Chapter One Restaurant

We arrived to a hive of activity in Chapter One Restaurant last friday, welcomed at the door by the joint owner Martin, a man of huge character. Great excitement, we were told Gerry Seinfeld had just to left to go on the Late Late Show and Ralph Fiennes was at the bar with a lady friend. What fun, my favourite past time of people watching and earwigging was about to begin! Michelin Star dining is not just about the food, the wine and the restaurant, it's the whole package. My husband and I sat at the bar, sipping on kir, taking in our surroundings; no atypical characters, all types were out on the town to night. To the right of us, there were some interesting looking lads dressed in tracksuits, who sipped on vodka and coke, with every nose, lip and ear stud imaginable. In the other corner Ralph Fiennes sat below us looking serious and intimate drinking Champagne and nibbling on Olives. True Michelin Star protocol, all customers are equal and will be treated with the same respect. Little do we know about the hours of training that goes on behind closed doors in these types of restaurants. It can take years of hard work and dedication to get awarded the etoile.

We studied the menu, classic french with some unusal twists. Our waitor arrived and took our order; he ushered us to our table and whispered " I hope you don't mind your table is beside Mr Fiennes"! Quick decision would I just look at Mr Fiennes or earwigg? No, no, earwigging would be rude, as well my husband would have to put up with a distracted wife for three hours. I decided to position myself so that I could observe this rare specimen for the evening.

Our starters arrived; Seared tuna, with an avocado puree, spiced marinade, and lime and shallot dressing for my husband. For me, a Langoustine, smoked bacon and basil spring roll, with a red pepper basquaise puree. The combination of flavours washed down with a Reserve Alsation Pinot Gris was sublime . My husband was interested to find that his tuna had evidently been seared off a couple of hours previous and served cold, still it was delicious. Meanwhile beside us, both Mr Fiennes and his lady friend tucked into Poached scallops. The atmoshpere was light and fun, the air full of hearty conversation, all the restaurant guests were having fun.

Our main courses arrived, Stuffed loin of rabbit with gratinated semolina and cepe mushroom for me and Seared hake and langoustine, with a mint pea puree for my husband. Again the Pinot Gris was a perfect match. Meanwhile things were begining to heat up on Mr Fiennes's table, voices were raised and it was acutally becoming embarassing how much we could here. By now my husband was distracted and started telling me he was getting so much juicy gossip, did I want to go to tabloids in the morning! They had their cheese course, the atomosphere was tense and then he got up and left.

Back to the restaurant!What I find so attractive about this level of dining is the beauty of the ingredients, every flavour tastes accentuated. Ross Lewis has the incredible gift of bringing out the best in his ingredients as well as using the best possible irish produce he can get his hands on.
A charming and fun man, Ross came out at the end of the evening to chat to his remaining guests. Whilst Martin twice during service tapped on a wine glass and encouraged us all to sing happy birthday to various guests. One can see why Chapter one is full twice a day, five times a week throughout the year. Its fun, completely unpretentious, serves the best food and wine and is worth every penny.

Enoteca Torino

Hi, this an invited guest post.

A big thank you to Mick Wallace, the developer who made pucks of money (what developer hasn't !), and then gave a little back. I'm referring of course to his little Italy district on Bloom's lane in the city center AND Enoteca Torino just down the road from us here in Inchicore. I can imagine you thinking ... oh, no, not another restaurant recommendation... but this IS DIFFERENT !! Why you might ask? Well, where else in this city can you get a meal for two, with a few glasses of wine, coffee, great atmosphere, and mainland europe-type service for 50-60 euro. The answer is Enoteca Torino.

Recently the whole place has been done up, now doubled in size, and so we headed down last Friday to see if it was still up to scratch. Typical of this place was the big loud hello we received on entering the restaurant.. a nice start. We had a bruschetta starter with buffalo mozzarella - simple but delicious. Pasta mains were equally tasty - both of us went for a thick spaghetti-like pasta we'd never tried before (can't remember the name but it sounds like shagatelli !!) , wth mine accompanied by porcini mushroom & toulouse sausage, and my other half choosing walnuts, sausage and radicchio. Wine-wise we went for glasses of Barbera D'Alba and an unusual Ciro Rosso. The Ciro was from Calabria, really delicious and quite full bodied. Dessert consisted of a sweet Verduzzo from Friuli, which knocked both our socks off - really good balance of sweetness and acidity, with surprising richness. Coffee to finish. Final bill 50 euro !!! Our service was fantastic, with a nice liveliness, mostly provided by a charismatic Italian head waiter, who may well sit down beside you while taking you order !

