Killeen Goat Mature named Best Irish Cheese at British & Irish Cheese Awards 2025

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Killeen Goat Mature named Best Irish Cheese at British & Irish Cheese Awards 2025

Killeen Goat Mature named Best Irish Cheese at British & Irish Cheese Awards 2025

 

Killeen Goat Mature, a 5-month aged gouda-style cheese, has been named Best Irish Cheese at the British & Irish Cheese Awards 2025. Produced by farmer and cheesemaker, Marion Roeleveld at Killeen Farmhouse Cheese in County Galway, Killeen Goat Mature took this coveted prize among hundreds of entries into the 29th edition of these Awards, which were hosted by the Bath & West Food & Drink Festival near Shepton Mallet in Somerset.

Liberty Wines don't stand still. New Names added to the portfolio

Liberty Wines don't stand still. 

New Names added to the portfolio

The Dean, Cork

Domaine Jubare Pouilly-Fuissé was one of my top favourites, showcasing that Liberty Wines continues to evolve. Their latest Portfolio Tasting, which took place at Cork's Dean Hotel last Monday, highlighted several newcomers, listed below.

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ENGLAND: Langham Wine Estate

FRANCE: Domaine Jubare, Corentin Chavy. 

GERMANY: Gunderloch

AUSTRALIA: House of Arras

SOUTH AFRICA: Paulus Wine Co., Restless River

ITALY: Mura Mura, Tenuta Mazzolino, Mecori, Torre di Terzolan

SPAIN: Viña Mayor

Quite a few new wines as well including the marvellous 2023 Frédéric Berne Beaujolais Lantignié. Others to impress were:

2022 Cantina di Gambellara Pinot Nero Delle Venezie IGT

2023 Tenuta Mazzolino `Terrazze`Pinot Nero

2023 Willunga 100 `Blind Spot Vineyard`Blewitt Springs Grenache

2021 Mecori `Duo` Etna Rosso

2019 Viña Mayor Ribera del Duero Reserva.

Favourite Whites

38 2024 Tinpot Hut Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

39 2024 Montes Zapallar Sauvignon Blanc

53 2023 Domaine Jubare Pouilly-Fuissé

13 2023 Pieropan Soave Classico

20 2024 Terre del Buontalenti Vermentino/Ansonica

26 2023 Domaine Vico `Le Bois du Cerf` Blanc

36 2024 Maison Les Alexandrins `Le Cabanon` Viognier

Favourite Reds

58 2023 Frédéric Berne Beaujolais Lantignié Gamay Noir

59 2022 Cantina di Gambellara Pinot Nero Delle Venezie IGT

60 2023 Heirloom Vineyards Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir

67 2022 Antichi Poderi Jerzu `Bantu` Cannonau di Sardegna 

84 2022 Domaine Vico `Le Bois du Cerf` Rouge

100 2022 Pedro Parra `Vinista` Itata Valley País

108 2022 Trinity Hill Hawkes Bay Syrah 

72 2023 Monterustico Dogliani

Sweet Finalé

116 2022 Château Laville Sauternes 

The tasting was arranged by grape variety. I was drawn to the Gamay and Pinot Noir table. The top three in the list above show that I was very happy with that stop.

I’m pretty sure that Soave was the wine at our wedding. I don't remember anything about it (the wine, that is), but I suspect that Monday’s 2023 Pieropan Soave Classico would be a step or two above. Vinho Verde was also fairly popular back in the day, but that, too, was overproduced and underwhelming. Not so with the 2023 Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde Loureiro/Alvarinho. 

And then there was Muscadet, mostly bought as a bottom-shelf wine in Breton supermarkets at eight or nine francs, not euros! But we learned as we drank and soon moved up a shelf or two and picked those bottles with the important words Sur Lie on the labels—just like Monday’s delicious 2023 Château du Coing de St. Fiacre `Confluentia` Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie.

Some impressive wines from the islands, especially Tinpot Hut Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, the red and white of Le Bois du Cerf and also the Grenache from Bantu, both Sardinian. 

Always a sweet finish at a tasting like this, and on this occasion, a sip or two of the gorgeous 2022 Château Laville Sauternes did the business!

Punters pour into the third annual Cork Whiskey Fest

Punters pour into the third annual Cork Whiskey Fest

Cork people are not renowned for punctuality, arriving late to restaurants, doctors, and dentists, not to mention traffic lights.  Perhaps the run of "Cork time” is going to peter out. Last Friday, MacCurtain Street was a lesson in punctuality. At 7:30 PM, it was buzzing with activity and anticipation. 

If you weren't aware of what was happening, you might have wondered about the long, good-humoured queue stretching from the western end of the Metropole to the door of the Wine Cellar. It was for the opening of the Cork Whiskey Fest. And what time did it start? At 7:30, of course! Not only were people on time, but quite a few arrived slightly early! Turns out, whiskey waits for no one. Or should that be the other way around?

