Graham Norton and Jasper in McCarthys

Martin Sheen films inside the famous McCarthys

They can now add Irish winemaker to that role of honour now as Ciaran Rooney will be coming to visit on Thursday November 24th. Red Nose Wine are proud to show off the critically acclaimed wines of Domaine des Anges alongside great local food in one of the best kept food secrets in Ireland. It has long been a mecca for the famous, with its authentic old school pub, but they produce some absolutely great dishes from the kitchen, and I have had some great meals out there in recent times.

An Irish Man in France

There are many old Irish names associated with the great chateau of Bordeaux, but the latter day Irish Wine Geese found themselves moving a little further south and one of the great modern Irish vineyards is based in a wonderful little part of Provence. It is called Domaine des Anges and Kilkennyman Gay McGuinness owns it and Dubliner Ciaran Rooney makes the wines, and they have been fantastically received all over the world. They have been very popular in Red Nose Wine since we started taking them in.

This promised to be a fantastic and informal night where wine and food will be the stars of the show. It won’t be formal dining. This allows us to keep the price down and for you to get a much more adventerous menu to match to the wines. Platters of Tipperary tapas will be sent out to accompany Ciaran’s wines. We will also serve the very rare Seraphin ( 100% Old Vine Grenache ) wine. 2009 was its first vintage and they only made tiny amounts. The wines are organic to boot.

Gary Gubbins climbes the hill above Domaine des Anges

For those of you not familiar with the vineyard, it is basically “over the hill” from Chateaneuf du Papes and its Reds reflect the style, especially in its entry level offering. I would suggest the Archange is more like a nothern Rhone in style and the high altitude definetly helps here, but its whites are where the real surprise occurs. Countless critics from Oz Clarke to Jancis Robinson and Tomas Clancy have raved about these wines. I haven’t even told you the best bit. They are fantastically priced and a real bargain from €12.50 up Retail.

Tickets can be purchased from Red Nose Wine or from McCarthys, but places are limited and with all the food and wine included for only €35, this could sell out very quickly. Tickets can be bought online.

Wines of the week

We have 2 new wines of the week and they include a real star wine from the Irish Vineyard in France. I am of course talking about the much loved Domaine des Anges in Provence. The new vintages have arrived into Red Nose Wine and we are giving the 2010 White a push by slashing the price back to €10.49. This organic wine has a nose of pears and lemons with a touch of tropical fruits. A full, rich, creamy, well-balanced palate with notes of pears and pineapples leading to a long finish, both lively and elegant.

To match it we have the very popular La Granja Tempranillo Garnacha, aka The Zebra. This is an everyday drinking soft rounded juicy red wine, with rich ripe raspberry flavours. It is a great match for barbeque roasted pork chops, spare ribs, sausages, grilled vegetables and cheeses and only costs €6.99.

I am slowly catching up on posting all of the articles ( Busy Christmas period ) – there will be a glut of them until we catch up

This week I have been searching for inspiration and motivation amid the chaos and disorder that engulfs our country. We are all desperately looking for leadership and as I am a card carrying supporter of local business I am tempted to hold some of our elite business people as a model of optimism.

Tipperary and Clonmel in particular is blessed with some truly original and visionary people who have redefined their industries on both a national and international level. However, any such sycophancy might be misinterpreted as potential buttering up ahead of a corporate wine order.

Incidentally, if any such buttering up would work, please drop me a line and I can arrange for same. The degree of buttering up is proportional to the amount of money spent in Red Nose Wine. I know Mr. Archimedes had a mighty fine principle, but this is called Gubbins’ Law from first principles.

Invictus

In spite of all of the great local examples, the inspiration I found came from the great Nelson Mandela. During his long time in prison he was known to recite a poem by William Ernest Henley called “Invictus”. As much as I would love to write down the four verses, I am sure it would be a step too far for my ever patient editor. The poem is about seemingly unbearable suffering and one’s necessity to rise above it; regardless of how little we are to blame. The last verse reads, “It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

I watched a film about Mr. Mandela this week and even though it was very much of the Hollywood persuasion the power of the man still shone through. I have always felt a need to apologise to Mr. Mandela for something I nearly did. During my MBA in 2006, the class went on a trip to South Africa to see firsthand the business environment of an emerging economy. Lectures and field trips were arranged and we met some fascinating people and saw some amazing businesses. One of the days we visited Robben Island and were given a tour by an ex Prisoner who had been there with Mr. Mandela.

