Starry Starry Wine. A Very Highly Recommended Verdejo.

 Starry Starry Wine. A Very Highly Recommended Verdejo.

Pago Del Cielo Celeste Verdejo Rueda (DO) 2021, 13% ABV. 

€17.95 Bradley’s, Cork.

Our Verdejo has a brilliant pale gold colour. We were expecting fennel and green almonds in the aromas. One of us got the first but not the second while it was the other way around with the other side of the table! There is also a slight waft of floral notes. No shortage of flavour on the palate, (pineapple and pear), followed by a spray of lemon in the long and refreshing finish.

Really very happy with this refreshing wine. Very Highly Recommended. And very good value too by the way.

Torres is enthusiastic: “Produced at our winery in Villafranca del Duero, using a selection from our Verdejo parcels near the Duero River that offer more aromatic intensity and freshness.”

Pago Del Cielo, a Torres company, is a wine project that spans two privileged Spanish wine regions steeped in tradition, committed to quality, and with a deep passion for winemaking – Ribera del Duero and Rueda. The Rueda site is exceptionally picturesque and produces white wines that explore the most distinctive and authentic traits of the Verdejo variety.

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Check my growing list of top wines for 2023

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Check out my Good Value Wine List here

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Celeste Verdejo is a modern-style wine, fresh, and intensely aromatic. The estate-owned vineyards are handled with great care and respect in order to give this wine greater complexity and highlight the character of the variety from this particular zone.  Its altitude, relief, gravelly soils, and continental climate make this an ideal region in which to make white wines, especially from the Verdejo variety.

The more we care about the earth, the better our wine. That is the Torres motto that I first heard in 2015 and it was underlined in this Verdejo. So whether it is improving sustainability (turning vine cuttings into a source of energy) or using solar panels or organic viticulture or their long-time commitment to fair trade, Torres contribute wherever they are, from Chile to California to Catalonia. The earth could do with more families and more companies like this.

Castlemartyr Resort is the venue for November Sherry Dinner with Diatomists winery.

 Castlemartyr Resort

Sherry Dinner

Friday, 3^rd November 2023 at Castlemartyr Resort

Enjoy a historic tour of Castlemartyr Resort with a pre-dinner drink in the elegant Knights Bar followed by a lovely 4-course meal in the Canopy Restaurant and Bar; served with different style Sherry from the amazing Diatomists winery.

Meet our special guest, Antonio Morenés Bertán (left) from Jerez, sales director and co-founder at Diatomists.

Organised by our resident Sommelier, Sandra Biret-Crowley for €129pp

 A wonderful night, not to be missed!

 
For bookings and further information (Overnight stay & Dinner rate available), please call 021 421 9000 or email scrowley@castlemarytrresort.ie

press release

CorkBillyBeers #44. Craft with an excellent quartet from Galway Hooker, Ballykilcavan, Kinnegar and Vedett

CorkBillyBeers #44

Craft with IPA and Pilsner from Galway Hooker, Ballykilcavan, Kinnegar and Vedett

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Galway Hooker Sixty Knots IPA, 5.5% ABV, 500 ml bottle Centra Victoria Cross

Amber is the colour of this IPA from Galway Hooker. The earthy malts come through more in the aromatics than the hops and continue to contribute, now adding a touch of spice, on the full-flavoured palate while the hops get their turn with citrus and tropical flavopurs. The finish is certainly bitter but no more so than you'd expect from the style and, overall, Sixty Knots is well-balanced.

Highly Recommended.

A pioneer of the modern craft beer movement, famous for its innovation and quality. Galway Hooker, whose early production was actually in Roscommon, has developed a reputation as one of Ireland’s leading breweries. “Our ethos is to brew natural, full-flavoured, high quality and preservative-free beers. We like to think our beer helps to share the culture in all of us.” 

This IPA with an ABV of 5.5% and an IBU number of 60 certainly fits well in their portfolio. The brewers say it is well suited to seafood, cured meats or dessert dishes and, on Instagram, declare that “Galway Hooker IPA & Oysters are a perfect combination” and a Galway company would certainly know that! It is widely available in cans and bottles and also in kegs and draught.

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Ballykilcavan Long Meadow IPA, 5.00% ABV, 440 ml can, Pettitt’s Athy

This IPA from Laois, named after a 300-year-old field on the farm, has a gold colour, with quite a wash of red onboard as well, all under a slightly off-white soft head. 