Why is this high quality place such rediculously good value ? Well, the reason is that it's owner, Mick Wallace loves Piedmont and Italy and wanted to provide a proper Italian dining experience at a reasonable price in Dublin. He also imports all his own wine (all Italian of course), which remarkably you can buy from the restaurant without the usually prohibitive restaurant mark-ups.

So thanks again Mick.. if only there were more Enoteca Torino's.... so come down to Inchicore and experience our little piece of Piedmont. I guarantee you'll love it.

Canoe Trip

It's the best feeling, when you pack up the car, leave your mobile phone behind and head upstream for a week into the unknown, two days away from civilisation. We rented a canoe for seven nights and packed it full of provisions for the week and set off. We were in the Clearwater National Park, British Colombia, travelling up two lakes each about 20 miles long. The quiet and stillness was unbelievable, almost spooky, the brilliant sun shone down upon us. We moved up the lake, just the noise of our paddles hitting the water in tandem, surronded by miles upon miles of wilderness - incredible, enlightening, almost frightening. Most of the day was spent in the canoe and we would stop off on the shore and have a bite to eat for lunch. Around 5pm we would arrive at our evening destination and set up camp for the night. Our behaviour was quite primordial, I would always gravitate to the cooking, whilst my husband would light the fire and set up the tent. After supper we would sit around the fire, telling each other stories and drinking hot chocolate. When darkness set in, we climbed into our cosy sleeping bags and fell into deep slumber, listening to the sounds of the deep forest. Quite the best holidaying experience I have had, quite calming and reflective. One feels so far removed from modern day life and just a little closer to our nomadic ancestors.

Expat Life

I have just taken a trip down memory lane, something I do every few months, I find it kind of comforting. In July 2002 I set out for Vancouver without a care in the world, just turned 25, looking for a north american adventure with my boyfriend. A return flight was booked for christmas of that year, I didn't make a visit home until November 2003! Its that north american buzz, which I experienced frequently for the entire three and a half years. Is it the accent, the lifestyle or the whole newness, I don't know, perhaps a combination. Vancouver, the gateway to North America from Asia, a cultural melting pot. This has to be the most cosmopolitan and happily mulitcultural city that I have experienced. Imagine it, summertime, get back from work, pick up the bbq and head down to the beach which is a 5 minute walk away. The temperature is a balmy 25 degrees centigrade and is like this all summer long, nut brown people are playing volleyball, frisbee and generally chilling. There's that beautiful smell of meat cooking on the barby. Wintertime, get back from work on a friday night, check the snow report for Whistler for saturday moring, 20 cms fresh snow expected, up at 6am ski-ing fresh tracks by 8.30am. Weekends in July are spent roaming the wilderness of BC. Leave the craziness of the city on a Friday evening, 5 mile hike into a remote camp, meeting black bears on the way. The accessibility to such extemes is quite incredible and only sinks in when you return to your native homeland. 60 days of rain this summer, we only visited our beautiful park, Phoenix park, for the first time yesterday evening, due to the miserable summer, just in time to see the leaves starting to change colour, Autumn!!
Lifestyle guys, the west coast of North America has got it totally right!

Rest assured!

Last Sunday coming back from London, I sat beside a lady on Ryanair who had recently purchased a holiday home near Carcossone in Southern France. She told me the main reason for doing so, was; Ryanair flies to Carcossonne and this has enabled her, her children and grandchildren to visit frequently at little expense. This is certainly commonplace now. I pray to god that my husband and I are next on the list and can buy somewhere in Burgundy! This impromtu meeting spurred me to contact the man himself, and so I sent a letter to Michael O'Leary congratulating him on what he has done for all of us or those who wish to avail of his inexpensive flights to all of those wonderful hidden gems all over Europe. This was his reply!


"I thank you for your card and for your frequent flights on Ryanair. Rest assured we will keep trying to reduce the cost of air travel throughout Europe and I hope we will have the pleasure of welcoming you on many more Ryanair flights over the coming months."