Song, Sea and Wine

If we can step back to the night before, we were at a welcoming function that coincided with an Irish and British ex-pats event, which turned into a very late night. The trip to the prison is made on a small little boat, which is handy since we were heading for an island. While I have no doubt the prisoners found the journey difficult, on this particular morning this ‘elite’ group of Ireland’s premier Graduate Business School found it horrendous. Boats and hangovers do not mix. They never have and they never will.

Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine in South Africa among the vines

I struggled on as best I could through the tour but as soon as we reached Mr. Mandela’s cell (which is tiny), the walls started to cave in and I had to make a very quick dash for my own freedom. I kept myself intact in the end, but I always felt that I didn’t show the great man the reverence he deserved.

The Great Man

Did he like wine? I really don’t know and am not going to be so cheap as to pretend or suggest that he did. I will say the poem and his strength resonated with me and I suggest you all Google it and read it for yourself. I am sorry to move so far away from wine, but the remainder of this article will be flowing with the juice of the vine.

Cheap Premium Wines

I have a huge array of new wines that have come direct from the vineyards in stock and the plan all along was to build a portfolio that hits all price points. There is great value out there from the quality vineyards as well as the cheap and cheerful. One great example is a pallet that sold really well at Chrismtas. It is from a very famous vineyard who has relabelled their award winning Red Wine ( for one vintage only). Their wines can cost over 20 Euros but this is flying out at 10 Euros / bottle when bought as a case. It is a very cheap way to have top quality wine in the house this Christmas. Ask for the Tricolour Wine.

As per usual, you can buy one bottle and we are open to the public. There has never been a prerequisite for larger purchases, but we do tend to offer discounts when you buy a few more bottles, such as the Lagarde.

Bubbles on a Budget

One thing that has taken a real hammering on the world market in recent years is Champagne. However the public’s love of bubbles has remained and Prosecco has taken over as the tipple of choice. After much searching (nearly 2 years) we finally found one direct from the vineyard that we are happy with the price, quality and even the presentation. The Frizzante version is only 12 Euros and the fully Spumante is great value at 16 Euros. Who says bubbles need to be pricey.

Don’t forget to log onto the blog at www.rednosewine.com/blog or follow the ranting on Twitter – www.twitter.com/rednosewine

Please have a look at our Facebook site and ‘Like’ Us so we can share all the photos with you. Feel free to share this page with your friends and enemies.

For anyone who would like more information and can’t make it into the shop, please feel free to contact me at info@rednosewine.com

“Life is much too short to drink bad wine”

A panel of social media users was specially invited to do their best – communicate with the wider world via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs – the new media… I wasn’t officially part of the Twitterati as I was an organiser and memeber of the Tipperary Food Producers. However being self employed instills one with the gift of multitasking, so I managed a few blogs in between pouring, tasting and talking.

Paul O Mahony pulled the Twitter Panel together in the aftermath of the night and they have all collaborated to publish this blogpost.

We hope you love it & the great work of the Tipperary Food Producers Network.

Pat Whelan, “James Whelan Butchers”  (@pat_whelan) says

A Taste of Good Food



For anyone interested in local food, the Clonmel Park Hotel was the place to be last Wednesday night for the Tipperary Food Producers Christmas Extravaganza.  It turned out to be a fun evening with things to taste, things to eat and plenty of artisan products to buy.

The food demonstration went really well with Bord Bia’s Sile Kelly rustling up tasty and quick family meals that anyone could conjure over Christmas without having to spend hours in the kitchen.  Bord Bia is very aware of the budgetary implications for everyone these days and so it was no surprise that all the dishes prepared were very economical.

