A special beer! Chimay Brown Ale

 Une bière spéciale

Chimay Brown Ale, 7% ABV, 330 ml bottle Bradleys

The Authentic Trappist Product label certifies that this Belgian ale is brewed in a Trappist abbey and that the majority of sales income is intended for social aid. Chimay Red was brewed for the first time in 1862. Chimay is the best-known of the Trappist Breweries. Did you know that their brewers "surprisingly prefer American hops" and "interestingly, it uses not whole hops but extract"? (Source for quote:The Beer Bible by Jeff Alworth).

The Chimay Red, a brown ale, gets its name from the colour of the label. The colour of the beer is a multi-hued copper-tinted brown (from copper to deep ruby) with a tan head that sinks down slowly to a thin disc.

Malty aromas, fruity and toasted, invite you onto the palette where you meet them again in the flavours. Fruits such as orange, peach and apricot now meld with sweet honey, nougat and baguette from the malt. And yet, there’s a delightful balance from first to last, minerality, aromas and flavours all combining to bring a super conclusion as the aftertaste lingers.

The perfect pairing for the Chimay Red is with Chimay cheeses but particularly with the Grand Chimay. You'll probably find it easier to get your hands on the likes of Gubbeen, Durrus or Wicklow Bawn.

Trappist beers are among those that age gracefully. Brew Dog's Great Beer for the People list three requirements: high ABV, low hops, and bottle conditioned. Trappist beers tick those boxes and “they get softer, sweeter and fruitier.  …… They age beautifully.”

Ingredients: water, barley malt, sugar, wheat starch, hop, spices, yeast, 

CORK INTERNATIONAL HOTEL TEAMS UP WITH LOCAL SUPPLIERS

CORK INTERNATIONAL HOTEL TEAMS UP WITH LOCAL SUPPLIERS

The Cork International Hotel is highlighting the importance of supporting local producers with the launch of its new menu.  

Head Chef Paul Ryan and his team have been inspired by the incredible diversity and quality of produce in Cork and its surrounding counties.  They have given these fresh local ingredients a global twist when creating the dishes that will be served in the hotel’s restaurant, The New Yorker (open 12 noon to 9.30pm) for lunch and dinner.

The menu also includes a map highlighting where the food suppliers are located including McCarthy Meats in Cork City, Ardsallagh Goats Cheese in Carrigtwohill, Glenmar Seafood in Union Hall and Gubbeen Farm Cheese in West Cork. And don't forget the Munster Cheese Platter.

Eoghan Murphy, General Manager of the Cork International Hotel said; “We are delighted to introduce our new menu at The New Yorker, where we celebrate the delectable produce that our local communities have to offer. Our team of dedicated chefs have designed a menu that uses the diverse and vibrant flavours of Cork and its neighbouring areas to bring delicious dishes to all our customers.  We are lucky to have the very best meat, fish, dairy and vegetables right on our doorstep and our team has given these ingredients an international flair to keep the menu exciting and fresh.”

The new menus can be found at https://www.corkinternationalairporthotel.com/dining/new-yorker/

Seductive and spicy, this Nero D’Avola will put a spell on you.

Seductive and spicy, this Nero D’Avola will put a spell on you.

Baglio Antico Nero D’Avola Sicilia (DOP) 2020, 13% ABV.

RRP €21.95. Stockists: Le Caveau, 64 Wine, Greenman Wines, Bradleys Cork

This full-bodied, ripe and juicy red from the sun-drenched Italian island of Sicily is produced from the island’s most important and most loved red wine grape Nero D’Avola. Our unoaked and organic wine is a terrific example of the variety.

The colour is a deep red. Dark berries and a little spice on the nose follow on to the palate. Packed with ripe black cherry fruit and hints of pepper, the supple wine has an immediately noticeable and deliciously refreshing acidity. A bright, fresh, modern wine, with a dry finish, it is an easy drinker for sure.

Highly Recommended.

