Very pleasant from start to finish. Vale de Cabanas Vinho Branca Tejo.

Quinta Da Ribeirinha Vale de Cabanas Vinho Branca Tejo (Vinho Regional) 2023, 12% ABV.

€13.00 (€10.00 on offer) at Matson's Bandon, Grange, Youghal.

very pleasant from start to finish

It comes in a light citrus colour and the aromas also have you thinking “citrus”. It is fresh and young and that shows on a relatively lively palate, a simple everyday wine for conversation rather than contemplation. It may be simple but is very pleasant from start to finish.

Serve at 10 degrees especially with grilled fish (get a bunch of sardines midweek from Pat O’Connell), shellfish (mussels from Ballycotton Seafood) and Japanese food (sushi from Maki Sushi). You might want two bottles but is also very affordable at the reduced price of ten euro. Highly Recommended.

The label says the fruit is Fernao Pires while I read on their website that it’s a blend of the Fernâo (70%) and Arinto. Don’t worry too much about the details. I visited a cidery a few years back and saw they had two varieties in the orchard. I asked how much of each went into the cider. The cidermaker just smiled and said it could be fifty-fifty but wasn’t too sure. In any case, the cider was top-class, and still is!

The Tejo refers to the Tejo river (best-known to us as Tagus) and the wine lands here lie either side of the river as it runs southwest from the Spanish border in central eastern Portugal to Lisbon and the Atlantic Ocean. According to Wine-Searcher.com, it had two apellations DO Tejo and IG Tejo.

We enjoyed this grape Farnão Pires a few weeks ago in a different expression in the orange wine Contracena Curtimenta by the same producer. A very different wine indeed, a few extra details here.

Thompsons: A New Steakhouse Sensation in Cork City

 Thompsons: 

A New Steakhouse Emerges in Cork City

Head chef Cormac cutting it down to size!

Thompsons
founded 2020

Thompsons Restaurant in Cork City has undergone a thrilling transformation, emerging as a premier steakhouse that celebrates the best of local produce. With a commitment to quality and exceptional service, Thompsons is quickly making a name for itself as a must-visit destination for steak lovers.

A Passion for Local Ingredients

At the heart of Thompsons' ethos is a

Superb Climax to FEAST 2024!

Wobbly Circus street performer Dee Tierney

The climax of the 2024 fEast, the East Cork Food and Drink Festival  took place on Midleton main street last Sunday. Organised by Midleton & Area Chamber of Commerce, the annual

Real Ciders from the Cider Mill and Apple Farm. Each is an honest expression of the orchard and the fruit.

The Cider Mill Ciderkin, 4.0% ABV, 

500 ml bottle, Dunnes Stores

amongst the finest drinks produced in Ireland.

A cider for harvest-time or indeed any other celebration. The aromas are not as delicate as some reviewers write; they are expressive, undoubtedly so, and hint strongly enough too of

Blarney Castle Gardens. 30th August & 7th September

Blarney Castle Gardens.  

30th August 2024. Colourful Foliage. Carnivorous plants.

7th September. Fern Tree Garden. Rose & Hips. Sneezeweed.

EIR SET TO CONNECT TASTE OF KILDARE

 EIR SET TO CONNECT TASTE OF KILDARE

Rachel Allen

 

eir, Ireland’s leading telecommunications provider, is set to connect the Taste of Kildare Festival of Food & Drink and has been announced as the sponsor of the Talk Stage at this brilliant event which takes place from 20-22^nd of September at Naas Racecourse.

The Talk Stage, Powered by eir will be hosted by food writers, Dee Laffan and Ali Dunworth and will be the place to be at the festival to hear all the latest foodie news.

Taste of Kildare has been created by I

fEast Cork 2024 is up and running.... Ballyvolane House the venue for some Craicly Stories

 fEast Cork 2024 is up and running.... Ballyvolane House the Craicly Stories venue last night

Shane McAuliffe from Crosshaven, Rory O'Connell of Ballymaloe Cookery School, and Christopher Braganza of The Spice Genie, pictured at the Craicly Stories event at Ballyvolane House.

fEast Cork's Craicly Stories was hosted at

A soft and generous wine. Tezza, Corte Majoli Valpolicella Ripasso (DOC) Superiore.

 Tezza, Corte Majoli Valpolicella Ripasso (DOC) Superiore 2021, 14% ABV

€21.00 Bubble Brothers

Warm and engaging from the very first sniff, this bright ruby Valpolicella with its cherry aromas invites you on. Cherry again and blackberry on the palate, ripe and fresh with a streak of spice. The lingering finish is dry, savoury and very satisfying indeed.