Sarah Baker from Cloughjordan Cookery School was a huge hit when she prepared a fantastic black pudding and bacon salad that could be used as a starter or a main course.  Obviously all the ingredients were local; Inch House black pudding and Crowe’s farm bacon.

For me one of the highlights of the evening was the presence of Jane Boyce, Master of Wine.

Thanks to Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine there was huge added value to the evening as Jane matched each dish prepared with an appropriate wine.  She gave tips and hints and all in a very accessible and down to earth way particularly for the not so experienced.  A very warm and unassuming lady from County Down, Jane blended in seamlessly to the line up at the Clonmel Park.   She is highly experienced and her work with wine has taken her all over the world.  These days she has the luxury of working as an independent Wine Consultant and freelance wine writer.  There are only four qualified wine masters in the whole of Ireland and Jane is the only female to boot.  Her experience as a wine judge is wide ranging. She has been key judge and adjudicator for the Irish Wine Show for the past two years and last year was on the Burgundy and Austrian panels for London’s The Decanter World Wine Awards. Her international judging experience spans the globe including South Africa, France and as far away as Australia.  One of the most basic tips for food matching she gave on the night, and one which makes a great deal of sense, is to initially match the country of origin of the dish to the wine.  For example if you are having Italian food then an Italian wine might be a good choice.  Equally if it is a warming winter dish then it naturally goes better with a full bodied wine rather than a light crisp summery one.  Jane was also keen to point out the difference between cost and value.  She made the good point that by staying with the smaller vineyards and spending just a few euro more you are exponentially increasing the quality of wine you are buying when you take into account the duty, the bottling and transportation costs.

Whether you were at the event or not, Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine in Clonmel would be very helpful if you need advice.

All the canapés on the evening were prepared using Tipperary Food.  There was a feast of treats created with imagination and the producers acted as waiters for the night.  It was lovely to hear people chatting to the people who actually created the food; a rare thing these days to be that close to the source.  Indeed, some of the people at the event had travelled further than much of the food.  The idea was to show just what you could do for impressive nibbles over the festive season.

I was sure I would have a favourite but as I tasted each one I chopped and changed my hit list as the various flavours danced along my taste buds.  I was in heaven as the smoky taste of Crowe’s Bacon was matched with Daru Cheddar from Cooleeney Cheese to create a little quiche tartlet.  Then I compared it to the Cashel blue cheese and red onion tartlets and couldn’t quite make up my mind.  Una O’Dwyer’s cold sausage on savoury crackers with Crossogue relish was a heady, sticky revelation.  There were bruschetta selections using roasted peppers, chargrilled courgettes, cheese selections and chargrilled mushrooms creating a wonderful synergy between Munster Mushrooms, Hickey’s Bakery and Cooleeney Cheese.   O’Briens Farm Shop teamed up with Inch House and together came up with potato rosti topped with horseradish mayo and black pudding; sublime.

For my contribution I used a fillet of medium rare beef on little blinis with rocket and shaved parmesan which I considered to be quite the triumph until I swallowed the delectable delights of Mags Bergin’s brown bread simply topped with my chicken liver pate and Crossogue sweet red pepper relish.  It was like looking at a family of children and having to choose just one.

In the end I gave up and decided that they all had something to offer and while I loved individual characteristics, I had equal affection for all.

Thankfully the canapés took the edge off my hunger before the demonstration began and then it was back for dessert and coffee.

If the tastes from the canapés were exciting the climax came with dessert; tiramisu shots made with Ponaire Coffee and mascarpone cheese from the Tipperary cheese company and Karmine apple jelly shots with fresh raspberries.  The Apple Farm provided the ingredients for Pear and almond tarts along with hopping into bed with the Cookie Jar for Panna cotta, strawberries and chocolate chip cookies.  Had I died after a Cookie Jar confection on Wednesday night I would have died a happy man!  The Lemon curd and meringue tartlets were a huge hit and the Brownies from the Cookie Jar, topped with a blueberry curd were outstanding.  Crossogue preserves are standing tall these days.