Conor Ryan of Pearse Lyons

And then we were in, with hard-working organisers Laurie and Sonya scanning the tickets. The organisers were well prepared, and so too were the exhibitors, some forty of them from all over Ireland, including Croithlí from the Donegal Gaeltacht.

But the first focal I noticed was in Latin: Quercus. I knew that one! Quercus Suber is an oak from which the corks for wine bottles are produced. Croithlí (Crollys) had one of their Gaelic spirits finished in three different oaks: Quercus Petrea, Alba and Robur. Alba is the American white oak, while Robur is the European version. The Irish tree Petrea is also known as Sessile Oak, and that sweet woody oak was prominent on the palate.

Crollys are in northwest Donegal, and nearby towns include Dunfanaghy and Dungloe, while the impressive Errigal Mountain is also a neighbour. If you are in the area, which is a rather beautiful part of the country, why not visit the distillery? Information on tours here.  Indeed, many of Ireland’s distilleries are in picturesque regions.

Kinsale was well represented by Blacks and Kinsale Mead, along with Conor Ryan, the Kinsale-based Conor Ryan, who is production manager at the beautiful Pearse Lyons distillery in Dublin's Liberties. I enjoyed the chat with Conor, who was busy showing their whiskeys. You’ll find the Lyons distillery in a renovated old church, with stained glass windows showing the distilling process. I visited myself a few years back, and you can see some details and pics here.

Blacks are producing both spirits and beers these days, having started out as a brewery. Highlight here was a taste of their First Flight Single Malt, the inaugural and impressive release. They have a fantastic new building on the waterfront where, in a first for Ireland, the brewery and distillery are colocated. They have a range of tours to offer, and you may get details here…. Must do that myself soon!

You might be wondering why Kinsale Mead was here. Well, their new Wildflower Irish Mead is aged in Irish Oak Whiskey Casks from Midleton Distillery, and it is a beauty! Hard-working founders Kate and Denis are very excited about this one and the contribution of the oak: “Wildflower Mead, aged in the Midleton casks, has taken on a lovely extra bright flavour, the floral notes from the Irish honey are really accentuated.”

Portmagee's John Murphy

"It finishes beautifully with balanced hawthorn, apple, and delicate whiskey notes. ..The taste of Ireland." Kinsale Mead also offers guided tours, very interesting ones indeed. Info here.

West Kerry, another beautiful area of the country, was doubly represented by neighbours Portmagee and Skellig Six 18. John Murphy was showing Portmagee's three rum-finished whiskeys, the blended bottle, the single pot still, and the limited edition aged 9 years, all under the general title of Spioraid na Mara (Spirit of the Sea). They have an unusual 360-degree Immersive tour in their unusual venue, a trio of three-storey tall geodesic domes. Info at www.portmageewhiskey.com 

Skellig Six 18 Commercialisation Manager Cathal O’Connor had a range of spirits “from the edge of the world,” and very good they were also, especially the Triple Cask Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey. Matured in ex-Bourbon barrels and finished in PX Sherry and ex-peated Scotch casks, this was voted the best Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey at the 2024 Berlin International Spirits Competition. More info here.

Kate and Denis of Kinsale Mead

It was lovely to meet with the folks from Longford’s Lough Ree distillery and Bart’s Irish Whiskey, their first blended release. There are three versions: Bart’s (sweet, fruity and spicy), Bart’s XS (sweet and fruity) and Bart’s XP (smoky and fruity).

The West Cork Pot Still is a beauty from Bourbon casks. I knew that anyhow. They also had a cask strength version, and it carried the much higher alcohol very well indeed, but I’d still go for the regular strength one. I also enjoyed the Single Malt Irishman, which is produced by Walsh Whiskey, who also does the popular Writer’s Tears series.

So what was my top whiskey overall? Oh, by the way, I didn’t taste every single one! My vote goes to the Glendalough Irish Single Malt Mizunara Finish. Mizunara is a rare and exotic Japanese oak and is also expensive. The seven-year-old retails for about €90. 

Quite an evening in the Metropole, where the 3rd annual festival kicked off its booked-out whiskey weekend. A superb event now firmly in the Cork calendar, and well done again to Laurie and Sonya.

Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you. Introducing Coldplay by Candlelight at Limerick Strand Hotel.

 Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you. Introducing Coldplay by Candlelight at The Limerick Strand Hotel.

Enjoy Coldplay by Candlelight at the Limerick Strand Hotel on Saturday, April 5^th.

Pic via Pixabay

One of Candlelight Classics’ most popular shows, Coldplay by Candlelight, features the captivating sounds of Frank McNamara on piano with the Bridgerton String Quartet.  The Limerick Strand Hotel promises an extraordinary night of music and elegance on Saturday, April 5th, at 9 pm (till approximately 10:15 pm), with tickets from

On the craft trail with Tom Crean and Dungarvan Brewing Company.

