We were delighted to join in with the week long celebration of Sherry for World Sherry Day (week)
We had a Sherry talk and tasting here in the school for the students on all things Sherry, We were delighted to be joined by Rafael Salazar, of Vinostito, who is orginally from Cadiz, Andalucia, so Rafeal and Colm were delighted to introduce the students to Sherry – its culture, history, tradition, food, and of course Sherry.
Some photos here to capture a day, which we all really enjoyed. More details to follow on the Sherry and tasting notes.
Some previous Sherry events at Ballymaloe are listed here
Colm, Rafael and all the students. Salud!Rafael and Darina raise a glass of Manzanilla to toast World Sherry DayPam and Rafael
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!
Jancis Robinson MW Wine Grapes presentation and tasting at the Literary Festival
olm pictured with Jancis Robinson MW at Ballymaloe Literary FestivalGer Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery pictured with Bill Yosses, Pastry Chef, The White House
Tom Doorley and John Wilson ‘Wine & Words’Peter Corr and Literary Festival wine & drinks crew
Douro – still and fortified with Maurice O’Mahony, Wine Alliance
Mary Dowey and Pascal Rossignol ‘Going Natural – New Trends’
Ger Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery
Sherry with Leslie Williams, wine writer, the Irish Examiner
Rieslings to be Cheerful with John McDonnell, Wine Australia IrelandNick Lander, Joe McNamee, Paul Flynn and Niamh ShieldsSingle Pot Still Whiskey from Midleton Distillery matched with Irish Farmhouse Cheese by L Mulligan
A Wine Goose Show with Susan Boyle
Pierpaolo Rapuzzi, Ronchi di Cialla, Friuli
Penfolds Grange and The Rewards of Patience with John McDonnell, Wine Australia IrelandJohn Wilson, The Irish Times and Juan Gil, Albarino, Rias Baixas
Tom Lynch, El Comandante Wines, MendozaWine & Literature with John Wilson, wine writer, The Irish Times
William O’Callaghan, Longueville Irish Apple Brandy and CiderMaurice, Pascal and Geraldine checking the wines.Sherry in The Big ShedDaphne launching the literary festival with NyetimberJohn Bowman with the box office crew – Nicola, Aoife and Ka
With Eric Narioo of Les Caves des Pyrène and Pascal Rossignol of Le Caveau
Talk and wine tasting of a selection of artisan wines, at Ballymaloe House, Sunday 26th May, 6pm
Eric from Les Caves de Pyrène, Surrey, and Pascal from Le Caveau, Kilkenny, both specialise in artisan wines sourced from individual growers, that are ‘true to where they come from, which are made by hand with minimal interventions in the vineyard and winery, and which show maximum respect for nature and the environment’.
Vino Bellotti Bianco 2011, Cascina Degli Ulivi (Piemonte, Italy)
Vouvray ‘la Dilettante’ 2011, Pierre et Catherine Breton (Loire Valley, France)
Vitovska Amphora 2007, Vodopivec (Friuli, Italy)
Cheverny Rouge 2011, Clos Tue-Boeuf (Loire Valley, France)
Vino di Anna 2011, Eric Narioo and Anna Martens (Etna, Sicily, Italy)
Peza do Rei 2010, Adega Cachin (Ribera Sacra, Spain)
Villalobos ‘Wild Vineyards’ Carignan Reserve 2010 (Colchagua Valley, Chile)
This is a great opportunity to listen to two passionate and experienced wine experts in this area, over a very pleasent, informal, yet educational talk, and a tasting of different artisan wines.
Sunday 26th May, 6pm, at Ballymaloe. €15
To reserve places, please contact Colm colm@ballymaloe.ie  Tel 086 0859034
We held a Sherry Dinner in the Big Shed at Ballymaloe, showcasing the Sherry from Gonzalez Byass, on the Friday evening, 3rd May, for the Bord Bia Taste Council Summer School, during the weekend of the Literary Festival of Food and Wine.
Ted Berner, of Wildside Catering (and sherry fan!) and his team of chefs created a wonderful dinner matched with Gonzalez Byass Sherry, including Tio Pepe Fino, Tio Pepe En-Rama Fino, AB Amontillado and Palo Cortado Leonor. Thank to Oscar Bayo and all at Gonzalez Byass for their great support, and to all at Barry & Fitzwilliam for their fantastic support as always. We also had a traditonal venencia on hand for people to try their hand at pouring their own Sherry.
The inaugural wine served in the Big Shed was Sherry – won’t be the last time….
During her Wine Grapes presentation at the Literary Festival, Jancis Robinson MW showed a Equipo Navazos La Bota Palo Cortado as one of the seven wines shown, and a show of hands at the end of the night, showed just how well recieved it was, being one of the most popular in the show of hands. Sherry on a roll?