Looking at all the stands and all the people who supported the event it made me really proud to be from Tipperary.

We have fantastic producers doing a brilliant job but we also have some really loyal customers who, at the end of the day, are the reason we do it.

Finally the icing on the cake for me came with a delightful footnote from Bord Bia’s Sile Kelly.  Just fresh from the highly regarded Listowel Food Fest, to my delight Sile announced that my book, “An Irish Butcher Shop“, had won second prize at the event for food writing.  I was absolutely thrilled and even more delighted when I found out that I was only beaten by Darina Allen’s latest offering “Forgotten Food“.  To be in the company of such esteemed cook book royalty makes for a very nice feeling indeed.   All in all it was a great Tipperary food week. I welcome your feedback to pat@jwb.ie

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Yvonne Carty, Hey Pesto,  (@heypestoie)says…

Twitter Power!

I may have been labelled a ’social media whore’ by certain people, but I will admit that while I wholeheartedly embrace Facebook I lingered in the ‘tweetlight’ for a long time. But no longer. I am now a fully paid member of the Twitter community – I have made new friends; sourced suppliers: attended ‘twinnerparties’: participated in cookalongs and even lost weight on a ‘twiet’!

And all this must not have gone unnoticed as recently I was invited to take part in Ireland’s first Food Twitter Panel by the powerhouse that is Pat Whelan.

Hence on a wet and windy wednesday night in November instead of curling up in front of the fire I made my way to the Clonmel Park Hotel to meet my fellow twitterers. Our task – to tell the world about the amazing Tipperary Food Producers Extravaganza. Our assigned minder, Robert Harris, led us into a small, secret room behind the bar for coffee and sandwiches(I wanted to be in the foyer for the wine and mouth watering canapés!).

I was delighted to recognise two familiar faces – Caroline (@Bibliocook) and Mag (@goatsbridge) and to be introduced to the rest of the twitterati – Keith (@keithbohanna), Derry (@derryo),Susan (@queenofpots), Brian (@brianpcleary), Ken (@anygivenfood), Roger (@rogeroverall), Paul (@omaniblog), Michael (@clonmelinfo)

The panel

Once we had identified each other by our twitter names it was time to wander through the avenue of food to meet the producers including Inch House Black Pudding, Crowe’s Farm, Cooleeneey Cheese, The Scullery, The Cookie Jar, Crossogue Preserves and The Apple Farm…my apologies to anyone I haven’t listed.

Then Robert showed us to our table and we were off! You have never seen such frantic finger action – we told the twitterverse about Sheila Kelly’s beef chilli, Sarah Baker’s black pudding & bacon salad, Alistair’s choice of meat cut, Jane Boyce’s wine choice, Nichola Beresford’s entertaining ‘MC-ing’ and Pat Whelan’s empassioned pleas to support local food producers…… Phew!

I should mention there was competition between the iPhones and notebooks but I think iPad envy took over in the end (Dear Santa….)

Oh and I also learned about Audioboo – to be further investigated

Tweeting away

We were matched in our efforts by the TY students on #foodconnect program who are spending time with the various producers learning where and how the food is produced.

And then all of a sudden it was over! 400 people came to the event and between the panel I imagine at least 4,000 attended it virtually.

My only complaint – I never got to see, never mind taste, the dessert canapés!

If you haven’t entered the Twitterverse – do

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Keith Bohanna of BiaBeag.com says

I love artisan food producers and am very happy to share that passion with anyone who will listen over on www.biabeag.com. On my recent outing to the brilliant night organised by Tipperary Food Producers I decided to take a back seat and (for my first time) shoot some short video interviews with a couple of the producers and with Gary Gubbins, one of the active members of the group.

Thanks to each of them for being so facilitating.

Video 1 – Michael Cantwell Boulaban Farm Icecream.

