David Ling of Hugel Wines, Alsace, France www.hugel.com. We were delighted to welcome David Ling of Hugel, Alsace to the school. David gave a fascinating talk and tasting of the wines from Hugel, Alsace, established in 1639. We tasted several of their famous wines and David gave a great talk which we all greatly enjoyed and appreciated.
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Out thanks to Adrian McAleer of Findlater Wine and Spirit Group for organising this visit, and our special thanks once again to all at Findlaters for their continuing sponsorship of the prize for the wine exam of the 12 week certificate course in association with Bollinger Champagne and Torres Wines, Penedes.
Jean Barthelemy Chancel, Chateau Val Joanis
Jean Barthelemy Chancel of Domaine Famillle Chancel Chateau Val Joanis, Luberon, France.Chateau Val Joanis, www.val-joanis.com, is a wine estate set on award winning gardens and olive groves, that has been in existence for hundreds of years. Jean gave a tutored tasting of two white wines, a Rousanne and a Viognier and two reds, a Syrah and a Syrah/Grenache blend. Jean also showed the students a video presentation of how their wines are made, which the students enjoyed.
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Out thanks to David Dennison of David Dennson Fine Wines, Waterford for organising this visit www.dennisonwines.com
Anthony Tindal
We were delighted to welcome back Anthony Tindal of Tindal Wine Merchants, www.tindalwine.com, to the school. Anthony gave a fascinating wine talk and tasting, covering wines from three Continents, including wines that Anthony blends himself in South Africa and Chile. The students were also treated to Vintage Champagne Champagne Lanson Gold Label Brut Vintage 1998, and Premier Crus from Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils, Burgundy.
Australian and French wine morning
We had a great wine morning with John McDonnell of Wine Australia fame www.wineaustralia.com (also please see the feature article on John and Wine Australia in The Sunday Business Post, 28 February 2010 www.thepost.ie/agenda ) and also Pascal Rossignol of Le Caveau, Kilkenny www.lecaveau.ie (Pascal is originally from near Gevry-Chambertin, Burgundy). The students were treated to a masterclass in Wine Australia from John and a masterclass from Pascal, featuring the wines of Burgundy, Rhone Valley and the South-West of France, with some fascinating comparative tastings of Australian and French wines. Our very special thanks, once again, to John and Pascal for their fantastic on-going wine presentations to the students of the Ballymaloe Cookery School 12-week certificate course.
Andrew and Laurel Quady, Quady Wines
Andrew and Laurel Quady, Andrew and Laurel Quady, Quady Wines, Madera, California, www.quadywinery.com, left crowded southern California and their jobs in pyrotechnics and merchandising to pursue their dream: a non-urban way of life making wine. Returning to school, Andrew graduated with a Masters in Food Science-Enology from UC Davis and Laurel became a licensed CPA. In 1975, at the urging of friend Darrell Corti, they made their first port from Amador County Zinfandel at the now defunct Lodi Vintners where Andrew was working as an assistant winemaker. In 1977, settled in Madera in California’s Central Valley with Andrew working at Heublein, they built a small winery behind their country home and made port on evenings and weekends.
In 1980 they decided to add a fortified white dessert wine to their line. The wine, from the obscure Orange Muscat grape variety was named Essensia and became a major success. In 1983, opportunity knocked when they were offered a crop of Black Muscat grapes which became the first Elysium.
By 1984 the expanding business needed space and Andrew and Laurel needed help. Fresno State graduate and former Peace Corp member Michael Blaylock, now winemaker, and Cheryl Russell, now general manager, joined and a new winery was completed. With their enthusiasm and dedication the winery continued to grow, developing more unique wines: Starboard (our euphemism for port), Electra (white and red) and VYA vermouth.
Andrew gave a tutored presentation and tasting of their award winning wines including Essensia, Elysium, Electra, Deviation and Starboard.
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Our thanks to Conor O’Brien of James Nicholson Wine Merchants for organising this visit.
Jim Nicholson
 We were delighted to welcome Jim Nicholson, James Nicholson Wine Merchant , to the school.www.jnwine.com. The Bridgestone Irish Food Guide by John & Sally McKenna in their entry about Jim Nicholson write ‘…the work of Jim Nicholson and his wife Elspeth, is as important to the food culture as the achievement of Myrtle Allen in Ballymaloe’.
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Jim gave a great talk and tasting with a comparative tasting of Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine and Menetou-Salon in the Loire Valley and a comparative tasting of reds from the Southern Rhone, including the famous Domaine de Vieux Telegraph Chateauneuf-du-Pape (owner Daniel Brunier visited the school in 2009).
John Shafer, Shafer Vineyards, Napa Valley, California
We were delighted to welcome John Shafer, Shafer Vineyards, Napa Valley, California. www.shafervineyards.com
It was the lure of wine country farming that inspired John Shafer in 1972 to make a career change, leaving behind 23 years of corporate experience to begin work in a new field. And in the fields, or rather the vineyards, is exactly where John began his new career. Adopting a hands-on approach from day one, John could be seen throughout the mid-70s riding on his tractor as he tilled the soil of his family’s new estate in the foothills of the Stags Leap Palisades.
After purchasing a 210-acre estate in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, the Shafer family faced the arduous task of replanting the existing vineyards, which dated to the 1920s, and terracing the steep and rocky hillsides, eventually expanding vineyard acreage to its current 50 acres.
It was during this period that he, along with his son Doug, learned the intricacies of hillside grapegrowing as they toiled many long hours terracing the hillsides, replanting and expanding the vineyards. With each passing year, they learned more about the nature of grapegrowing in the Stags Leap District, one of the world’s best regions for the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon. What began for John as a career in viticulture, quickly expanded into full-scale winemaking. In 1978, the first Shafer wine was made and a year later construction began on the family winery. The debut wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon, was released in 1981 to a chorus of high praise and awards, including a first place in the San Francisco Vintners Club Cabernet taste-off.
