The Irish Connection in the South Downs.

Winemaker and Munster native Dermot Sugrue who grew up in Kilmallock Co. Limerick is the award-winning sparkling winemaker at Wiston Estate and Sugrue ‘Trouble with Dreams’ in Sussex / South Downs.

It was great to catch up once again with Dermot when we skyped him in during wine class at Ballymaloe Cookery School for a talk and tasting with the 12-week certificate cookery course students.

Dermot Sugrue’s winemaking experience has seen him work in Bordeaux, at Chateau l’Eglise-Clinet, Pomerol and Chateau Leoville-Barton, St Julien and also in Champagne for Jacquinot & Fils. Dermot was the winemaker at Nyetimer, before moving to establish Wiston sparkling wine where farmers Harry and Pip Goring dreamed of turning part of their estate into a top sparkling wine vineyard, its farmland straddling the chalky slopes of the South Downs. (We poured Wiston sparkling at the Litfest talk with wine writers Hugh Johnson & John Wilson in the Drinks Theatre at Ballymaloe)

Dermot Sugrue also has his own personal project from vineyards on the South Downs – the award winning Sugrue â€˜Trouble with Dreams’. Dermot’s late Grand-Uncle was Dr Brendan O’Regan, a legendary Irish visionary instrumental in so many things in his native Munster region including the world’s first duty free at Shannon Airport in 1947. He “firmly believed in following your dreams and never giving up on an idea”. Sugrue â€˜Cuvée Dr Brendan O’Regan’ was created by Dermot in honour of his late great Grand Uncle. (We proudly poured Sugrue cuvée ‘Dr Brendan O’Regan’ at the state dinner on the occasion of the visit to Cork of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the dinner in the Crawford Art Gallery Cork)

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine

The inaugural international Literary Festival of Food and Wine took place at Ballymaloe House, Grainstore and Cookery School over the May Bank Holiday wekend, 3 – 6 May. A magical weekend was had, with many wine & drinks events, and here are a selection of photographs and some links to write-up on the weekend. We are already looking forward to 2014 Literary Festival!

http://guides.ie/megabites/jancis-robinson-mw-ballymaloe-litfest-leslie-williams

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/tasting_articles/ta20130508.html

http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/a201305091.html

http://www.corkbilly.com/2013/05/the-ballymaloe-litfest-not-book-just.html

 

Jancis Robinson MW Wine Grapes presentation and tasting at the Literary Festival
Jancis Robinson MW Wine Grapes presentation and tasting at the Literary Festival

 

olm pictured with Jancis Robinson MW at Ballymaloe Literary Festival
olm pictured with Jancis Robinson MW at Ballymaloe Literary Festival

Ger Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery pictured with Bill Yosses, Pastry Chef, The White House
Ger Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery pictured with Bill Yosses, Pastry Chef, The White House

 

Tom Doorley and John Wilson 'Wine & Words'
Tom Doorley and John Wilson ‘Wine & Words’

Peter Corr and Literary Festival wine & drinks crew
Peter Corr and Literary Festival wine & drinks crew

 

Douro - still and fortified with Maurice O'Mahony, Wine Alliance
Douro – still and fortified with Maurice O’Mahony, Wine Alliance

 

Mary Dowey and Pascal Rossignol 'Going Natural - New Trends'
Mary Dowey and Pascal Rossignol ‘Going Natural – New Trends’

 

Ger Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery
Ger Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery

 

Sherry with Leslie Williams, wine writer, the Irish Examiner
Sherry with Leslie Williams, wine writer, the Irish Examiner

 

Rieslings to be Cheerful with John McDonnell, Wine Australia Ireland
Rieslings to be Cheerful with John McDonnell, Wine Australia Ireland

Nick Lander, Joe McNamee, Paul Flynn and Niamh Shields
Nick Lander, Joe McNamee, Paul Flynn and Niamh Shields

Single Pot Still Whiskey from Midleton Distillery matched with Irish Farmhouse Cheese by L Mulligan
Single Pot Still Whiskey from Midleton Distillery matched with Irish Farmhouse Cheese by L Mulligan

 

A Wine Goose Show with Susan Boyle
A Wine Goose Show with Susan Boyle

 

Pierpaolo Rapuzzi, Ronchi di Cialla, Friuli
Pierpaolo Rapuzzi, Ronchi di Cialla, Friuli

 

Penfolds Grange and The Rewards of Patience with John McDonnell, Wine Australia Ireland
Penfolds Grange and The Rewards of Patience with John McDonnell, Wine Australia Ireland

John Wilson, The Irish Times and Juan Gil, Albarino, Rias Baixas
John Wilson, The Irish Times and Juan Gil, Albarino, Rias Baixas

 

Tom Lynch, El Comandante Wines, Mendoza
Tom Lynch, El Comandante Wines, Mendoza

Wine & Literature with John Wilson, wine writer, The Irish Times
Wine & Literature with John Wilson, wine writer, The Irish Times

 

 

William O'Callaghan, Longueville Irish Apple Brandy and Cider
William O’Callaghan, Longueville Irish Apple Brandy and Cider

Maurice, Pascal and Geraldine checking the wines for Wine Grapes with Jancis Robinson MW
Maurice, Pascal and Geraldine checking the wines.

Sherry in The Big Shed
Sherry in The Big Shed

Daphne launching the literary festival with Nyetimber
Daphne launching the literary festival with Nyetimber

John Bowman with the box office crew - Nicola, Aoife and Ka
John Bowman with the box office crew – Nicola, Aoife and Ka

 

 

Sacha with delicious Iberico Ham for the Sherry
Sacha with delicious Iberico Ham for the Sherry

 

The Big Shed Fringe at the literary festival
The Big Shed Fringe at the literary festival

 

 

Outstanding In The Field

A great event – one long table for 100 people  ‘outstanding in the field’ in the Ballymaloe Cookery School gardens glasshouse- as close as possible to the source of the food, along with great company – and of course great wine to match.

Albarino amoung the tomato plants in the glasshouse

 

Pictured, is the Albarino amoung the tomato plants in the glasshouse – read on, to see why, at Colm’s blog about the event, menu and matching wines, on the Irish Country Houses and Restaurants Association ‘The Blue Book’ website

Also a great article on the event on Ms Marmite Lovers blog