Best wishes,

Yours sincerely

Michael O'Leary"

Here are a list of gems to visit from Dublin:

Algerho - Sardinia
Sardinia is wonderful. Wild and Rustic. It is very like Sicily in the sense that most locals completely disown mainland Italy. Saying that, this beautfiul island is frequented by the Romanese and Milanese, frightfully chic! It's still quite off the radar though.
Food and wine is wonderful. Look out for their Vermentino white wine, Cannonau red wine and Seafood! Head north west to Stintino.

Milan - Italy.
Frightfully sophisticated and glam! Head here for you shopping weekend and people spotting.
Great for access into the Dolomites for ski-ing holidays. The Dolomites are still very much undiscovered with us Irish and English. We went to Arabba last year near Cortina. Ski-ing was amazing and did not ski the same run twice in a week. Lots of pit spots for coffee. Queuing for lifts taught me a thing or two about fashion, sunglasses, and what to wear on the slopes. Check out Val Gardina as well. Very swish!!!

Paris - France
Ohhhh amazing, I simply adore Paris. My husband and I are true francophiles at heart. We visited paris in Spring this year. Simply wonderful, so romantic. I could rave about this wonderful city for hours and have decided that at some stage we will have to go and live there for a year. My dream is to become a french fashion aficionado - french women really know how to dress! We had a long weekend there and ate and drank for a third less than Dublin. We hung around the left bank mainly and visited all the wonderful galleries, watched the parisians walk their dogs and drooled at flower and interior design shops on Rue Jacob,7eme.
If you do plan to go I have a great file on a very parisian visit, thanks to a friend who lived there for a while.

Hann - Mosel Valley
A hot spot for Riesling wine. This part of Germany produces the finest in the world.
The mosel is extremely traditional and a beautiful spot to visit; try and go in during autumn tine when all the wine festivals are on. The village streets are taken over for the day and all sorts of delicious foods and wines are served. They love their pork! The region is also fab for wild river trout. To work it off you can hire bicycles and spend the day going downstream to Bernkastel. Fly into the regional airport of Hann, no hassle and very straightforward, within 15 minutes you are in the heart of the mosel wine region.


Pisa - Italy
Toscana - the heart of wine in Italy. Everyone that visits this wonderful part of the world, cannot resist the pull of all the beautiful hill top towns of Montalicino, Volterra, Montepulciano and Volterra or roam the streets of hisorical Sienna, Lucca and Florence. We had one of best meals ever here. We were staying in Chianti Classico and went off one evening to find supper. We came to a funny little cafe in a rather non exciting town. A good sign for the best food. We both had a teabone veal steak costing €5.20 each - wow I will never forget it, washed down with some delice Chianti Classico. Simple is best.

Trapani - Sicily
This is probably my number one destination to visit. Sicily is old Italy, trapped in a wonderful time warp, filled with tradition and history. I feel filled with a warm love when I think about this fascinating island. Never have I seen a culture so rich. We had the best time, staying in Agriturismo's dotted around the island, visiting working farms where the hospitality was top notch. Little English was spoken, a lot of "Alora". The food was heavenily and I can honestly say that in 17 days of eating out 3 times a day, we did not not experience one bad meal. The best dining experiences were always off the beaten track in small hidden away coastal towns, where we were always the odd ones out and no english was spoken. A favorite spot was Castellamare di Golfo on the north west coast, where we had supper in the port. A wonderful people watching experience, I was fascinated by all the sicilian americans, literally straight out of the sopranos, children dressed in Polo Ralph Lauren with thick New York accents which then conversed in strong regional sicilian when needed. Sicilians are just like us Irish, strong to their roots.
We ate a delicious seafood dinner and strolled around this seaside town in the dark, watching the auld biddies sit in the street underneath their streams of washing, with the occossional sound of a passing vespa in the distance.

Easy guide to Naughty Raspberry Icecream

In need of some indulgence. We must always tend to naughty cravings once in a while! Decadent raspberry icecream made with double cream is the way to go!
Take a punnet of raspberries, add a few cups of cold water, and a few spoons of sugar depending on how piquant or sweet you would like it. Bring to the boil and simmer for no more than three minutes. While this is happening whip the double cream until it is floppy. Take the raspberries off the heat, cool and then fold into cream. Straight into the freezer, and leave for a couple hours and then stir. Make sure its stored in a well sealed container to prevent crystals forming. Delicious! Try with other fruits such as, blackcurrants, rhubarb, strawberries and gooeseberries.