Aromas are mild, with the malt doing its own sweet thing and the hops, Azacca and Amarillo, contributing tropical and citrus plus a touch of herbal. The flavours are strong and hoppy (tropical and a touch of pine). Smooth with a terrific balance and one to savour.

Very Highly Recommended.

The water and barley also come from the farm and the IBU is 60. Local beer guru Susan Boyle reviewed this in its early days and declared: Ballykilcavan Brewery is a pioneer in Irish farm-to-glass brewing, and Long Meadow IPA is a beer to return to again and again.

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Kinnegar Black Bucket Black Rye IPA 6.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This is one of the impressive line-up of core beers at Kinnegar. They call this Brussels Beer Challenge gold medal winner “The bigger, darker brother to our Rustbucket Rye”.

I made my first acquaintance with this in 2018. It is indeed rather special. Looks black in the glass but a closer inspection reveals brown as well; the head is coffee-coloured. Aromas are mostly of the roasted malt (big and rich);  the spice of the rye makes quite an impression on the palate and there’s fruity flavours (tropical mostly) from the hops.

Quite a complex beer, a lot going on in this bucket, but the balance is excellent. an outstanding drop and Very Highly Recommended. The Rustbucket, by the way, is an “old reliable”, and is well into its second decade now. 

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Vedett Extra Pilsner, 5.2% ABV, 330 ml bottle Bradleys

A pretty damn good blond premium lager.

Vedett doesn't pull punches: “Got a thirst that can’t be beat? We’ll see about that! Because Vedett Extra Pilsner is brewed to quench even the most stubborn of thirsts. Offering full-bodied refreshment from start to finish.”

Colour is a pretty ordinary straw with a clean white head. There’s a pleasing hoppiness and a slight malty aroma. All fairly modest, so far. And then, its big character, its complexity, its depth of flavour and refreshment emerge on the palate. A superb balance of malts and hops, the lengthy finish and a refreshment touched with a little bitterness spell satisfaction in capital letters. Ready to go again. Yes, please.

Here’s the official version: “After all, who can resist her seductive straw colour and pearly-white head? Her smooth, malty character with subtly balanced hops? Or her lingering fruitiness with subtle notes of vanilla?

Whatever your weakness, this premium Pilsner offers full-bodied, thirst-quenching refreshment from start to finish. With a slightly bitter aftertaste to keep you on your toes.”

Geek Bits

Malt: Pale Barley Malt & rice

Hops & Spices: Saaz-Saaz, Styrian Golding, Hallertau Magnum

Serve: 3 degrees

IBU 26. 

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Star Wine List Celebrates Ireland's Top Wine Lists @ SommiT 2023 - Here are the Finalists!

Star Wine List Celebrates Ireland's Top Wine Lists @ SommiT 2023 - Here are the Finalists

You never know who may drop into Cork's L'Atitude.
Perhaps natural wine "royalty" as is the case in this pic.

Star Wine List Awards are held in New York, London and Cape Town and this year they are coming to Ireland for the very first time as part of SommiT 2023.  

The International Sommelier jury for the 2023 Star Wine List of the Year in Ireland 2023 were Pascaline Lepeltier, Veronique Rivest, Julie Dupouy-Young, and Heidi Mäkinen M.W.

The Irish Finalists for the 2023 Star Wine List have just been announced.  The award ceremony will take place on Monday 9^th October 2023, at Waterford’s Medieval Museum and Wine Vaults as part of SommiT 2023. (Invitation Only)

Finalists Grand Prix:  The best list overall, the winner in this category will qualify for the International Final which takes place in June 2024.  The Irish winner will compete against the category winners from other countries in the global final of the Star Wine List.  The Star Wine List winner representing Ireland will be announced at the 2023 Star Wine List ceremony.

