The Riesling Revolution

The Riesling Revolution

Journey to the heart of this great Variety

Ballymaloe, 7pm on Thursday 17th May 2012 €25

Riesling presents a conundrum. For some it produces the greatest white wines in the world, yet by others it is often misunderstood and ridiculed. This unique presentation, organised in association with John McDonnell, Wine Australia Ireland,  with three winemakers from around the world, chaired by Irish Times wine writer, John Wilson, and 12 wine tasting, aims to resolves these two disparate points of view.

Joining us to present the evening are 3 winemakers from 3 of the great Riesling growing regions of the world.

‐ Tim Adams is based in Australia’s Clare Valley and since establishing Tim Adams wines in 1984 has developed a reputation as a brilliant and fiercely independent winemaker.

‐ Based in Germanys Rheingau, Carl Ehrhard expertly marries tradition with innovation in making and packaging his delicious range of wines.

‐ Owing some of Alsace’s most respected vineyard sites, Séverine Schlumberger of Domaines Schlumberger is custodian of both this famous house and it’s vineyards.

Although from different parts of the world, Séverine, Carl and Tim share a passion for Riesling, a passion they will share with us on Thursday May 17th at Ballymaloe. The evening will be hosted by John Wilson, Irish Times Wine Scribe, and self confessed “Riesling disciple”.

The cost per person for the tasting is €25 Euro and bookings can be made direct with Ballymaloe House res@Ballymaloe.ie and 021 4652531.

You Little Beauty

Beverley, Fleur and Emma

What a cracking week last week. The highlight though was a wonderful Little Beauty Wine Evening in Latitude 51 in Cork’s city centre. Over thirty wine lovers assembled in the beautiful tasting room upstairs and were treated to a wonderful talk and tasting by Fleur McCree, owner of Little Beauty. More than two hours of stories and talking about the five delicious limited edition wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir) on show that evening. Fleur and the crowd were in flying form and it was great fun. And very educational too !

One of the guests, Cork’s own Billy Lyons was kind enough to write a lovely piece on his site. Thanks Billy ! Here’s the link

A huge thanks to Fleur for coming over. In addition to a wonderful tasting, we also had a great series of meetings with customers in the Cork area. Thanks to Beverley and Emma for being such wonderful hosts. Their beautiful wine bar is a must visit. Do yourself a favour and call in for a glass of wine, a craft beer, some delicious food and / or some gourmet coffee/ tea.

Photo used with thanks to Billy Lyons 

L’Atitude 51 “Meet the Winemaker” Evening with Little Beauty from New Zealand

Its an honour for Wine Alliance to be part of L’Atitude 51′s first event in their “Meet the Winemaker” series

Fleur McCree, owner of Little Beauty of Marlborough, New Zealand will present a flight of five of her limited edition wines in a guided tasting in the newly opened L’Atitude 51 Wine Workshop (on the first floor) of . . . .

L’Atitude 51.

1 Union Quay,

Cork City 

021 2390219

Thursday February 9th From 7.00pm – 9.00pm

Entrance Fee is just €12 and places are very limited.

The line up includes a tasting of  . . . . .

• Little Beauty Sauvignon Blanc
• Little Beauty Riesling
• Little Beauty Pinot Gris
• Little Beauty Gewurztraminer
• Little Beauty Pinot Noir

Canapés & Snacks will also be served on the evening

Fleur will walk us through the New Zealand wine landscape and will then focus on her beloved Marlborough and her privately owned vineyard. If you want to read up on Little Beauty, check out their website here

L’Atitude 51 is the perfect location for a tasting. Centrally located in in the heart of Cork’s city centre, the owners Beverley Mathews and Emmanuelle Legrand offer a beautiful selection of wines (including a big selection by the glass), craft beers and gourmet coffee and tea. They also offer a delicious selection of homecooked food in a lovely relaxing setting on the banks of the lovely Lee across the road from Cork’s City Hall.

So why not come along and sample each of these beautiful limited edition wines for yourself

Thursday February 9th From 7.00pm – 9.00pm

To book a place, call L’Atitude 51 on 021 2390219

Bradleys Off Licence In Store Wine Tasting Friday 16th December

Yes the wine tasting season continues and this Friday the 16th of December, I’ll be in the wonderful Bradleys Off Licence in the North Main Street, the heart of Cork City.

Bradleys have been around for a few years, in fact since 1850. No, thats not a typo. Bradleys have been serving the people of Cork, Munster, Ireland and the World for that long !

No better man than Michael Creedon, proprietor of Bradleys to describe what his wonderful company is all about

“A family business since 1850, Bradleys is a specialist off-licence with a convenience/grocery store attached.