The Baglio Rosso is 100% Nero d’Avola from certified organic vineyards. Short maceration of a week of whole bunch (40%) and destemmed (60%) grapes. Wild yeast, no sulphur, no fining, no filtration. It has been praised for its excellent balance. Serve at 14-16 °C with Red meat, game, and mature cheeses.

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A baglio is a courtyard at the centre of a walled, fortified estate, typical of rural Sicily. The history of the Cantine Rallo wine estate started in 1860 and Rallo was synonymous with quality, reliability and authenticity. At the end of the 90s, the Vesco family turned Cantine Rallo into a modern estate, producing wines organically. Andrea Vesco runs the winery, with expert commitment, personally and meticulously attending to all the stages of production from the cultivation of the grapes to the final bottling,.

The dark-skinned grape has a long history in Sicily and takes its name from the town of Avola. Much of that history though saw the grape used in blends in the island and on the mainland. Over the last few decades, there has been, thanks to producers such as the Vesco family, an upward turn for Nero D’Avola and it is now common to find it produced as a varietal wine. 

Blarney Castle Gardens Jan 2024

Blarney Castle Gardens

14.01.2024

Daffodils

A lonely snowdrop

Eye in the sky. A patient heron

A terrific Picpoul from where dinosaurs romanced

A terrific Picpoul from where dinosaurs romanced

Font-Mars Picpoul De Pinet (AP) 2022, 13% ABV.

This is a match made in heaven with a fresh plate of seafood

€16.95 Bradleys, North Main Street, Cork.

If Albarino isn’t available on a particular night, I’d go for a Picpoul. And vice versa!

“In the Languedoc region at Font-Mars, our vineyards are situated on soils, in which fossilised dinosaur eggs are found.”

No egg shells behind that lovely light gold colour, with green highlights. Aromas are tempting, floral (rose) and also fruits such as citrus and peach. The initial attack is lively, almost tart, but then more exotic fruit develops. Best served, between 12° and 14° C, with seafood and shellfish or as an aperitif. By the way, the  reason why Picpoul de Pinet is splendid with seafood and shellfish is that it neutralises the salt and iodine.

Retailers Bradleys like this one: This small domaine in Picpoul is showcasing just how delicious wines from this region can be when made with care and attention. The wine has a surprisingly good texture and very pretty fruit with just a touch of pear drop on the finish. This is a match made in heaven with a fresh plate of seafood.

Picpoul is an ancient grape but the disease Phylloxera almost did for it until the French discovered it could thrive on sandy soil. Hence its renaissance in the Languedoc. It is no surprise, then, that Picpoul is to be found in coastal vineyards such as those which surround Pinet and the Etang de Thau (lots of oysters here, conveniently!), just west of Montpellier.

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The Font-Mars winemaker is Jean-Baptiste de Clock: “Our wines express this Mediterranean nature perfectly, protected by a family, whose history is intimately bound to the vineyard and wine since 1679, and to the Languedoc region since 1864.”

Reckon they know what they are doing. Very Highly Recommended.

By the way, if I couldn't get my hands on an Albarino on a particular night, I’d go for a Picpoul. And vice versa!

Pedro Parra's delighful blend of Pais and Cinsault from Chile's Itata

Pedro Parra's delightful blend of Pais and Cinsault from Chile's Itata

Pedro Parra Pencoplitano Itata Chile 2019, 12.5% ABV 

RRP €28.95. Stockists include The Cinnamon Cottage and JJ O’Driscoll Superstore Ballinlough

This blend of Pais and Cinsault from Pedro Parra is a delightful and refreshing wine. It's light red and has a distinctive spice on the nose and palate. The tannins are fine and the acidity is vibrant. 

Pedro is a renowned soil and vineyard mapping expert always seeking the best soils for a variety. He has had much success with Cinsault. The other grape here, Pais (Mission in North America), is important in Chilean wine history, being the first Old World grape brought to the country.

Don’t be afraid to chill this a little, especially in summertime. There was a little sediment in my bottle, so you may wish to decant.

Highly Recommended.

