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‘Pop-Up Wine Shop’ at Ballymaloe House

We opened a pop-up wine shop at Ballymaloe House, offering a selection of wines from the wine cellars and wine list for the festive season. In the ‘Pop-Up wine shop’ here in Ballymaloe, we have put some wines into ‘festive collections’ with Christmas and the festive season in mind – aperitif, first course, main event, sweet wines, fortified – sherry, port and madeira; a variety of large format bottles in every shape & size possible; an ‘Icon’ selection, including Chateau Petrus , Chateau Latour, Chateau Leoville Las Cases and Penfolds Grange – as well as wines for the ‘day after’ and ‘party wines’. We were delighted to welcome guest wine people who opened some of their favourite wines to taste and wine advice on all things wine related for the festive season.

 

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Wine for the Festive Season wine evening, 11th December, at Ballymaloe Cookery School

‘Wine for the Festive Season’ with Colm McCan & Peter Corr, at Ballymaloe Cookery School, Tuesday 11th December, 6pm

This entertaining & educational wine evening will run like a dinner party, starting with the Aperitifs, moving on to the Main Event and finishing with the End of the Day. Presenting the evening, with wines to taste, are Colm McCan, Sommelier at Ballymaloe House & Wine Teacher at Ballymaloe Cookery School, together with Peter Corr of Febvre & Co Wine Merchants who is also a guest wine teacher at Ballymaloe Cookery School, both of whom have a combined 50 years experience in the wine world, making them the ideal guides to Festive Wines.

Amaze yourself, your family and your friends with your wine knowledge, food & wine pairing, hot tips and wine gift ideas, all with Christmas and the Festive Season in mind.

Proceeds for this evening to the East Cork Slow Food Educational Project

Peter & Colm getting into the festive spirit
Peter & Colm getting into the festive spirit
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A Margaret River experience in East Cork, September 2012

On 27th September 2012, we welcomed back well known winemaker, David Hohnen, of McHenry Hohnen Wines, Margaret River, Western Australia for a wine tasting in The Grain Store at Ballymaloe. We had a number of events planned to co-incide with David’s visit - we were joined by the East Cork Cricket Club for a cricket experience on the lawn at Ballymaloe House, and also memebers of the local Kite-Surfers put on a display and demonstration – before returning to the Grain Store for David’s wine presentation & tasting on his wines from McHenry Hohnen – all followed by Ted Berner’s Wildside Cooking ‘fire-cooking’ Harvest Supper. Also see Muray Hohnen’s recent visit to Ballymaloe here

The East Cork Cricket Club at Ballymaloe House
The East Cork Cricket Club at Ballymaloe House
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A New Zealand wine tasting

‘A New Zealand Wine Adventure in Ballymaloe’, which took place on Sunday 16th September.

With New Zealand winemakers Larry McKenna, Escarpment Wines, Martinborough & John Hancock, Trinity Hill Wines, Hawkes Bay.

Escarpment vineyard

John Hancock
John Hancock
Larry McKenna
Larry McKenna

Escarpment Wines are one of the success stories of the Martinborough region in the north island of New Zealand. The vineyards are dwarfed by the stunning mountain backdrop of the Aorangi Ranges, and the Te Muna Valley, where the vineyards are situated, means ‘secret’ or ‘special place’ and that is exactly how the people at Escarpment feel about the land and what it means to live, grow and make wine there.

Escarpment logo

Trinity Hill was established in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawkes Bay to produce world class wines that just happen to come from New Zealand. The emphasis is on the classic ‘Bordeaux’ varieties and Syrah for red wine from the Gimblett Gravels and Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc for

Trinity Hill collage

A great tasting with Larry and John, and thanks to Anthony Tindal, Nigel Werner and all at Tindal Wines for organising the visit of these two great New Zealand winemakers.

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Mas de Daumas Gassac Long Table Dinner, 2nd August 2012

We were delighted to welcome the Guibert Family of Mas de Daumas Gassac, Aniane for a Long Table Dinner in the glasshouse at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Thursday 2nd August,  hosted by the Guibert Family and the Allen Family, with the Grand Cru wines of the estate, to launch Veronique Guibert’s cookbook ‘ Savours and Flavours of Daumas Gassac’. Ours thanks to two of Munster’s well known wine merhants, who represent Mas de Daumas Gassac, in Ireland for all their help in organising this evening –  Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine and Michael Kane, Curious Wines. Proceeds for the evening in aid of the East Cork Slow Food Educational Project.