Over fifteen years later, this wine continues to prove its remarkable ageability, winning first place in a 1993 German blind tasting against great Bordeaux wines – such wines as Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour and Chateau Palmer.
Photo attached – John Shafer, Jim Whelan and Colm
Pascale Rey, Domaine des Graves d’Ardonneau, Premieres Cotes de Blaye, Bordeaux
www.gravesdardonneau.com
We were delighted to welcome Pascale Rey to the school where she gave a presentation and tasting to the students. The students tasted two wines with Pascale.
Domaine des Graves d’Ardonneau Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc
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Domaine des Graves d’Ardonneau Premier Cotes de Blaye Cuvee Prestige
In 1973, Simon and Huguette Rey believed in the quality of their land and their wines, and they have made Domaine des Graves of Ardonneau an area spearhead Premieres Cotes de Blaye, collecting medals and awards in the guides.
A true family estate, the Domaine des Graves of Ardonneau now meets three generations on the operating Christian who joined his parents and his wife Pascale in 1982 before their children – Lawrence, who studied oenology and Fanny – do not take part in turn in the adventure. Together they work to develop quality wines, combining tradition and technology innovations.
The estate, which has grown over the years, now comprises about fifty acres, mostly planted with merlot and sauvignon.
Our thanks to David Dennison, David Dennison Fine Wines, Waterford, for organizing this visit.
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The Wine Vault, High Street, Waterford, Ireland.
Tel – 051 853777 Fax – 051 853874
e- mail : info@dennisonwines.com
web : www.dennisonwines.com
Photo attached – Pascale Rey, David Dennison, Darina and Colm
Jean Smullen
We were delighted to welcome back Jean Smullen to the cookery school. Jean gave a tutored tasting on wines from Chile and New Zealand. Our thanks once again for another fantastic wine presentation.
She began her wine career in 1991 with the Wine Development Board where she was instrumental in the development of a countrywide wine education programme. Since 1999 she has been working in a freelance capacity offering a unique consultancy service to the wine trade.    Â
In 2006, 2007 and 2008 Jean was invited to participate as a wine judge in Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, one of the wine world’s best known international blind tasting competition. This year she also participated as a wine judge in the 2009 Concours Mondial which took place in Valencia in April 2009.  She has been invited to participate in the 2010 event in Palermo, Sicily. Â
Jean held the position of secretary to the Irish Guild of Sommeliers from September 2007 to January 2009 and is currently a member of the Council of the Irish Guild of Sommeliers.     Â
Jean is a member of the international Circle of Wine Writers and writes a monthly column for Retail News, one of Ireland’s retail trade magazines. She presents a regular wine slot with the national news station, Newstalk as part of the Sean Moncrieff Show, which broadcasts a nationwide “Movies and Booze” feature on a Friday afternoons from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Jean’s website www.jeansmullen.com features the wine diary for the Republic of Ireland which highlights forthcoming trade and consumer events. This site provides a key planning role for all wine events taking place in Ireland.  Â
Photo attached – Jean Smullen with some of the students.
Georgeta Perhald, Rocca delle Macie, Castellina in Chianti, Tuscany, Italy
We were delighted to welcome Georgeta to Ballymaloe where she spoke about Rocca delle Macie, and the students tasted a ‘Super-Tuscan’, Ser Gioveto 2001.
Rocca delle Macie’sprincipal cellar is in the Chianti Classico area close to Siena and Florence, the historic and artistic heart of Tuscany. The founder, Italo Zingarelli purchased a 14th-century village called “Macìe”, and the nearby Saint Alphonso’s Farm, in the area of Castellina in Chianti in 1973. The buildings underwent a large-scale restoration process, including a modernization of the existing cellars and the addition of brand new cellars, which have been continuously updated ever since. Thus, Rocca delle Macìe was born.Rocca delle Macie is a young winery indeed, especially set alongside the centuries old history of so many of the famous wineries in the Chianti area. Nevertheless, in less than 30 years it has forged a reputation throughout the wine world as one of Chianti’s most highly regarded estates.
Beginning in the vineyard, selective herbicide methods are used to respect the environment and the workers. Fertilization is completely organic. In addition to producing extraordinary wines, they produce cold pressed olive oil and honey.
They have established a tradition of holding events, notably the annual Opera Singing competition launched in 1991 which attracts the talents of up-and-coming singers from around the world. Other events supported by the winery include bike races, car rallies as well as scientific and culinary seminars.
Ser Gioveto 2001 - This wine is produced only in years of exceptional vintage. Rather than aging in large barrels, the wine spends 9 to 12 months in smaller 50 gallon French oak barriques, from the Allier region, and is then refined for at least 9 months in the bottle.Grape: 100% Sangiovese, carefully selected.Tasting- Intense ruby red with reflections of garnet. Intense, ample bouquet, with hints of aged berries and a balanced bouquet of toasted aromas acquired from the wood of the barriques. Palate is warm, robust, and well balanced with an element of tannin.Serving- Can be stored for long periods and should rest horizontally in a dark area at cellar conditions. Serve at room temperature not less than 65°F. It pairs beautifully with roasted red meats, wild game and dry cheeses.
Ph. +39 0577 732236
Fax +39 0577 743150
www.roccadellemacie.com
vendita.diretta@roccadellemacie.com
Our thanks to Conor O’Brien of James Nicholson Wine Merchant for arranging this visit. www.jnwine.com
Photo attached – Georgeta Perhald, Conor O’Brien, Rachel, Pamd and Colm