A Hidden Gem in Kilmainham

If you are a country lass or lad and feeling in need of some rural pints, take a walk down Kilmainham lane in Dublin 8 and you will find your fix for the evening. Enter the royal oak and you are transported back to maybe Mullinahone. This is a real pub. The owner, stands behind the small bar pulling delectable pints of Guinness, which is no more than half a mile down the road. The chat is local, lots of country accents. The scene is rea,l with plenty of talk about politics and houseprices. This is defintely a place for Kieran Hannrihan of the Ceili House!. A true local.
www.dublinpubscene.com/thepubs/theroyaloak.html

A Fine Rare Wine Experience

Despite being a member of the wine trade, it is not often that one gets to drink fine rare wines. One of my brothers very kindly gave my husband and I three bottles of Paul Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage as a wedding present, '82,83, 85. Last Saturday night we took the plunge and cracked open the 82 , chez my parents in County Tipperary.. Wow is all that I can say, a sublime experience. We drank it with simply cooked roast pork with a sprig of rosemary, roasted veggie and roast potatoes. " A masculine and muscular wine, brown with a rusty hue, quite opaque. medium plus intensity on the nose with lively notes of brown sugar, caramel and christmas cake. Sweet and ripe smelling - a joy! Good acidity, with notes of sour cherries and well integrated tannins. Impressive long length. This wine has another ten years, incredible seeing that the critics say it should be drunk now! Excellent".

Oh dear, I can see yet another expensive habit forming!

Foire au Vin

Well, I certainly know where I will be on Friday 4th October later on this year; sitting on the ferry with a glass of wine in hand, en route to Cherbourg for my first experience of the "Foire au Vin". For sure this is a weekend to round up a gang of wine loving friends and to buy all of next year's wine supplies and much more! I have never visited the Foire au vin, but do hear great reports on tremedous fine wine bargains. As far as I know the sale takes place in all large Auchan and Le Clerc supermarkets throughout France. If anybody has anymore information please let me know. I did a google on the name and couldn't find much. The text below has been copied from Irish Ferries webiste. Sounds fun!

"French Autumn Wine Sales Focus Of Irish Ferries Escorted Wine Cruise To Cherbourg
To coincide with the annual ‘Foire au Vin’ wine sales which take place in French hypermarkets each Autumn, Irish Ferries are running an accompanied wine mini-cruises to Cherbourg departing from Rosslare on Friday, 5th October next. A second accompanied trip aimed at pre-Christmas shoppers will also depart on Friday, 30th November.
Focus of the first trip will be the renowned wine sales at hypermarkets Auchan and LeClerc where savings of E12 per bottle of champagne, E10 on spirits and up to E8 on wine plus big reductions on beer and DIY items are the norm.
Aimed at novices and experts alike, each cruise will be accompanied by Ireland’s foremost wine expert and broadcaster, Martin Moran, who will conduct wine tastings on board, preview some of the wines that can be bought ashore plus offer advice on the best bargains available.
Departing at 1600 hours, passengers will spend up to 6 hours ashore in Cherbourg on Saturday, returning to arrive back in Rosslare on Sunday morning at 1130 hours.
Fare, which includes a bed in a 2 bed cabin en-suite, from EUR99 per adult and EUR39 per child (4-15 years) return. A car or motorbike is carried from only EUR59 return extra when two or more adults travel together.
See Accompanied

Chateau Malescasse

Just to let you know "Chateau Malescasse, Haut Medoc, 2001, Cru Bourgeois" is on sale in Superquinn for €10.90 . It has been reduced from €20.90 - bargain or what!! We just had a couple of glasses to-night with supper and its yummy. If you were very disciplined and organised, I would suggest buying a case for Christmas! Its drinking very nicely now, and will go the distance for another 1 to 2 years. Delicious with a nice piece of steak or late spring lamb as well as Christmas lunch.

Happy Wine Drinking.