On the craft trail with Tom Crean and Dungarvan Brewing Company

Tom Crean’s Family Six Magpies Stout, 4.2% ABV, 500 ml bottle, O’Donovan’s Off Licence

“We want to produce beer that doesn’t cost the earth” - Bill Sheppard co-founder

Six Mapgpies Stout from the Tom Crean Family brewhouse is a multi-grain cracker, also a multi-award winner.

It pours black as a bog hole with an inviting tanned Lacey head. You don't have to wait to fill your glass for those traditional caramel coffee aromas as they waft straight up once you flip the cap. And all the early promises are fulfilled in the mouth with a perfect feel. Note also the subtle hops and malts getting together in a smooth dance that ends in the most refreshing way.

A terrific stout which is “all-natural, no additives, chemicals and vegan. The healthy option, drink in moderation…. a traditional Irish stout, triple hopped and reminiscent of stouts before the addition of nitrogen.”

It has been a while since I enjoyed one, and I'm glad that the local O’Donovans have stocked this and other beers from the Kenmare brewery, founded and owned by the dynamic duo Aileen Crean O'Brien and her husband, Bill Sheppard.

The stout combines 6 grain types, but that’s not where the name comes from! So where did the name come from? Brewer Bill was trying to settle on a name when he heard an almighty racket overhead. Looking up to the trees, he saw a bunch of pesky noisy magpies, six in all. He was aware of the old saying about the noisy bird: one for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, And, of course, it just went and won gold, twice, at Blas! Very Highly Recommended. The beer, that is, not counting magpies!

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Dungarvan Helvick Head Irish Blonde Ale, 4.9% ABV

refreshingly easy to drink

Our Irish Blonde has a deep golden colour and a soft white head. It’s a well balanced beer with fruit and hops to the fore, the fruitiness in the aromas, the hoppiness more on the palate. “Our blonde ale is not a bland ale,” they rightly declare. It’s a flavour-packed ride all the way to a refreshing dry finish.

They say: Helvick is a great summer’s day drink, perfect for cracking out at the barbeque. Enjoy at cellar temperature (8—14°C) or cooler for a great warm-weather thirst quencher. It’s an excellent beer to pair with food.

And that food? Good with spicy foods, or try it with seafood — the citrus of the cascade hops provides the perfect accompaniment to fish and shellfish without overpowering the flavours. Goes well with a variety of cheese also. Check it all out here.

The craft beer beginner will find some other beers better to start off with but this complex ale, with its firm and bold flavours, will keep the more experienced very much onside. It is much touted as a summer beer but I’ve found it quite the perfect companion in the other seasons. Highly Recommended.

Enjoy at cellar temperature (8-14°C) or cooler. As with all our beers, Helvick Gold contains a vitamin-rich yeast sediment in the bottle which is a by-product of the natural carbonation. To pour a clear pint, pour out in one go and leave the last drop in the bottle. However, this is purely for aesthetic reasons and the sediment is absolutely fine to drink.   

Geek Bits -

Style: Blonde Ale

ABV: 4.9%

Hops: Cascade, East Kent Goldings, Northern Brewer

IBUs: 41

Time you met the big, bold seducer. Pasquale Petrera ‘Fatalone’ Gioia del Colle Primitivo .

Pasquale Petrera ‘Fatalone’ Gioia del Colle (DOC) Primitivo Riserva 2020, 16% ABV

€23.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Time you met Fatalone, the big, bold seducer.

The colour, emblematic of the grape, is an intense ruby. As expected, the aromatics feature ripe dark fruit (black cherry, plum). The flavours, dark fruits again, are forward, and the smooth and velvety palate experience also includes spice notes. It is full-bodied, rich in minerality and freshness, and has an extended finish with an almond aftertaste (typical of the Primitivo grape in this area).

The winemaker suggests pairings such as strongly flavoured dishes like pasta with gravy, roasted beef, game, and grilled meat, as well as fish and aged cheese. The Riserva is also particularly pleasant with dark chocolate sweets. Best served at 18°- 20°C.

Importers Le Caveau: ‘Fatalone’ means seducer in the local dialect and well-named as it is a perfect balance of smoothness, freshness and minerality. It spends 12 months in wine stainless steel tanks, 12 months in Slavonic oak 750-litre-casks with the application of music therapy to optimise the spontaneous micro oxygenation process and improve the fining of the wine, then finished by 6 months in bottle.”

According to Wine-Searcher.com, Primitivo probably arrived in Puglia (where you’ll find Fatalone) from the coastal vineyards of Croatia (just across the Adriatic Sea). “It is still grown there today, under various tongue-twisting names including Tribidrag and Crljenak Kasteljanski. In the early 19th century, the variety was introduced to the United States, under the name Zinfandel.”