The inaugural Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine, which takes place 3rd – 6th May 2013, will include well known wine & drinks writers, Jancis Robinson MW, Mary Dowey, Tom Doorley, and John Wilson, to name but some of the 40 national and international speakers attending.
Throughout the weekend, there will also be talks and tastings on wine & drinks including Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey from Midleton Distillery, wine and sherry tastings, cooperage display by Ger Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery, and also a ‘Pop-up’ wine shop  Please see www.litfest.ie for full programme of events.  Wine & drinks events taking place during the Literary Festival:
Saturday 4th May, 11.30am-1.00pm
‘RIAS BAIXAS and ALBARINO’ talk and tasting with John Wilson, wine writer, The Irish Times, in conversation with Juan Gil de Araujo González de Careaga, President of the D.O. Rias Baixas, Galicia, followed by ‘SHELLFISH and ALBARINO LUNCH’ at 1.30pm  Shellfish and Albarino – a match made in heaven. The Ballymaloe kitchen will cook the freshest shellfish to demonstrate this fantastic pairing. Juan Gil de Araujo González de Careaga, President of the D.O. Rias Baixas, will leads us through this lunch (In the Long Dining Room at Ballymaloe House) Book tickets €50
Saturday 4th 12.00pm, 2.00pm and 5.00pm
‘SINGLE POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY’ from Midleton Distillery  Talk and tasting, on Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey from Midleton Distillery, alongside Irish Farmhouse Cheese
Saturday 4th May, 2.30pm – 4.00pm
‘WINE AND WORDS’ with John Wilson and Tom Doorley,  Talk and tasting, with wine writers John Wilson, wine writer, The Irish Times, and Tom Doorley, wine writer & restaurant critic, who will talk about wine books in general, including a talk on the books of Maurice Healy – Ireland’s first wine journalist. Healy, a barrister, wrote a number of books, including The Munster Circuit, as well as two very amusing books on wine – Stay me With Flagons, and The Wines of Bordeaux. There will be a tasting of some featured wines specially selected by John and Tom, and helpful advice on ‘Wine tasting tips’. (takes palce in The Carrigaun Room, at the Grain Store, at Ballymaloe House) Book tickets €25
Saturday 4th May, 3.00pm
‘IRISH APPLE BRANDY and CIDER’ talk and tasting with William O’Callaghan of Longueville House, Mallow, Co. Cork
Saturday 4th May, 4.00pm Â
GER BUCKLEY, MASTER COOPER of MIDLETON DISTILLERY Â Presentation and demonstration on everything to do with barrels and the ancient craft of cooperage (in The Big Shed)
Saturday 4th May, 4.30pm – 6.00pm Â
‘GOING NATURAL – NEW TRENDS’ with Mary Dowey and Pascal Rossignol  Talk & tasting, with Mary Dowey, well known Irish wine writer, and Pascal Rossignol, guest wine lecturer at Ballymaloe Cookery School, and award winning Le Caveau wine specialist, with a focus, and tasting on new trends in the wine world, with an emphasis on topics including ‘Natural’ Wines; Old Vines; Sulphur, and Biodynamic Wine (takes place in The Carrigaun Room, at the Grain Store, at Ballymaloe House) Book tickets €25
Saturday 4th May, 6.30pm – 8.00pm
A ‘QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS’ SPECIAL ON FOOD AND WINE chaired by John Bowman,  A debate on food and wine issues with an expert panel, chaired by John Bowman, who will take your food and wine questions and demand answers from an expert panel. (takes place in the main part of the Grain Store, at Ballymaloe House). Book tickets €25
Saturday 4th May, 8.30pm
****this event is now sold out – waitlisted****  Darina Allen dinner at home, with Skye Gyngell, and Pierpaolo Rapuzzi of Ronchi di Cialla, Friuli, Italy, with wines from the indigenous grape varieties of the region, including a particular focus on the Schioppettino grape variety.