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Video 2 – Jim Maher Cooleeney Cheese

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Video 3 – Sarah Browne, Browne’s Soup

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Video 4 – Gary Gubbins Tipperary Food Producers

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Caroline, Bibliocook: All About Food says …

Local food: Tipperary Food Producers

It was all about buying local at last night’s Tipperary Food Producers Cookery Extravaganza in Clonmel. Tipperary produce – local cheese, preserves, meat and fruit – was used for the elegant nibbles on offer at the start of the night, during the cookery demonstrations and for the rapidly hoovered up deserts which finished off the evening.

I was there as a member of the 11-strong Twitter panel, along with @goatsbridge, @HeyPestoie, @KeithBohanna, @Omaniblog, @RogerOverall, @BrianPCleary, @QueenofPots, @AnyGivenFood @ClonmelInfo and @DerryO.

We had a great time, down the back of the room with nothing to do but watch, listen and tweet (find us at #TippFood). Normally tweeting at the cottage is squeezed in between radio editing, article writing, pot stirring and toddler watching so it felt like a total luxury to have a couple of hours devoted to it, just me, my netbook, my fellow panel members (plus many iPhones!) and a 500-strong crowd of Tipperary food lovers.

For me, the best part of the night was a chance to chat with and buy from the Tipperary food producers that were showcasing their wares.

After all the demonstration and tweeting ended, I got a chance to pick up sausages from Crowe’s Farm, along with advice from John Paul on hanging and cooking my Bronze turkeys, a cute little box of Raspberry Streusel from The Cookie Jar, one of Nuala Hickey’s award-winning barm bracks now scenting the whole kitchen with fruit and spice, a chunk of the fantastic Inch House black pudding and a couple of cheeses from Cooleeney. I picked up Gortnamona, a soft goats’ cheese, to go with a tomorrow night’s warm lentil and roast pumpkin salad but couldn’t resist a wee Cooleeney, a Camembert-style cheese, for baking whole as a weekend treat.

Well done to the Tipperary Food Producers Network for putting such a great event together and thanks to Pat Whelan (check out his book here) at James Whelan Butchers for the invitation to participate.

Buy local? With food this good, the only question is why wouldn’t you

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Gary Gubbins, RedNoseWines says…

Oh what a night!

What a night was had on November 10th in the Clonmel Park Hotel. Nearly 500 food ( and wine ) lovers descended on Tipperary in a great show of support for local food and local business. Myself and Con Traas of the Apple Farm could not pour the wine and juices quickly enough as the crowds were three deep at the bar.

Jane Boyce MW and Pat Whelan discuss wines to go with Pat’s recipes. 

A Master of Wine

The whole night was a great success and I was delighted to have someone like Jane Boyce MW matching artisan wines to artisan food. There are only 4 Masters of Wine in Ireland so it was a real coup to be able to convince her to travel from the North. She has a real warmth when she speaks about wine and does not talk down to her audience. The comments I received about her were all very positive and a number of people want me to do a dedicated wine night with Jane in the future.

Twitterati

I remember being at a Tipperary Food Producers meeting last year and I tried to explain Twitter to the group and the power of social networking. I am not sure everyone took me too seriously but Pat Whelan was definitely listening and he now has double my number of followers. He had the great idea to invite a panel of Twitter folk ( Twitterati ) and bloggers to cover the event. They sat alongside the Transition Year students participating in the Food Connect program and the hashtag #tippfood was a buzzing as the night went on.

The Tipperary Food Producers were genuinely humbled by the support from the public and we hope to build and improve on this going forward. Thanks to the Bloggers and Twitterati for their hard work.

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Susan Clooney writes…

Christmas Cookery Extravaganza

On the 10^th of November last the Tipperary Food Producers’ Network, in association with An Bord Bia, provided an evening of artisan food displays, tastings and cookery demonstrations at the Clonmel Park Hotel.  I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to form a Twitter panel with several others on the evening, an offer I couldn’t resist having a genuine interest in local products, especially those of the edible variety.

The crowd that turned up on the evening, despite the bad weather, was phenomenal.  About 500 people gathered in the hotel lobby, shortly before the event commenced, where wine was supplied by local wine specialist Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine.  From there they filtered through a hallway lined with food stalls where a variety of producers offered samples of breads, meats, icecream, cake, sauces, in fact, every type of food you could think of.  Once the enthusiast foodies had satisfied their curiosity, it was into the function room for the cookery demonstrations.

