most popular food suppliers in Cork city for the past few years. With the current restrictions, I nowadays most regularly come across his food in NeighbourFood, the small producers platform that he founded.

And it was there that I found our current Taste of the Week, a heartwarming Smoky Corn And Yellow Lentil Dahl. Heartwarming even if it is delivered frozen (with a shelf life of five days). It is described as 
"Ready to Eat Indian Inspired Yellow Lentil Dahl with Grilled Corn. Comes with Toasted Coconut, Yoghurt and Fresh Herbs. Vegan without the yoghurt topping."

You get a big tub (480g) for less than six euro and it's a terrific lunch for two. Big hearty flavours with a satisfying crunchy (softish!) texture. And you also get a few toppings with your Taste of the Week. Well worth a try!

A Stunning Pinot Gris and a "more serious" Vinho Verde. Quite a double!

Quite a double!

A Stunning Pinot Gris and a "more serious" Vinho Verde.

Ata Rangi “Lismore” Pinot Gris Martinborough 2018, 13.5%, 

€35.99 wineonline.ie, The Corkscrew, The Ely Wine Store Maynooth

Pinot Gris, originally from Burgundy, is a relation of Pinot Noir. You’ll know the Italian version as Pinot Grigio but many Italian examples don’t reach the standard of this Martinborough wine. 

It has a beautiful light gold colour. Aromas of white and yellow fruits are quite intense. A luscious mouthfeel but the main feature on the palate is the fresh acidity, from attack to finalé. 

The grapes are harvested relatively late to enable the grapes to develop their full flavour profile, and that is certainly the case here. Great fruit, terrific texture and a long and concentrated finish. From a vineyard now 23 years old, the roots of the old vines drive metres deep into the gravels and consistently deliver fruit with great texture.

They say: A classic Pinot Gris originally influenced by the style of wines from Alsace but developed over the years into our own, uniquely Martinborough style. With just a few grams of residual sugar, Pinot Gris is a delicious stand-alone aperitif. It is also one of our favourite food and wine matching choices, especially for anything with heady spice and/or challenging flavours. 

The fruit is hand-picked and whole bunch pressed. Juice cold settled. A combination of ferments in small stainless tanks and 500 litre oak puncheons; in both cases left on lees for several months. Native yeast. No malolactic fermentation. Very impressive from start to finish and this distinctive wine with the Irish name is Very Highly Recommended.

Azevedo Reserva Vinho Verde (DOC) 2019, 12%, 

€18.99 Blackrock Cellar, Clontarf Wines, wineonline.ie, McHughs Off Licence, World Wide Wines, Alain and Christine Wine and Card Shop, The Ely Wine Store, Maynooth, J. J. O’Driscoll, The Cinnamon Cottage 

This Vinho Verde has a light yellow colour, and looks pristine in the glass. Lime leads the aroma charge, herbal notes in there too. Terrific concentration on the palate, more weight and texture than normal due to the skin contact and lees stirring during vinification plus an unmistakable acidity. A complex and compelling wine.

It is a blend of Loureiro (70%) and Alvarinho (30). You probably know that the Vinho Verde area is close to Spain where Alvarinho is called Albarino. Here, in the particular wine, Loureiro is credited with giving it intensity and freshness while Alvarinho contributes texture, creaminess and volume. All in all, a more serious Vinho Verde, well balanced with a persistent finish, and Highly Recommended.

No extremes during the 2019 season, though harvest occurred slightly later than usual. The conditions resulted in aromatically expressive wines with a fresh profile and balanced acidity. After fermentation, the wine was matured in stainless-steel tanks with "bâtonnage", stirring of the lees, for three months.

When Fernando Guedes acquired this historic estate in 1982, he revolutionised the viticulture by planting 35 hectares of cordon-trained vineyards, rather than the traditional high-trained pergolas, and built a modern winery with state-of-the-art facilities for the production of fresh and elegant wines. Today, winemaker António Braga makes an impressive range of whites, all marked by a signature freshness and pure and precise flavour and this is one of them.