A soft and generous wine, it is aged for twelve months in oak and six in bottle prior to release, and it goes down a treat with pizza, casseroles and strong cheeses. Other suggestions include slow-braised beef short ribs and duck. Serve at 16 degrees. Very Highly Recommended.

The fruit is grown organically in Valpantena (near Verona). Maceration is in steel vats at 25°C and refermentation is on Amarone marc. Eighteen months of aging follows in their own local winery.

As it is a Valpolicella, the usual “suspects” (Corvina mostly and Rondinella) are involved in the blend. Not quite your usual Valpolicella though as this is Ripasso. 

Ripasso is an Italian term meaning 're-passed', for the technique of adding extra body, flavour and alcohol to Valpolicella by refermenting the young wine on the skins of Amarone wines after these dried-grape wines have finished their fermentation in the spring. It is a very popular style. For a step by step guide to Ripasso click here 

• This post is part of a series on Italian wines made from native grapes and produced by usually small or medium-sized organic wineries. Taking some “guidance” here from the recently published VINO. Mightn’t always net the hat trick but hope to score two from the three each time. I have quite a few lined up but I’m happy to consider any suggestions or help. #OrganicItaly
• See the expanding list of #OrganicItaly wines here

Taste of the Week. O'Flynn's Gourmet Blackwater Sausage

Taste of the Week

O'Flynn's Gourmet Blackwater Sausage.

O'Flynn's Gourmet Sausages created The Blackwater with renowned Irish chef Paul Flynn. This delicious pork sausage is made using a blend of grated apple and their own black pudding and is our Taste of the Week. Add the tomato sauce by Tipperary's 3 Men in a Trailer to enhance the full-flavoured taste of the Irish countryside.

On the Craft Trail with Whiplash, Wicklow Wolf and West Cork

On the Craft Trail with Whiplash, Wicklow Wolf and West Cork

Whiplash Slide Pale Ale, 5.0% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

This Whiplash Pale Ale has a hazy Light gold colour and a soft white head. There’s an immediate and lasting hit of dankness from the aromatics. On the palate, the big hitters are

Delicious Delights at Garryvoe Hotel. A Beacon of Culinary Excellence

Gastronomic Delights at Garryvoe Hotel

A Beacon of Culinary Excellence

The Lighthouse Bistro at Garryvoe Hotel is a shining example of culinary brilliance, presenting a delightful array of dishes celebrating the finest local Irish flavours. From beloved classics to creative innovations, there’s a dish to please every taste, as we experienced during

A soft supple red. Château de Caraguilhes Les Jardins a long-time customer favourite at O'Brien's

Château de Caraguilhes Les Jardins Corbières (AOP) 2022, 13.5% ABV

O'Briens RRP €18.95.

A soft and supple red. 

This well-balanced organic Corbieres red,  a long-time customer favourite at O’Brien’s, comes in a dark ruby robe. Cassis immediately jumps to the nose, along with a distinctive ‘garrigue’ herby note (the 135 ha vineyard is surrounded by 500 ha of garigue, providing a rich ecosystem and a unique environment). The wine is light and bright on the palate, with plenty of flavour through the fresh and silky finish.

Serve at between 16 to 18 degrees. Match, it is suggested, with duck breast and Comte Cheese (or why not the local Hegarty’s Templegeal?).

Carignan, Grenache, and Syrah, regular bed-fellows in Languedoc reds, have been blended to make Les Jardins, a soft and supple red.

Étienne Besancenot studied winemaking in Montpellier after which he made a documentary film called "Les Voix du Terroir" to explain the French notion of Terroir. Filming for this documentary took Étienne to wine regions in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and France. He also worked grape harvests in Alsace, Spain, and France.

In 2007 Étienne arrived in Caraguilhes with owner Pierre Gabison. Their goal was to renovate Château de Caraguilhes’ vineyards and cellar and pursue their dream of turning the property first organic and then biodynamic. Looks like they are well on the way to achieving that. Château de Caraguilhes Blanc, Château de Caraguilhes Solus, and Château de Caraguilhes Prestige, imported here by O’Brien’s, are all worth looking out for!

See our slowly expanding Good Value Wine list here.

Brunch or lunch? On The Pig's Back is perfect at any time!

 Brunch or lunch? On The Pig's Back is perfect!

Croque

Ar muin na muice

Last Tuesday, I was ar muin na muice! If you’re Irish, you’ve probably guessed it, maybe even remembered it from your schooldays. Ar muin na muice translates literally to on the pig’s back and that is usually taken to mean the rider is doing very well indeed. And as it happens, On The Pig’s Back, in both the English Market and at the Douglas restaurant cum shop, is indeed doing very well.

Top of the Croque

We were in Douglas for