The kitchen set up was impressive.  At the top of the room a cooking area had been laid out with a huge mirror overhead that gave everyone a great view of the worktop area.  Two big screens were arranged at either side of the cooking area that meant no one missed out on the events of the evening.  Our Twitter panel sat at the back of the room and were able to view everything perfectly and, despite the chattering that usually goes on at the rear of any hall, we had no problems hearing what was going on at the top.

Nicola Beresford was our hostess and compere for the evening.  She introduced the chefs and did a marvellous job of keeping us informed on the various dishes that were being cooked up, and in keeping the evening flowing.

Throughout the evening, our mouths watered as the smells and aromas of freshly cooked meat, veg, herbs and spices wafted around the room.  Sheila Kelly from Bord Bia cooked up four different dishes, including Mexican Chilli Beef with Avocado dressing and spicy red pepper salsa, and Stir Fried Pork with Gingered Noodles, both of which I sampled afterwards and was very impressed with.  Sarah Baker (@sarahbakercooks) prepared Inch House Black Pudding tart tatin using Con Traas apples, served up with a relish from The Scullery.  Jane Boyce, one of four Masters of Wine in Ireland gave recommendations on wine to go with each dish.

Pat Whelan (of James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel), the Chairman of the Tipperary Food Producers’ Network, spoke about the Food Connect programme that links transition year students in eleven schools across North and South Tipperary with food producers in the community.  Some of the students, many of whom tweeted from the hotel that evening, were followed by RTE’s ‘Ear to the Ground’ for the week, as they worked with various producers and gained a valuable insight into business operations.  Ear to the Ground also filmed the Cookery Extravaganza and we can look forward to seeing coverage on our screens very soon.

When the cookery demonstrations were over people mingled in the foyer enjoying canapés and wine, all provided by the Tipperary Food Producers’ Network.  The feedback to the event was similar from everyone.  They’d enjoyed the evening, were armed with recipe ideas and booklets for Christmas, and were more aware of the excellent choice in good, fresh, wholesome produce available on their own doorstep.  For more information on Tipperary Food Producers, what they do, and other events, just log onto: http://www.tipperaryfoodproducers.com/

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Derry O’Donnell, publisher of Life & Fitness says…

It’s not often that you have something to look forward to in November. Generally it’s batten down the hatches and hold tight for Christmas. However, this year was different. Last Wednesday, 10^th November, The Tipperary Food Producers held a Christmas Cooking Extravaganza in The Clonmel Park Hotel, Clonmel. The weeks leading up to it were filled with anticipation. I was receiving press releases about the event and Twitter was alive with talk amongst foodies and folk living in Tipperary.

About a week or so before the night I received an invite from Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers to participate in a Twitter Panel whose job it was to tweet about the event on the night. Wow, I thought to myself, generally twitter distracts me from my job. At this, tweeting IS my job.

I’ve often been at events or occasions where a number of people and I have tweeted about what was going on at the time. But this was something new to me. This was an organised panel. And I mean organised. A room off the main bar was reserved for us. We were given tea, coffee and sandwiches before the main event. A table in the main hall was reserved for us. It had a sign on it ‘Twitter Panel’. Our usernames were printed on the sign! It was like being in a press box and I guess that’s what it was. But rather than journalists scribbling furiously into notebooks we were all tapping away on our laptops and iphones delivering live commentary to countless people. It wasn’t just written messages either. Photographs, video and audio were also being shared out to the World. ‘Tipperary’ and the hashtag #tippfood became trending topics on Twitter. I doubt there was a single person from Ireland on Twitter that night who wasn’t aware that a group of some of the finest food producers from Co. Tipperary had something cooking.

I was also pleasantly surprised and bemused to discover some transition year students from my old school St Josephs College, Borrisoleigh were also on the panel. They were part of the Food Connect Program run in conjunction with the Tipperary Food Producers. How times have changed, I thought. There were no mobile phones back in my school days, let alone Twitter.