Star Wine List is the award-winning guide to great wine bars and wine restaurants around the world. It is available as an app and on www.starwinelist.com

Here are the finalists:

Best Long Wine List (more than 600 listings)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

● The Restaurant at Ballyfin Demesne, Ballyfin

Best Medium-Sized List (200-600 Listings) (Sponsored by Chateau Tour des Termes)

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Piglet Wine Bar, Dublin

● The Barton Restaurant at the K Club, Straffan

● Uno Mas, Dublin

Best Short List (less than 200 listings)

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Etto, Dublin

● Fish Shop, Dublin

● Frank’s, Dublin

● Note, Dublin

● Potager, Skerries

● UNioN Wine, Bar & Kitchen, Waterford

Best By the Glass List

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Potager, Skerries

● UNioN Wine, Bar & Kitchen, Waterford

Best Sparkling Wine List (Sponsored by Nyetimber)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● Frank’s, Dublin

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Best Austrian Wine List (Sponsored by Austrian Wine)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Ely Wine Bar, Dublin

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Best California Wine List (Sponsored by DAOU)

● 64 Wine, Glasthule

● Casper & Giumbini's, Dun Laoghaire

● Monty's of Kathmandu, Dublin

Sustainable Wine List (Sponsored by Familia Torres)

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Dede at Customs House, Baltimore

● L'Atitude 51, Cork

● Potager, Skerries

● The Pear Tree Café & Wine Bar, Galway

Best Newcomer List

● Bar Pez, Dublin

● D'Olier Street Restaurant, Dublin

● Daróg Wine Bar, Galway

● Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins, Dublin

● Hawksmoor, Dublin

media release via Jean Smullen

Enjoyable Lunch At Friendly Café Vega In Sunny Cobh

 Enjoyable Lunch At Friendly 

Café Vega In Sunny Cobh

Chicken, cheese, chorizo

No shortage of eating choices when we arrived in Cobh for lunch and a midweek walk in the sun. The Arch Café and Wine Bar is one of several newcomers in the town but, on this occasion, we opted for the well-established and very popular Café Vega just across Casement Square from the wine bar.

And here, in this neighbourhood restaurant, we found no shortage of choice.  The paper menu contains a variety of main dishes (including fish and steak offerings), about five burgers (including El Chapo!), Panninis and Ciabattas with different fillings, and more.

Mural inside Vega

Don't forget the specials. The board may be hanging on a pillar or they may well bring it to the table for a close-up read. Service here is really excellent, efficient and friendly all through. 

After doing quite a lot of “reading”, we settled on two dishes from that specials board. We had arrived at about 12.30 and now the place was really filling up, just as well they had a good number of tables outside in the sunny square.

Duo of salmon

Our specials:

1 - Crispy salt and pepper chicken, goat cheese, roasted pops, confit tomatoes, chorizo, warm salad (13.95)

2 - Open duo of smoked and fresh salmon, two salads and fried potatoes (12.95)

Two excellent lunch plates arrived soon after ordering. Quantities were generous yet each was neatly presented and both looked very appetising indeed. That crispy chicken was a delight, especially with a little sweet chilli sauce on the plate. In addition to the items mentioned, there were also pieces of avocado and the filling dish scored highly in terms of both quality and quantity.

And it was much the same story with CL’s salmon, plenty of the fish on brown bread, a little bowl of coleslaw, with a combined excellent salad that included leaves, tomato and corn. Very satisfactory indeed and no need to cook a dinner later on! 

A few months back, I enjoyed a similar vibe in The Shamrock in Dungarvan where I was reminded of the bar atmosphere in the TV series Cheers. Like the Shamrock, Vega is another neighbourhood restaurant where customers and staff know one another. They didn't know my name. I was a blow-in but, now, could well blow in again.

Where everybody knows your name

And they're always glad you came

You wanna go where people know

People are all the same

You wanna go where everybody knows your name

You'll find the Vega on Facebook here

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The Cobh Walk in Pictures

There was no cruise liner docked in the town on this occasion but still plenty to see on our walk, a gentle stroll really, from the Five Foot Way Car Park. We reached this unique building (1860), once the home of the Cobh Urban District Council before turning back. In an eye-catching waterside location, it now houses an Asian restaurant with an inviting outdoor covered dining area (check it out in the photo) but it is looking the worst for wear, just seems to be dying a slow death.

Table with a view by the Water’s Edge Hotel.

The Commodore Hotel looking very well in its blue colours. Haven’t dined there in over a year!

The Navigator, in a contemplative mood, with the cathedral in the background. The work is by Irish sculptor Mary Gregoriy.

I hadn't noticed this before. These are a set of steps by which you can enter and or exit the promenade at its western end. Best viewed before and certainly not while you walk up.