Beer of the Week. "a great treat for beer lovers". Elbow Lane Lager

Beer of the Week 

Elbow Lane Elbow Lager, 4.4% ABV.

"a great treat for beer lovers"

You smell it (slight aromas of vanilla and of the grassy hops). You taste it. And you know you have a top-notch European-style lager in your hand. You’re doubly blessed if, at the same time, you are about to start a meal in Cork’s Elbow Lane Smokehouse. This is where the beers are produced with the food in mind!

The Elbow Lager is particularly refreshing and owes its flavour to Pilsner and Munich malts and "Noble" hop varieties imported from Germany and Czechia (though they have begun to use Irish malts). 

It will complement most lighter dishes, a great treat for beer lovers. The unfiltered lager has a slight haze and the process takes 6 weeks overall. 

Very Highly Recommended

A wine “with quite a strong character”, “very different to Soave”. Guerrieri Rizzardi's Lugana

Guerrieri Rizzardi Lugana (DOC) 2022, 13.5%

€19.95 O’Briens Wine

A wine “with quite a strong character”, “very different to Soave”.

Lugana is one of Italy’s classic white wines and this one, vibrant and dry, comes from the award-winning Rizzardi family winery in the Veneto. The Trebbiano grapes for the wine are sourced from twenty-five-year-old vines from several vineyards in Peschiera del Garda. A lively and refreshing wine, with stone fruits and blossom aromas, it’s a great wine to pair with all sorts of seafood – try it with prawns or even sushi.

Yet Count Guiuseppe Rizzardi, during a pre-Christmas Zoom tasting, emphasised that it matches very well with freshwater fish (such as trout). “It is produced on the (breezy) southern shores of Lake Garda” and ‘is enjoyed very much locally”. He said it is just the 3rd vintage of this wine which has “quite a strong character”, “very different to Soave”.

Smoked salmon was also mentioned as a pairing and we tried it with a salad that featured the superb hot smoked salmon from Hederman’s and it worked very well indeed. Its “amazing freshness…without being too acidic…” enhances its role when used as an aperitif or just on its own.

Highly Recommended

Harbourside walk before breakfast at Perry Street in Ringaskiddy

 Harbourside walk before breakfast in Ringaskiddy

I had something of a re-boot of normal activity on a cold sunny morning last week, combining a brisk walk at the People’s Park in Ringaskiddy and a warming breakfast at the busy Perry Street Cafe in the village.

Cobh

The park is on Haulbowline Island. Though there are a few loops that you may take to add to the main tarmac path, it is a short enough stroll - nothing to stop you from a repeat of course! But it has superb views over Cork Harbour in general and towards the colourful terraces of Cobh in particular.

Close to the entrance, you’ll see the Blacksmith's Hammer that "is preserved in honour of all who worked in the former steelworks".

 

Quite a large well laid out parking area is available to walkers and there are also toilets there. The coffee shop that was here previously is no longer open but you will find sustenance in the nearby village

Finding parking outside the Perry Street cafe isn't that easy, not on the day of our visit. The ground floor cafe, spread over two adjoining open-plan rooms, serves breakfast until 11.45 am and lunch (from noon until 4.00 pm).

Breakfast was enjoyed by our little group: four adults and one hungry baby. Despite the fact it looked packed at first glance, they found us a very suitable table indeed with room to add a baby seat at one end.

The breakfast is divided along the usual lines, more or less, of Savoury, Eggs and Sweet. Under Savoury, they offer three versions of the Full Irish: Super Perry, Full Perry and Half Perry. One of us enjoyed the full. 

The Morrocan Breakfast caught my eye, but instead, I picked the Pancakes with Bacon and Maple Syrup while CL had the Berry Compote and Cream version, each quite satisfactory. Our fourth adult had the Granola with layered toasted nuts, dried fruits, oats, honey, a seasonal compote and organic natural yoghurt.

Prices were more or less average though €3.60 for two slices of toast for the baby raised an eyebrow or two! The welcome was warm and the service was friendly and good all through.