The event itself was very professionally organised. Locally produced juices and wine were available in the hotel lobby on arrival. Trays of delicious canapés containing mouth watering samples of some of the food producers products were passed around.   Members of the Tipperary Food Producers had stalls along the walls of the corridor leading up to the main hall. You could chat with the owners, sample their produce and buy some to take home. The main hall had a fantastic set up. A large screen beside the stage showing what was happening on stage ensured no one missed a thing.

Bord Bia Chef Sheila Kelly began the cookery demonstration. Equipped with a radio microphone and excellent amplification every member of the audience could also clearly hear her instructions. A mirror overhead the worktop angled to face the audience meant you could see every slice and dice.

Jane Boyce a Master of Wine also provided some insightful snippets during the night. Cooking demonstrations were also provided by Sarah Baker of Cloughjordan Cookery School and Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers.

Outside in corridor it was great to get a chance to have a quick chat with some of the Tipperary Food Producers. Veronica Molloy of Crossogue Preserves had a wonderful display of jams and chutneys. Crossogue Preserves was the overall winner of the 2009 National Enterprise Awards County Competition.

I was speaking to Mags Bergin of Mags Home Baking when it transpired that we have spoken on the phone several times over the years but had never met before. This was due to her husband Pat, who runs a successful picture framing business in Nenagh. A slice of her bread with some Cooleeney cheese is simply divine.

It was truly wonderful to be part of such a positive night. A dark November night that brought a capacity crowd of around 500 people to celebrate what Tipperary has to offer.

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Mag Kirwan (@goatsbridge) says…

I spent an absolutely fantastic evening g at the Food Extravaganza in Clonmel last week. As you can see from the panel (photo above)  I was in very good company indeed.

The idea was very novel and I think it was a great way to communicate to the outside world the great work being done in Tipperary to promote the local artisan food movement.

From my point of view I think it was a good opportunity to meet some of the food producers I have learned to admire over the last few years and I also think it is very important to share ideas and hopefully work closely with them in the future.

Hats off to all involved but make no mistake we in Kilkenny will be back next year for the all-Ireland hurling final. They have started on their diet of trout already!!

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Michael Clarke, ClonmelInfo, says …

Christmas Cookery Extravaganza 2010

I have just attended the Christmas Food Extravaganza at the Clonmel Park Hotel and I must say it was a pleasure to be there.

As we entered the Hotel the crowd of people, I believe 500 in total were sampling various foods and drinks from the Tipperary Food Producers Stalls

James Whelan Butchers
Crossogue Preserves
Cooleeney Cheese
Brownes Soup
Mags Home Baking
The Cookie Jar
Crowe’s Farm
Red Nose Wine
The Scullery
Inch House
Hickeys Bakery
The Apple Farm
O Donnells Crisps
The Auld Mill Bakery
Fine Foods Cashel
Boulaban Farm Ice Cream

The Stalls went all the way to the ballroom where the cookery display was been held by Sheila Kelly of Bord Bia and Sarah Baker of The Sarah Baker Cookery School.

To add to this fine presentation was Jane Boyce Master of Wines offering her tips on which wines would go well with certain foods.

A special well done to the hostess on the night Nicola Beresford who asked the questions most of us were thinking and offered her tips and opinions during the course of the evening.

Overall the night was fantastic, it is great to see such variety of food and more to the point sourced right here in Tipperary. The quality of cooking was, let just say mouthwatering and leave it at that.

Congratulations to Pat Whelan and all at Tipperary Food Producers for organising the event, may it be the first of many.

And to my fellow tweeters well done on a good nights tweeting @ #tippfood

@Bibliocook @Derryo @brianpcleary @Queenofpots @keithbohanna @goatsbridge @omaniblog @anygivenfood @rogeroverall

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Roger Overall writes…

There I was, sitting at the back of a hall filled with 500 people, mostly housewives it seemed to me, watching cookery demonstrations at the “Food Extravaganza” organized by the Tipperary Food Producers Network. I was in one of the special seats, those reserved for the select few: the twitterati who had been invited to tweet live from the event.