The beauty of Ryanair

I don't care what some people say, but Ryanair is the best airline. My husband and I lived in Vancouver, British Colombia for 3.5 years and were landlocked in a sense. Whenever we wanted to go somewhere, it was always a road trip. Amazing fun, but there was something missing, I think it was the abscence of european culuture, something we totally take fo granted on this side of the world. Since our return in November 2005 and to the amazemnet of friends and family , we have been on the move, spending no more than €400 on tickets to the Dolomites, Sicily, Mosel Valley, Chamonix , Tuscany, and London. I promise I am not being paid to plug Ryanair! My younger brother had the bug whilst at University and loved taking girlfriends off to Venice in the middle of winter. He was a broke impoverished student struggling to get by on student loans. Many residents of Cork county go to London instead of Dublin for the weekends! Michael O'leary has taken the glamour and snobbery out of travel, its a free for all, literally. He is the person repsonsible for our new food and wine culture which has taken a strong hold of our little island. Without him and inexpensive fairs we would be in the dark ages.
In 2004, we flew out of Tours in the Loire valley. The runway was in a field bailed with hay - simply wonderful! Thanks to Ryanair, the average traveller can get to all the hidden gems of Europe. September 2006 we spent 5 days in the Mosel valley. The airport Hann is only a 2o minute drive from the heart of one of the world's finest wine regions. Well, next stop for us, is spanish basque country to San Sebastian and Bilbao for some Pinxtos and Rioja!

Yummy Burgundy Whites

At home, we are total wine geeks and keep a wine tasting book! To-night I started looking at some old entries and thought it would be fun to write one up.Here we go;

William Fevre, Vaillons Chablis Premier Cru, 2000 (purchased from the Wine Society in N.Ireland)

Light golden yellow, clear rim, traces of greeness, moderate alcohol.
Medium intensity on the nose, with strong notes of biscuit and yeast - almost champagne like, with lots of honeysuckle and caramel, with hints of freshly cut grass and herbs. Rich, complex and intriguing.
A beautifully integrated palate, yet there is fresh acidity with impressive elegant fruit, all in balance, with a good medium length and slightly yeasty finish.
Overall an excellent wine, perfectly balanced with a rich palate. A real treat, to be enjoyed on the weekend with someone special.

You can purchase William fevre's wines from http://www.booze.ie/

Macon Villages A/C - Domaine Nicolas Maillet 2005
Pale lemon with green flicks showing signs of youth. Subtle on the nose with hints of honey and nectar followed by slight mineral nuances. Dry on the palate with an elegant richness and crisp acidity. Medium bodied, with an elegant and rounded finish. Yummy - We like alot -This one is to be bought by the case for summer dinner parties and patio drinking.

Nicolas Maillet, a heavily bearded gentleman in his mid-3os, is a producer to watch. He oozes an extremely attractive passion for wine and the land. Owning 7.5 hectares near the leflaive plot in Verze, macon, he is one of the few to domaine bottle. " I don't make Corton-Charlemagne, I produce 60hl/ha, and its essential that I plough the vineyards and keep up the level of the micro-flauna and flora to empasize the gout de terroir."
A great value wine at €13.20 per bottle.

Nicolas Maillet's wines are available from http://www.winesdirect.ie/

Hemmingways - Spanish Tapas

Just wanted to tell you about Hemingways, Vernon Drive, Clontarf. This is a little gem of place and the closest eaterie you will get to the continent in the whole of Dublin, aside form mick wallace's Entoteca Torino in Inchicore.
Hemmingways is run by Brain Creedon, a man of great character. If you don't like whats on offer then leave - , its not that harsh really! However. Presently its a deli with a dining area.. Spanish tapas with an international touch. Great value, €50 for two with a bottle of very reasonable house wine, major focus on fresh fish. I am trying to sell wine to Brian at the moment, so hence my intersest. I totally recommend a visit. Open all day. Late on Thursaday, Friday, Saturdays for dinner.

Taste and Critique

Do you ever get the feeling that we as a nation have turned into a country of food critiques. The funny thing is ,we think we can taste. However on the flip side, the cooking of evening meals is down and convenience is up. In order to understand taste we must understand food; and to do that we have to spend time in the kitchen. Our high spec kitchens which remain immaclately clean with our top of the range "Rangemasters", are crying out to be ignited! Food and cooking must become an important part of our daily life and routine. As a nation we love buying the lastest cookbook, watching all the cookery shows, and talking about it. Hence we feel that we can go to any restaurant and start mentally writing about it!!. In my eyes if we want to qualify as food critiques we must enjoy one home cooked meal each day, and develop an understanding for the food we are cooking, we must love and wallow in the experience of cooking as if it where for the first time. Shopping for food must be the same, frequenting the butcher, veggie shop or farmer's market. There is no excuse we all have access to one of these. Saying that, Lidl is simply fab for fruit and veg! Whilst shopping, carefully choosing purchases and planing a meal around whats available, cooking whats in season and not what we fancy. The pleasure is fantastic. One glass of wine each evening wouldn't go amiss either! (spend more on a decent bottle and run if for 3 days). We all work so hard and have such little time; a daily food and wine luxury has to be good fo one! Taste is a wonderful experience.