Based on the North Main Street, in the historic centre of Cork city, we pride ourselves in carrying the most extensive range of wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs available in Cork.  That’s right – apart from the brands you expect to find in a quality off-licence, we also carry those you just can’t find anywhere else!   Furthermore, if we don’t stock what you are looking for, we also specialise in sourcing your requests.  Maybe you are looking for a wine for your wedding, or that special bottle for a big occasion.  Possibly a chocolate stout is more to your taste, or an after dinner Limoncello.  Whatever it might be, look no further!

Next time you are in Cork, please feel free to visit us and browse our shelves.  And if you can’t carry it home, nationwide delivery can be arranged. “

We are going to kick off the wine tasting at 5pm and I’ll be pouring a selection of wines. We are starting with the following and will go on from there  . . . . . . . . . .

Beso De Vino Macabeo 2010

Little Beauty Sauvignon Bland 2009

Beso De Vino Seleccion (Syrah / Garnacha) 2009

Kangarilla Road Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

So if you are in the area come on in and have a taste of some delicious new wines and some old favourites

See you then !

On the road again . . . . . .

Hi,

I’ll be spending plenty of quality time bonding with my beloved car over the next three weeks. In addition to visiting my customers on the east and west coasts, I’ll be taking part in wine fairs too. Always great fun !

The next wine fair is with Der O Sullivan in Tralee this coming Friday, the 2nd December. It starts at 7 (ish) and ends at some stage later in the night. Who knows when Its always a fantastic event and the who’s who of Tralee and greater Kerry will be there to sample the wines on the night. Der and his team always put on a wonderful show and the delicious home cooked dishes will compliment the lovely wine selection on show from a select few of his wine suppliers.

I have been asked to show the following wines

Kangarilla Road Shiraz 2009

Little Beauty Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Little Beauty Riesling 2009

Little Beauty Pinot Noir 2009

Its always a very lively event with a great crowd so that should be great fun

Hope to see you on my travels

Its a little bit crazy around here but I’m not complaining !

Hi all

Its been a hectic few weeks. Lots of new wines, thousands of kms of travel, wine fairs, customer tastings and visits. Its hectic stuff but also great fun !

Today is my first full day in the office in ages so I said I’d do a quick video to keep you up to date on whats happening in the very busy world of Wine Alliance.

I am traveling more and more and its coming into the silly season for the wine trade so its all hands to the pump. All the O Mahony clan will be getting involved as its shaping up to be a very busy holiday season.

Frank O Brien is getting on great in his new life in Australia where he tells me its 26 degrees and sunny and he’s got a little sunburned. I’m not a bit jealous. He is on the prowl for new and interesting wines from the land of OZ to join our best selling Kangarilla Road and Cat Amongst The Pigeons range

All this traveling means I’ve been spending less time on Twitter and Facebook (driving and typing do not mix !) but I will re-double my efforts to spend a bit more time interacting.

I’ll be doing a series of tasting / wine fairs over the coming weeks right up to Christmas and I’ll put details of each of them on the blog. This week I’ll be traveling to see customers with Fleur McCree of Little Beauty. I’ll be going a wine fair with Der O Sullivan of Tralee on the 2nd December. Then its off to Dublin for the Hole In The Wall Wine Fair on the 5th. I have wine tastings scheduled with Mannings of Ballylickey & Killarney, Bradleys of North Main Street Cork, JJ O Driscolls in Ballinlough, O Crualaoi’s of Carrigaline and more besides. This in addition to visiting all of my customers as per normal. Phew !

Thanks to everyone for your continued support. We have a fantastic bunch of customers and suppliers put together in just over a year and we look forward to adding more in the months to come.

Exciting times !

Little Beauty of New Zealand Wine Dinner in Partridges, Gorey on November 24th

DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND THEIR CONTROL, PARTRIDGES HAVE HAD TO POSTPONE THE SCHEDULED WINE DINNER THIS THURSDAY. IT WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR ANOTHER DATE IN THE NEAR FUTURE. APOLOGIES TO THOSE WHO BOUGHT TICKETS FOR THE INCONVENIENCE CAUSED. PARTRIDGES WILL BE IN CONTACT WITH ALL CONCERNED. THANK YOU.

Partridges of Gorey would like to invite one and all to a special wine tasting and dinner in their wonderful restaurant on the 24th of November. Fleur McCree of “Little Beauty” will come from New Zealand to present her beautiful selection of wines. Partridges are creating a special menu for the night to match each wine perfectly. Fleur will tell stories of her homeland, the wine trade and perhaps the odd reference to being Rugby World Champions !

Partridges have only 38 places, so do not wait to book your table. Tickets for an evening cost €40 per person and will include a superb three course dinner and five Little Beauty wines to try including a single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc ; Riesling ; Pinot Gris ; Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir.

As an extra incentive, Partridges would like to offer a 10% discount on any wines bought or ordered on the night.