Samuel and Darina
Samuel and Darina
Gary, Samuel, Veronique, Darina and Jim
Gary, Samuel, Veronique, Darina and Jim
Follow the Yellow Straw Road
Follow the Yellow Straw Road

 

Menu and table set-up
Menu and table set-up

sign for Long Table Dinner

 

Cully and Samuel
Cully and Samuel
Emer and Pam getting it all ready
Emer and Pam getting it all ready
Gary, Eileen and Sharon
Gary, Eileen and Sharon

Sign in the glasshouse

 

Long table set-up
Long table set-up

Ice bowl

Mas de Daumas Gassac Cookbook
Mas de Daumas Gassac Cookbook

Mas de Daumas Gassac boxes

 

Jimmy getting the kitchen in the glasshouse all connected
Jimmy getting the kitchen in the glasshouse all connected
Seamus and Fionn
Seamus and Fionn
Susan in the glasshouse
Susan in the glasshouse
amongst the vines
amongst the vines
Tomato sign
….the Heritage Tomato vines that is
Veronique Guibert
Mme Veronique Guibert, Mas de Daumas Gassac, and Colm, at Ballymaloe
Kitchen area all ploughed up
All over after a wonderful Long Table Dinner – the ‘kitchen’ area in the glasshouse all ploughed up and ready for sowing

For any futher information on Mas de Daumas Gassac wines, please contact wine merchant, Gary Gubbins, Red Nose Wine. Please also see the excellent video clips here from Mike & Gary’s voyage to Mas de Daumas Gassac – the vineyard here and the winery here

The Glasshouse at Ballymaloe School
The Glasshouse at Ballymaloe School

 

RAchel, Gary and Mike highlighting the Mas de Daumas Gassac Long Table dinner - with some giant glasses for fun, in the wine cellar at Ballymaloe House
Rachel, Gary and Mike highlighting the Mas de Daumas Gassac Long Table dinner – with some giant glasses for fun, in the wine cellar at Ballymaloe House
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Using a traditional Sherry Venencia to pour Fino

Enjoing the Irish Examiner Cork Food Festival this weekend, Ballymaloe House had a selection of Sherry at their stand at the food festival - and everone had great fun using a traditional Sherry Venencia. Some photos here. A great weekend, and we were delighted to win ‘Best of Bridgestone at The Irish Examiner Food Festival 2012 Best Beverage Award’ – Sherry is a great fine wine. Also see the fantastic blogs of Billy Lyons www.corkbilly.com and Caroline Hennessy at www.bibliocook.com

Sherry at the Ballymaloe stand at Cork Food Festival

Darina using the Sherry Venencia

Brian Kennedy using the Sherry Venencia

Sonia O'Sullivan using the Sherry Venencia

Enjoying Cork Food Festival

Andrew Rudd using the Sherry Venencia

Rachel Allen, Michael Ryan and Hazel Allen enjoying Cork Food Festival

Joe McNamee using the Sherry Venencia

Sherry by Venencia

Colm using the Sherry Venencia

Cork Food Festival location at Fitzgerald Park
Fitzgerald Park
An expert veneciador
An expert veneciador at Gonzalez Byass, Jerez

 

 

 

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Niels Verburg, Luddite Wines, Bot River, South Africa

Niels Verburg, owner & winemaker at Luddite Wines, Bot River, South Africa gave a terrific wine presentation, including a selection of Chenin Blanc’s from South Africa and four different vintages of his award winning Shiraz – finishing off with a tasting of his freshly pressed Olive Oil. After Niels presentation & tasting, we all enjoyed Ted Berner’s Wildside Catering traditional South African Braai, with Niels on hand demonstrating the art of Sabrage to open Sparkling Wine.

Line-up of wines
Line-up of wines
Sabrage demo
Sabrage demo
Enjoying the Braai
Enjoying the Braai
Niels and Jason
Niels and Jason
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Riesling

In Association with John McDonnell, Wine Australia Ireland, Ballymaloe hosted a Riesling Revolution  – a wine tatsing with three winemakers from great Riesling producing areas – Carl Ehrhard, Rheingau, Germany, Severine Schlumberger, Alsace, France and Tim Adams, Clare Valley, South Australia – and we had over 140 people turn up in Ballymaloe for this amazing Riesling tasting – Riesling Rocks! A video clip of the event can be viewed here and also see Billy Lyons blog here

Riesling event

Riesling at the Grainstore

At the Riesling event

In the cellar

 

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Easter tasting at Ballymaloe

Our annual Easter wine tasting for guests of the house, at Ballymaloe, was this year given by Fionn Little of Bubble Brothers Wine Merchants, Cork.

The guests enjoyed what was a fantastic line-up of wines from Bubble Brothers,  including Chateau Beaucastel and Avignonesi including their rare Vin Santo

André Clouet Grand Cru Réserve Brut NV
André Clouet Grand Cru Réserve Brut NV

 

 

Avignonesi line-up of red wines
Avignonesi line-up of red wines

Avignonesi Rosso di Montepulciano 2009

Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Grande Annate 2006

Avignonesi Desiderio Cortona 2006

Château de Beaucastel "Coudoulet de Beaucastel" Côtes du Rhône 2007 & 2009
Château de Beaucastel "Coudoulet de Beaucastel" Côtes du Rhône 2007 & 2009

 

Avignonesi Vin Santo 1997
Avignonesi Vin Santo 1997

Avignonesi Vin Santo 1997 – this was  a real, rare treat – the reputation preceding the tasting of this unique Vin Santo, lived up to its expectations in the glass! Please see the link here to learn more about the Avignonesi Vin Santo

Fionn Little with his grandmother, Mrs. Myrtle Allen, and some of the guests enjoying the tasting.
Fionn Little with his grandmother, Mrs. Myrtle Allen, and some of the guests enjoying the tasting.