Zooming into world's oldest alcoholic drink with Kate and Denis of Kinsale Meadery

Zooming into world's oldest alcoholic drink with Kate and Denis of Kinsale Meadery

The Mead Line-up

Kate and Denis Dempsey of Kinsale Mead Company are currently giving a series of insightful sessions on Zoom. More than an info session as I was able to order a quartet of their unique drinks (with a glass, of course) in advance and had it all in front of me for last Friday’s tasting.

Clicked in at seven o’clock and Denis told me and the similarly equipped "attendees" that he and Kate had started the mead company in 2016 with their first mead becoming available the following year. “Our operation is very much like that of a small winery, except that we don't have a wine press.” Mead is the oldest alcoholic drink in the world. “There are many styles, one traced back to China in 6000BC.”

Kate and Denis

Kate started the tasting with their Atlantic Dry. Ours had just been retrieved from the fridge while Denis said he loves it neat over two or three ice cubes. 

It is the simplest of meads, based on pure orange blossom honey from Valencia. For every 300kgs of honey, they used double the amount of water. Chilled slightly, the aromas are floral, of the Spanish spring. You do get the taste of honey but the mead is not sweet, rather it is off dry. It pairs well with artisan crisps, olives, nuts, goats cheese, baklava. Each of the meads may be used in cocktails and the suggestions were shown to us and are also available on their website.

They used Spanish honey because there is very little Irish honey. Denis: “We are at the bottom of the league, a bit like our football team, just ahead of Luxembourg and Malta. But we do have a batch coming through based on Clonakilty honey that should be available in the New Year.”

See website for more cocktail ideas

Two saints, each well-known in the countryside west of Kinsale, are associated with honey. They are Saint Molaga (of Welsh origin) of Timoleague and Saint Gobnait, Patron Saint of bees and who has a fantastic stained glass window in her honour in the Honan Chapel in UCC. Cork micro-brewery Nine White Deer is named after a Gobnait story. By the way, the ancient Brehon Laws gave more protection to the bees than they have today.

The second mead, the Wild Red, has the same abv as the white at 12%. This is a bit more complex and is known as a melomel mead. In addition to honey, it has fermented fruit (the yeasts love the nutrients here and it leads to “vigorous fermentation” compared to the Atlantic dry). The fruit is imported cherries along with zesty Wexford blackcurrants “from a bee friendly farm” and forest honey from Northern Spain is also used.

Barrel aged gem

“Serve at room temperature,” Kate advised. “It is so smooth, looks like a light version of Port.”And she suggested pairing it with strong cheese, brack, Christmas cake, and chocolate. And a chocolate brownie is ideal with the mulled version!

The light and refreshing Hazy Summer Mead was next on our list. Again this had just been extracted from the fridge. It is another melomel version, with no less than six summer berries, including strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, blackberry, and cherry. 

The three regulars, at the Old Head

“This is whole fruit fermentation, the frozen fruit put in whole, the only pressure its own weight. It is 11% abv and tannin levels are low. When tasting, spread it over the whole tongue to get the best from it. It is lovely with lightly spicy food, chorizo, blue cheese…”

In between they filled us in on more info about mead in general, including a drinking vessel called a Mether (think of the Liam McCarthy Cup) and that there were, perhaps are, medicinal versions of the drink, which are classed as Metheglin.

No need for a fruit press here!

Kate and Denis are not standing still. Their latest variation involves three different barrel aged meads. All the barrels are European and their first was based on a Bordeaux barrel. Quite a wet one! “So wet,” said Kate, “that we got four bottles out of it. We had to drink them, of course!” It was all new to the Dempseys. “At 9 months, it tasted well and at twelve we thought it was ready.”

And I think that most of us who tasted the superb Merlot Barrel Aged Wild Red Mead Limited Edition last Friday concurred. “It is three years old, our oldest. The barrel has added to it. You still get the honey in the aromas but it is very smooth, very fruity, very drinkable, with great depth. Great with fine foods such as Duck paté, charcuterie and so on. It weights in at 12% abv.”

Denis added that Port and Sauternes cask version are now available as well. Watch this space! The meads are widely available and you may also order online here.  The first three meads in the tasting cost €22.00 for the full-size bottle while the barrel aged are €27.95 each.

Next tasting is Thursday Nov 12th, details here.