For more info phone 053-9484040 or email info@partridges.ie

All photos are copyright of Little Beauty & Kevin Judd

Another cracking wine tasting event in Ballymaloe. I’ve booked my ticket !

Wine event at Ballymaloe House

Learn about the heritage, culture and wines of Yalumba

with Jane Ferrari, from Yalumba Wines, Barossa Valley, Australia

Thursday 29th September, 2011

The inimitable Jane Ferrari, is simply one of the of the world’s best wine speakers, reflecting her wine knowledge & experience, heartfelt infectious passion, and expansive personality, coupled with that laid back, straight talking, down to earth wit & humour, open soul Australian approach. Jane’s interests also include a lifelong passion for horses & racing, and she also makes her own olive oil from her treasured gum-studded block of Barossa land.

Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, purchasing a 30-acre parcel of land just beyond the southern-eastern boundary of Angaston, Smith and his son began planting the first vines by moonlight. Samuel named his patch “Yalumba” – aboriginal for “all the land around”. Six generations and 160 years later Yalumba is Australia’s oldest family owned winery.

7.00pm Wine presentation and tasting in The Grain Store at Ballymaloe House. Jane will give a wine presentation and tutored tasting on various wines that are made by Yalumba. A great evening not to be missed. €10, booking advised.

8.30pm Wine dinner with Jane Ferrari at Ballymaloe House. After the wine tasting, Jane will give a wine dinner at Ballymaloe House – with the wines matched to the Ballymaloe Dinner menu. Over dinner, Jane will introduce and speak about the wines as they are served with each course. €75, booking essential.

Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork, Ireland

Tel: 021 4652531       res@ballymaloe.ie

www.ballymaloe.ie

 

Lonely Planet Top 10 Wine Weekends

Georgina Campbell Wine Award of the Year 2010

Sherry Talk and Tasting with César Saldaña, Consejo Regulador, Sherry

Wine Event at Ballymaloe

Sherry Talk and Tasting

with César Saldaña, Consejo Regulador, Sherry

 

For a world class presentation & tasting of different styles of Sherry,

on his first ever visit to this part of Ireland,

in association with Wines of Spain.

 

The Grain Store at Ballymaloe,

Wednesday 25^th May, 7pm,  €10

César Saldaña is a passionate and expert speaker on Sherry – its wines, food, culture and history. He is the Director of Sherry – the Consejo Regulador, and is without doubt the worlds best speaker on Sherry – a world renowned Sherry ‘Ambassador’, on what is becoming a very fashionable drink once again – Sherry. A great opportunity to learn more about the unique special wine that is Sherry, and taste its many different styles, including Manzanilla, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso, Pedro Ximenez.  An evening not to be missed. All welcome.

The Grain Store at Ballymaloe,

Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork,

Mob: 083 3631468.    Tel: 021 4652531     

e-mail: thegrainstore@ballymaloe.ie

 

 

 

Also:

Thursday 26^th May, 8.00pm – Sherry Dinner at Ballymaloe House

Sherry Dinner with César Saldaña in association with The Irish Times Readers Evening, and John Wilson, wine writer, The Irish Times, and also in association with Wines of Spain. A specially selected menu will be matched to specially selected Sherry at each course. Please note that booking for this Sherry Dinner, on Thursday 26^th May, at Ballymaloe House, will have to be made directly through The Irish Times Readers Evening office.

Dont underestimate Your Nose !

One of the best ways I’ve found to start a wine tasting is to get people to take the “Jelly Bean” test. Whats that I hear you say ? I first did the “Jelly Bean” test while attending a tasting workshop by Dermot Nolan MW. Briefly, it involves the following

• Hold your nose so that you can’t breathe out of it and more importantly, you can’t smell anything.
• Pop the jellybean into your mouth while still holding your nose completely closed.
• Chew the sweet for 10 seconds, swish it around your palate and take note of what you are tasting. Not much I bet.
• Now, let go of your nose
• What happens ?
• You will get a sudden massive rush of flavour !!

The reason is the tongue can only detect a limited range of tastes. They are

• Sweet
• Sour
• Salt
• Bitter
• Savoury

In contrast to this, the nose can detect hundreds and hundreds of different flavours. I was reminded of this over the holidays when I was suffering from a heavy cold – the words ‘man flu’ were mentioned to me on more than one occasion by my wife and daughters ! Nothing tasted good. Everything was flavourless and bland. I tried a favourite wine of mine and I might as well have been drinking water. I could taste nothing.  It’s all down to the nasal passage linking the nose to the mouth. It allows flavours to be detected when you eat or drink something.

So the next time you are drinking your glass of wine, be sure to give it a good sniff before tasting and give it a few seconds on your palate. You will get lots more flavour that way (assuming the wine is flavoursome of course), especially if you take in a little oxygen at the same time (but try not to make too much noise doing this !)

So remember, dont underestimate your nose !