Leslie Williams, wine writer, The Examiner, also very kindly presented the Fino & Manzanilla tasting during the weekend, and that was also very well recieved, along with Sacha Whelan’s Iberico Jamon. Simply Delicious!
Some pictures capturing the set-up for the Sherry Dinner in The Big Shed at Ballymaloe
Sherry and BarrelsTasting the Tio Pepe Fino En-Rama. Thumbs-up!
Setting up for Sherry & Tapas in Big ShedPour your own Sherry using a traditional venenciaSally, Con, Ivan and John – all Sherry fansAll set up for Sherry & Tapas
Some other recent Sherry events at Ballymaloe include visit of Oscar Bayo from Gonzalez Byass and also the visit of the Consejo Regulador Jerez in assoc with Wine of Spain, and a pop-up Sherry bar at Cork Food Festival. There is a Tapas & Sherry course, run three times at year at the cookery school, and we have a Sherry module during the 12-week cookery course.
We are also planning an event to mark World Sherry Day/Week here on Wed 22nd May – pls e-mail colm@ballymaloe.ie if you are interested in this.
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.
‘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
Jancis Robinson MWMary DoweyJohn WilsonTom DoorleyJohn BowmanPascal RossignolJuan Gil de Araujo González de CareagaPierpaolo RapuzziGer Buckley, Master Cooper, Midleton Distillery and John McDonnell, Wine AustraliaMaurice O’Mahony, Wine Alliance and DarinaTom Lynch, El Comandante Wines, Argentina
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.
An article written by Mrs.Myrtle Allen, on her weekly cookery column for The Farmers Journal, in 1966
I was delighted to be shown an article today, by Mrs.Allen, from one of her ‘Scraps and Cuttings’ books, all about her weekly cookery column in The Farmers Journal. The article, dated in Mrs.Allen’s distinct neat writing, 2nd September 1966, titled ‘The Wild Geese’, about Ireland’s ‘links with wine producing areas’, and her visit, in 1966, to Chateau Leoville-Barton, and also mentioning Chateau Lynch-Bages and Chateau Haut Brion, and her visit also to Hennessy Cognac.
Mrs Myrtle Allen and her 1966 article on The Wild Geese Wines
Also of great Wine Geese interest, is The International Wine Museum, in Desmond Castle, Kinsale dedicated to the Irish people the world over, both long ago, and current generations, involved in winemaking around the word, is well worth a visit, and of course Ted Murphy’s book, A Kingdom of Wine, The Story of Ireland’s Wine Geese, is brilliant, and this years series of wine geese events that I am involved along with, along with Beverley Mathews, of L’Attitude51, Wine Cafe, Cork and Maurice O’Mahony, of Wine Alliance, and the broader vibrant wine commuity of Cork city and county, is very much inspired by Ted and all his things ‘Wine Geese’ related in Ireland and around the world.
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– Visit of Jean-Charles Cazes, of Chateau Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux, to Ballymaloe on Sunday, 10th March 2013, in association with Michael Barry, Barry & Fitzwilliam
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– Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine, 3rd – 6th May 2013 with national and international food and drinks writers from Ireland and all over the world, coming to East Cork for the inaugural international ‘Literary Festival of Food and Wine’ – including Jancis Robinson MW, Mary Dowey, Tom Doorley, John Wilson alongside iconic food names, to name but some of the 40 speakers (see www.litfest.ie – full confirmation of programme of events & details soon)
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– Hennesy Cognac event, at Ballymaloe, 10th October 2013, in association with Edward Dillon & Co
Please keep an eye on the Bringing the Wine Geese Home Wine Geese blog for regular updates on events, and also on The Gathering website.
In association with The Gathering 2013, and the broader vibrant wine community of Cork City and County, including Beverley Mathews of L’Attitude 51 Wine Cafe, Cork City and Maurice O’Mahony of Wine Alliance, Colm is delighted to be involved with this wine community initiative to ‘bring the wine geese home’ for a series of events throughout 2013, in Cork city and county.
After a great launch night with Tom Lynch of El Comandante Wines, Mendoza, Argentina, we are all looking forward to a very exciting year of great ‘Wine Geese’ events.
Next upcoming event is on this Tuesday evening, 12th February, 7pm, in L’Atitude51 Wine Cafe in Cork City – with Jane Boyce MW, on her first visit to Cork, showing a selection of wine geese wines, including Chateau Langoa-Barton and Chateau Phelan-Segur, both originally from Tipperay and Kildare respectively.
Timeline (so far, with many more in the pipeline all over Cork City & County from Longueville House, Mallow, to Kinsale, to Mannings in Ballylickey, to Isaacs Restaurant in the City – a great wine community initiative by all. We are also looking forward to various wine geese events with Tomas Clancy, John Wilson, and Leslie Williams, some of Ireland’s best known wine writers.