Sunday 5th May 11.00am
‘A SPECIAL CORNER OF ITALY – FRIULI’ with Pierpaolo Rapuzzi  A wine tasting of indigenous Italian grape varieties from this special corner of north-east Italy, with Pierpaolo Rapuzzi of Ronchi di Cialla, a key Friulian producer, located in the commune of Prepetto, very close to the border with Slovenia. The line-up of wines for this tasting is Ciallabianco 2011, Ciallabianco 2001, Ribolla Nera 2010, Schioppettino di Cialla 2008, Schioppettino di Cialla 2001, Refosco dal Peduncolo 2006, Refosco dal Peduncolo 2003 and Picolit 2008. The winery is known for the ageing power of its indigenous whites, and for the finesse of its red wines, made from exotic and mythical local grapes. The Rapuzzi family have been awarded for their work in rescuing endangered indigenous grape varieties. (Please e-mail colm@ballymaloe.ie for more details on this event)
Sunday 5th May, 12.00pm, 3.00pm and 5.30pm  ‘SINGLE POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY’ from Midleton Distillery  Talk and tasting, on Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey from Midleton Distillery, alongside Irish Farmhouse Cheese
Sunday 5th May, 12.30pm
‘WINE and LITERATURE’. John Wilson, wine writer, The Irish Times, will give a light-hearted wine tasting, accompanying each wine with a quote from some literary source, including Shaw, Fields, Colette, Rabelais and Pablo Neruda!’ (Fringe in The Big Shed)
Sunday 5th May, 1.30pm
‘FINO AND MANZANILLA’ Dry Sherry – a tasting of Finos, including En-rama style, and Manzanilla (Fringe in The Big Shed)
Sunday 5th 12.00pm, 2.00pm and 5.30pm
‘SINGLE POT STILL IRISH WHISKEY’ from Midleton Distillery  Talk and tasting, on Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey from Midleton Distillery, alongside Irish Farmhouse Cheese
Sunday 5th May, 2.30pm – 4.00pm
‘SPICE MIXES – WINES TO SUIT SPICY ASIAN DISHES’ with Mary Dowey  Wines to go with spicy dishes from range of different cuisines. with Mary Dowey, wine editor, The Gloss Magazine, and author of many wine books, including ‘Food & Wine Matching Made Simple’ (takes place in The Carrigaun Room, at the Grain Store) Book tickets €20
Sunday 5th May, 3.00pm Â
‘DOURO VALLEY – STILL & FORTIFIED’
White, Red & Port – talk and tasting on the Douro Valley, with Maurice O’Mahony, Wine Alliance (Fringe in The Big Shed)
Sunday 5th May, 4.00pmÂ
GER BUCKLEY, MASTER COOPER of MIDLETON DISTILLERYÂ Presentation and demonstration on everything to do with barrels and the ancient craft of cooperage (in The Big Shed)
Sunday 5th May, 5.00pm
‘RIESLINGS TO BE CHEERFUL’ with John McDonnell  John McDonnell, of Wine Australia Ireland will showcase a selection of styles of Riesling, both from Australia, and from other parts of the wine world. (Fringe in The Big Shed)
Sunday 5th May, 6.30pm – 8.00pm
‘WINE GRAPES’ with Jancis Robinson MW  One of a handful of wine communicators with an international reputation, Jancis Robinson MW writes daily for JancisRobinson.com (voted first-ever Wine Website of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers Awards2010), weekly for The Financial Times, and bi-monthly for a column that is syndicated around the world. She is also editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine, co-author with Hugh Johnson of The World Atlas of Wine, co-author of Wine Grapes – A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours, each of these books recognised as a standard reference worldwide.
We are delighted to be welcoming back to Ballymaloe, Jancis Robinson MW, one of the world’s best loved and most respected wine writers. Jancis will give a presentation, and wine tasting by way of illustratation, on the book ‘Wine Grapes’. Best Drinks Book of 2012, André Simon Awards, Wine & Spirits magazine and Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, nominated for James Beard Award 2013  (takes place in the main part of The Grain Store, at Ballymaloe House) Book tickets €50
Sunday 5th May 8.30pm
‘REWARDS OF PATIENCE’ with John McDonnell, Wine Australia  A tasting of some very special Australian wines with John McDonnell, Wine Australia Ireland (Fringe in The Big Shed)
Sunday 5th May, from 9.00pm
‘TANGO & MALBEC’ – talk and tasting of a selection of Malbec wine from Argentina, with Tom Lynch, El Comandante Wines, Mendoza, Argentina, followed by Tango in association with the Cork Argentinean Tango Society (in the Carrigaun Room, at the Grain Store at Ballymaloe, which is adjacent to the Big Shed)
More information, and to book tickets on-line, please see www.litfest.ie and wine events are listed here www.litfest.ie/wine-events or e-mail Colm for more information on any of the wine events colm@ballymaloe.ie To book tickets, or to request a brochure, please telephone Literary Festival box office 021 4645777 Â E-mail: info@litfest.ie
The Fringe Events at ‘The Big Shed’ during the Literary Festival, at Ballymaloe 3rd – 6th May 2013
As well as the talks and demos, the real heart of the festival will be the Fringe, where everyone will go to eat, drink and meet, in what promises to be a brilliant event. There will also be additional wine & drinks events here as well during the weekend. More details to follow shortly on these additional events.
The arts, craft and culture area will showcase works by Lucinda Robertson, Sacha Whelan, and Adam O’Connor to name but a few and a cooperage display by Ger Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery. Art installations will abound and include the Cully and Sully wall and the fabulous Queens of Neon doing their glamorous thing. In the family corner, a host of fun interactive and creative activities based on the principle of food education will take place. For those with food and drink on their minds, the market stalls will be a feast of Green Saffron, Gubbeen Smokehouse, Annie’s Roasts, The Rocket man, Golden Bean Coffee Roaster, Lolo’s Cuisine, Murphy’s Ice Cream, Petite Treats, The Greedy Pig, Ardsallagh Goats Cheese, Woodside Farm, Bill Casey’s Smoked Salmon.
There will be a selection of drinks including wines with ‘Irish wine making connections’ from the Ballymaloe wine cellar, beer from Irish Craft Brewers from around Ireland, and a line-up of the finest Irish Whiskey from the award winning local Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, Midleton Distillery
We look forward to welcoming you to the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine.
