Author: Colm McCan

This week we have a special item written by a student on our last 12 week certificate course.

Judy O’Kane is an Irish lawyer on sabbatical.  She recently graduated from Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork after three months travelling around New Zealand vineyards.

Have wine, will travel.

“Welcome back” Immigration greets me in Auckland on Christmas Eve. With Michael Cooper’s Wine Atlas under my arm, I wend my way through both islands, from Waiheke to Central Otago, filling my backpack along the way with pinot, aromatic whites and some great chardonnay.

I am lucky enough to hear of Himmelsfeld, a boutique vineyard in Moutere, with Romney sheep lazing in the shade along the tree lined drive, each allocating themselves a tree.  Beth Eggers, the owner, welcomes us in the beautifully crafted tasting room, the Wine Loft, and her intelligent eyes dance without any sales pitch or clichéd wine patter. Like a good wine, her face opens out with the chat, full of character and passion. Her family arrived in Moutere 150 years ago and her German heritage tells in her hardworking sincerity. 

Himmesfeld means “heaven’s field” in German. It boasts the country’s smallest chapel and several pretty sculptures. While we are seduced by the romance of the vineyard, she talks about the realities of living from the earth.   Her heart wrenching decision to rip out the orchard some years ago was like losing a limb. She was devastated as each tree collapsed, left on the land to haunt her as regulations prevented the burning of timber over the summer months.

The sheep provide entertainment by scratching themselves against the picnic tables, lifting the slate tops. Tom, our designated driver, taken unawares behind the camera lens, narrowly avoids a close encounter with an enthusiastic ram while capturing some great shots – one gorgeous macro of bees’ wings in motion over the lavender.

Tasting measures are generous, and the chat is good. While the Wine Loft is unpretentious, several framed accolades tell us that these wines have made their mark since the vineyard’s beginnings in 1991. We are impressed by the Sauvignon Blancs, which are well recommended by Bob Campbell, MV.  The 2007 has pineapple and passion fruit on the nose, fresh and yet quite ripe and full bodied on the palate. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon has hints of eucalyptus, cedar wood, and is fairly restrained. Michael Cooper described the 2001 as “perhaps the best Cabernet Sauvignon ever to have come from this region.”  We keep returning to the Chardonnays of 2002 and 2004.  The rich, golden 2004 is the favourite with its rich, creamy, caramel flavour, the oak not overpowering the wine but giving a lovely lightly nutty flavour. Like a good white Burgundy it is smooth and silky in texture.

This is a wine for food. One taster suggests berries, someone dreams of smoked fish, followed by barbequed banana split with chocolate. I take a few bottles for the backpack and an email confirms that a case has been consigned to the high seas.  A few months later the wine arrives in Ireland where I am taking a 12 week gastronomic “boot camp” course at Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork. I open a bottle of Beth’s 2004 Chardonnay with Colm McCan, sommelier at Ballymaloe House, who lectures us at the School introducing winemakers from all over the new world and old. We pour a glass for the House’s head chef, Jason Fahey. The robust flavours need a meaty fish, perhaps lobster, turbot or scallops. Jason offers wild salmon pan fried and slightly caramelised, a perfect match for the slight buttery caramel of the wine.  The natural richness and oiliness of the salmon perfectly complement the wine’s rich, creamy flavour. A magical night in Ballymaloe House kitchen observing the chefs at work is a fitting way to enjoy the last of the Himmesfeld.

This wine is not the mass produced bottle that will appear on supermarket shelves across the world. It is grown on Beth’s boutique vineyard with care and is a labour of love. The Viognier planted in 2006 will be worth seeking out. For those of you who can visit without the need for a round the world ticket, I envy you. Anyone who has not had the pleasure of tasting the wines, visiting the vineyard and meeting Beth in person, what are you waiting for?

We were delighted to have welcomed renowned German winemaker, Carl Ehrhard, to the school recently, where he presented a range of his wines to the students. There is a Riesling renaissance taking place and a renewed interest in wines from Germany, not only their Riesling’s, but also their Pinot Noir’s, so it was great that the students were able to learn first hand all about these fantastic wines.

 

Carl Ehrhard pictured with Joe Karwig, Karwig Wines, Carrigaline, Cork, who very kindly arranged this visit www.karwigwines.ie . Our thanks also to Marcus, from Karwig Wines, and of course to Joe, for a fantastic wine evening presentation at the school.

 

A rich 150-old tradition of producing high-quality Riesling and Spätburgunder wines. Cultivated across 10 hectares of the best vineyard sites in Rüdesheim, our wines boast the typically delicate playfulness, so characteristic of the Rheingau region. Quality optimisation both in the vineyards and in the winery is the fundamental principle of the Carl and Petra Ehrhard family.

 

“Striking a harmonious balance between tradition and innovation”– is the aspiration defining the wines from the Carl Ehrhard winery

 

www.carl-ehrhard.de 

Tuesday 2nd June 2009.
 
Alberto Antonini, owner/winemaker, Poggiotondo Estate, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy. See www.poggiotondowines.com
Alberto is also a wine consultant to other wine estates in Italy (in fact Jamie Olivier’s ‘Fifteen’ restaurant team go to Alberto’s family wine estate to learn about wine. Alberto also makes his own Olive Oil).Before Alberto set up his own wine consultancy, he was winemaker at some of Italy’s most famous winemaking estates, including Frescobaldi and Antorini. He is now also a renowned wine consultant of international standing, involved with winemaking and wine projects throughout the wine world, including Languedoc in the South of France, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, California and Australia. He gave a tutored wine presentation with a tasting of two wines he makes – a Toscana Bianco and a Chianti Superiore.
 
We would like to thank Gerry Gunnigan, Liberty Wines for arranging this visit. www.libertywines.ie

We were to delighted to welcome John McDonnell, Wine Australia, back to Ballymaloe Cookery School. John’s great wine presentation every 12-week cookery course is always very much enjoyed and appreciated by the students, as well as the interactive power-point tasting presentation, which was a huge hit. John very kindly presented each of the students with one for themselves. A tutored tasting by John led us through the various styles and regions of Australia, from sparkling rose, the latest white wine trends, comparative shiraz tasting and finishing with a sweet wine. A brilliant morning and our thanks to John.

Lisa Bennett from Lanson Champagne gave a comparative tasting to the
students of a Non-Vintage Champagne and a Vintage 1998 Champagne. The Wine
Report 2009, edited by champagne expert, Tom Stevenson, lists Lanson
Champagne at No. 1 in his Top 10 list of fastest improving champagne houses,
and he also rates the Lanson N.V. as the most consistent in style and
quality of the champagne marques for the past two years. So the students had
a real treat and needless to say the comparative tasting was both
informative and enjoyable! Our thanks to Lisa and also to Michael Henchy, of
Tindal Wine Merchants for arranging this visit and tasting.

Attached photograph shows Lisa Bennett, Lanson Champagne; Michael Henchy,
Tindal Wines, and Colm.

One of our current students Therese Macseain put up some great photos about the
Moet Hennessy Five Winemakers Weekend on the 9th and 10th May.   Pop over and visit her blog.

http://macs-foodkorea.blogspot.com/2009/05/wine-and-food.html