Blacksmith's hammer 

#Cobh

#PerryStreet

#Ringaskiddy

#PeoplesPark

#CorkHarbour

Montepulciano makes some of the world's favourite wines.

Montepulciano makes some of the world's favourite wines.

ERA Montepulciano D’Abruzzo (DOC) 2020, 13% ABV

€14.50. Stockists include: Scally's Supervalu, Clonakilty/ The Olive Branch, Clonakilty/ Organico, Bantry/ Taste, Castletownbere/ Harrington's, Ardgroom/ Quay Co. Op/ Toonsbridge Dairy, Macroom & Dublin/ Little Green Grocer, Kilkenny/ The Connemara Hamper, Clifden/ Mortons of Galway/ The Grainey, Scarriff / Mary Pawle

Montepulciano is one of the world’s favourite wines. And not just because many of us can actually pronounce the name. Most of us also know that this one is a Montepulciano from Abruzzo as the same style is common around Italy, eg Barbera D’Alba ( Barbera from Alba) and also Brunello di Montalcino (Brunello from Montalcino)

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It is organic and comes in an intense ruby-red robe. On the palate, you’ll notice mostly ripe red and dark berried fruit with spice and just about noticeable tannins. Acidity enough to balance and more depth than you might imagine from such a popular grape.

Highly Recommended.

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The Cantine Volpi website recommends matching “with red meat stews and roasts, poultry and tasty (?) dishes”. I had a bar of Irish made Nibbed organic chocolate bark (75%), the one with orange and maple and activated walnuts. Nibbed says it goes well with red wine and it does indeed, even with the orange. So there’s a handy double for you! 

Cantine Volpi explain the label: “ERA, a historical period marked by historical events, has for been the first stage of the awareness of the wonderful environment in which we live and the powerful desire to protect and deserve it for future generations, in the way it has been.” 

Delightful Occhipinti from lands caressed by the Mediterranean.

Delightful Occhipinti from lands caressed by the Mediterranean.

Occhipinti SP68 Rosso Terre Siciliane (IGT) 2022, 11% ABV

RRP: €29.95.  Stockists: Le Caveau, 64 Wine, Greenman Wines, Bradleys Cork

This still, dry red wine (a blend of Frappato 70% Nero D'Avola 30%) is made by Arianna Occhipinti in the south-east corner of the Italian Island of Sicily

It has a bright and inviting ruby colour (reminiscent of Pinot Noir or Gamay). Aromas are gentle, with red fruits like wild cherries and raspberries, also floral notes, and herbal too.  Plum and cherry and berry again in the strikingly delightful and stimulating progress on the palate. There is fine acidity and soft tannins in a beautiful easy-drinking wine.  

Very Highly Recommended.

A delightful wine to sip and matches well with grilled meats, fish, roasted veg, and caramelised onions. Serve at 16-18° C.

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The SP68 is the name of the main road that passes near to Arianna’s home town of Vittoria….it lies in the far south of Sicily just to the west of Ragusa. It is here that she has been making wine for the past ten years under the tutelage of her uncle, Giusto Occhipinti, who owns and runs the famous COS estate.

There is no rush either in the vineyard or the winery, ample time is allowed. “Biodiversity is the central theme of our farm. Contributing to maintaining this balance between plants, animals, small organisms and nature as a whole is our goal. We feel like custodians of this place in the south of Sicily, among its red sands, limestone and dry stone walls. Lands that look and listen to the Mediterranean. We believe in the dialogue between different crops as has always been done in our agricultural tradition.”  

So, not just wine when you visit: here you may buy fruit, jam, juices, flour, olive oil, vegetables, even Grappa!

Interestingly, that southeast corner of the island is more southerly than the northern tip of Africa’s Tunisia. Indeed, Arianna’s town of Vittoria is more or less level with the city of Tunis, with Vittoria at 36.95 degrees, Tunis at 36.80. Vittoria though is certainly more southerly than the Tunisian seaside city of Bizerte, the northernmost city in Africa, with a latitude of 37.27. Cork, as you know, is at 51.89.