A trip to Ballymore

Hidden down in North Kildare, a lovely drive along the N81, lies until recently, the little known village of Ballymore Eustace. Behind an unassuming entrance is the beautiful room of the Ballymore Inn. This is a real central hub of North Kildare; where the Ladies who lunch and the movers and shakers within the racing industry come to discuss horses, cars, holidays to South Africa, and the latest investment. However, despite this added glamour, the restauarant has a lovely feel and is extremely fortunate to have a great front and back of house team. Open for lunch and dinner seven days, this a spot that you must visit. Soup of the day is made using the best ingredients and is always served with fresh bread and a wonderful pesto cumin dipping oil. Starters are a choice of generous fresh salads and pates with mouthwatering homemade relishes. Main courses are traditional fare with a modern twist.Lamb and Steak is a must have, all served with a choice of the Ballymore fries or some seriously good champ. Catch of the day, is simply cooked, often with a butter sauce. A great place to people watch, eavesdrop and above all to have a most enjoyable evening out for a reasonable price!

Champagne for the Weekend

It has to be done. Visit the rolling countryside of Champagne for the weekend. Fly into Paris, hire a car, and nip down the motorway to Epernay. This wonderful part of the world, is still very much off the beaten track. The Champenois are most obliging, friendly and extremely generous. As you drive along the "route du Champagne" you will see signs saying "accueuil, vente du Champagne", which really means, come in, have a glass and chat with us! Cellar door sales our very well priced and you will pick up a Grand Cru Champagne for €12/€13 Euro. We have some wonderful Chamapagne friends who are based in the grand cru village of Ay "Richard Fliniaux" . You absoloutely must check out their website as they sell on line and will post it to you in Ireland/EU. They also have some gorgeous gites for rent in the village. www.richard.fliniaux.monsite.wanadoo.fr) Another place to look at is www.tourainechampenoise.com . Again, a family run village inn in the village of Tour s/ Marne, modest lodgings with a great restaurant open for lunch and dinner.

Here is a profile on the current situation of the vines in Champagne, It came in early this morning from Benoit Bonnerave of Marguet Pere et Fils, Ambonnay.
"Here in Champagne our weather has just been amazing (hot and very sunny) until three weeks ago, and the vines grew very fast. The amount of work has been huge in the vineyards.The blossom is now going on and is a little bit delayed with the rain and cold temps , but it seems harvest is still planed around 20th August, which never happen in the last 2 centuries I would say.
It is too early to say if it will be a vintage, but it looks like we won't take lots of holiday this year".

Irish Strawberries

Yumm..... I love in-season strawberries, particularly when they first arrive on the fruit stands at the begining of June. After tasting strawberries from a good source, you could never buy the imported ones from Spain in February again! I was driving to Clane to-day and had to slam on the brakes, as there on the side of the road was the first strawberry seller of the year. Wow, the smell coming from the stand was out of this world... Pricey - €5.50 for a medium sized punnet, they were worth it though.. perfect with a spoon of creme fraiche and a sprinkle of sugar.

Fish and Chips

Welcome to the first evening of the Inchicore Gourmet!
I have just come back from work with a bottle of Bordeaux Sec(Chateau Thieuley,Cuvee Francis Courselle, 2004). Its the first time we have tasted it and we can't wait. My husband is preparing cod; we have a little homemade pesto left in the fridge, he is going to smear it on the fish, wrap it in some bacon, sear it in the pan, and put it in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile I am being lazy, typing up the blog, sipping on the wine. Well..... Its delice, the sort of wine you could easily polish off a bottle without realising! Its rich and round with crisp lemony flavours and vanilla undertones from proabable barrel fermentation. Lovely spicy finish. We like! We move on to some creamy brie with an apple chutney relish... I love Thursday evenings - the begining of the weekend.