February Tuesday 12th February Jane Boyce, Master of Wine / wine writer / wine judge, will present a tasting of wines, including Chateau Phelan-Segur, in association with Conor O’Brien, Jim Nicholson Wines, at L’Attitude 51 Wine Cafe, Cork
March Sunday 10th March, 6.30pm Jean-Charles Cazes, owner of Chateau Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, Bordeaux and the Cazes Family Selection Wines, in association with Barry & Fitzwilliam. Presentation and tasting at The Grain Store, Ballymaloe, Shanagarry, Co. Cork, followed by wine dinner in the Yeats Room dining room at Ballymaloe House, with Jean-Charles Cazes, in association with Barry & Fitzwilliam.
Thursday March 31st – venue tbc Winemaker Anna Seifried, Seifried Wines, Nelson, New Zealand in March.Anna’s mother, Agnes Mc Carthy is from Donegal. In association with Classic Drinks.
April – Tomás Clancy, well known wine writer, and presenter of the Irish Wines Geese series on RTE Radio, is confirmed, and will give a talk and wine tasting on his personal selection of Irish Wine Geese wines. The exact date in April, and venue, to be confirmed
May – 16th May, Fleur McCree of Little Beauty, New Zealand, in association with Maurice O’Mahony of Wine Alliance. Fleur will be retracing her family steps back to Cork.
Thursady 28th May – Presentation & tasting with winemaker Emma Cullen of Cullen Wines, Margaret River, at Cafe Paradiso, Cork, in association with Liberty Wines
May also Saturday 18th May – Gary O’Donovan is organising a event celebrating the history, the people and the wines of the Wine Geese. The Return of the Wine Geese event will bring together wines and winery owners with Irish Heritage from around the Wine globe. O’Donovans Irish Wine Geese wine tasting, Rochestown Park Hotel, and Irish Wine Geese Dinner, Flemings Restaurant, Tivoli.
June – Mannings Emporium, Ballylickey, Co. Cork, are planning to have an event, with an Irish Wines Geese theme, in June.
12th September. ‘Its a long way from Clare to here’ – wines of the Clare Valley, South Australia with John McDonnell, Wine Australia, at Hayfield Manor Hotel
October – Thursday 10th October, 7.30pm Hennessy Cognac, with Hennessy ‘Ambassadeur de la Maison’, Marc Boissonnet, in association with Edward Dillon & Co, in the Grain Store, Ballymaloe, Co. Cork
‘For such a small country whose climate is so totally unsuited to the production of wine, have you ever thought it odd that so many chateaux bear Irish names? Well, it’s no happy coincidence that Ireland, small and viticulturally-challenged as it is, has had an influence on the global wine trade that is nothing short of remarkable – many famous vineyards and wine-making practices today owe their success to the exploits of some of our wandering ancestors. It’s a subject that has generated much interest at home and abroad and has been chronicled in great detail both by author Ted Murphy and wine correspondent Tomas Clancy. Given the year that’s in it with The Gathering Ireland 2013 attracting many of the Irish diaspora home from around the globe, we thought it only fit that The Wine Geese be invited home in recognition of the important role they have played in putting Ireland on the world’s Wine Map.’
‘In association with The Gathering Ireland 2013, we will be hosting and organizing a series of “Meet the Wine Geese†events throughout 2013, which will be open to the public. Wine Geese from across the globe, ranging from some of the more famous Bordeaux chateaux, to the smaller less-well known producers will be flying home to meet wine (and history) enthusiasts and share their stories and wines – they’ll recount their winery’s history and connections with Ireland and give a guided tasting of their wines – they talk, you taste!’
We are very excited to be in the middle of planning some vines here in the cookery school gardens, and although there are vines here for many years in the glasshouse, this is the first time we will plant a quantity outside, at Ballymaloe Cookery School. We are delighted to have the assistance of David Dennison, who has several hundred vines planted, over the course of many years, this past decade in Co.Waterford. David spoke to the students today, about this project. David is pictured here  with Rachel Allen and Eileen O’Donovan, who is in charge of the gardens at the cookery school, along with Susan Turner, Consultant Gardener – the vines, a range of varieties, from classic varieties to more hardier varieties well suited to our climate and latitude, include Orion, Bacchus, Solaris, Rondo – and Pinot Noir! They will be in the best of hands with all the brilliant gardeners (viticulturists!) here.  An exciting project indeed.
Vines arrivedVines!
A good spotBallymaloe TerroirViticulture in ShanagarryVines planted. Now It all depends on the weather
We also have some vines in the glasshouse – just in case! Looking good here (May 2013)
A great presentation by Maurice O’Mahony, of Wine Alliance - with great slides showing the dramatic Douro Valley landscape, a unique part of the wine world, and a brilliant tasting of a selection of whites and reds to taste, from Quinta do Judeu, Douro and Isidro de Pegoes, Setubal. Our thanks and appreciation to Maurice for a very enjoyable and  educational evening at the cookery school.
