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".