What on Earth was I doing there?

Why would I travel over an hour on a wet Tuesday evening to tweet for several hours about a food event in Clonmel without any obvious compensation? Sure, it was an ego-massage to be invited, but did I seriously have nothing better to do with my evening than bother my twitter followers with a string of tweets about a food event?

Why indeed?

The short answer is: relationships.

My dream assignment would be to document a year in the life of a vineyard. I’m not overly fussy where the vineyard is located, though France would be preferable. Bordeaux would be nice. The Loire valley acceptable. Honestly, though, I wouldn’t turn anyone down as long as they were good people.

That’s still some distance from a wet Tuesday in Clonmel, but bear with me.

Wine is part of a wider interest of mine. Food and drink.

I’m not a foodie per se. I talk a good game, but I simply don’t have the time to satisfy my interest in the kitchen or at the tables of Co. Cork’s great food outlets.

Nevertheless, I can say this: I have rarely been happier than when I’m photographing passionate food producers. I enjoy their company, their stories, their insights, their enthusiasm. I’ve been very fortunate to have photographed with several superb food producers in Ireland: Burren Smokehouse, Ummera, Ardsallagh Goats Cheese, O’Keeffe’s Bakery, Old Mill Confectionary, Follain to name a few that come readily to mind.

Being asked to attend a Tipperary food event was like waving catnip in front of a kitten. It would bring me into a new sphere of food producers. Who knew what relationships I might strike up?

Besides, the timing was perfect. I’m on a mission to expand my food portfolio. To this end, I’m selecting food producers to shoot personal projects with. Each one will result in a book. Once I have a series of these books, I’ll start approaching the big names in the business. The names you know. But first I need subjects to photograph for the portfolio books.

So how did I get on?

Well, I have arranged to explore the possibility of a documentary project with Pat Whelan, a truly visionary butcher. He is an interesting man and he has a story to tell. I would not have had the chance to meet him had I not agreed to tweet about the Tipp “Food Extravaganza”.

Additional benefits? It flushed out the foodies among my own followers on Twitter, providing us with yet another basis on which to deepen our relationships. And I met a whole new group of interesting tweeters to follow.

Besides, there was some very tasty food on offer.

_______________________________________

Paul O’Mahony (@omaniblog) MarketingWriteNow says…

It was a flattering surprise to get an invite from Pat Whelan.  I hadn’t a clue who he was, his business, reputation, connections… anything.  But the fact that a stranger took the trouble to invite me to an intriguing event in Clonmel whetted my appitite.

The thing that turned me on most of all was the link between food producers of Tipperary & the coming generation. Young people learning about food production, food presentation & the marketing of Tipperary thru new media was the clincher for me.

It pushed all my buttons.

I did all due diligence: found out lots about the butcher-on-line.  It was great that I already knew Susan Cloonan (@queenofpots).  But it was wonderful to find myself in the companyof so many new people  who are so active on social media.

Yes –  the heroes of the event were Tipperary Food Producers Network.  The buzz they attracted was marvellous.  But without the connection to the Transition Year students from St Joseph’s College (@st_joes_college) I wouldn’t have been half as excited.

Irish people (British too) love audio.  The angle I hit on was to make a series of AudioBoos before, during & after the event – as a sort of campaign to spread the buzz.  You can listen to the complete set of recordings below.

Collaborating is the name of the game?

Tipperary Food Producers collaborated.  Students collaborated. We collaborated.  Pat Whelan went out of his own business to build links with others in many directions. We have practised the skill of collaborating. Why?  Because it’s fun, intelligent, necessary… Because it’s stupid not to.

The art of collaborating is a sacred ritual – part of the most ancient art animals have evolved.  We humans live in the forcefield created by dual polarities: self & social.  I could indulge myself by launching into a tirade against the lack of collaborating skill I’ve experienced in various places.  But Tipperary people collaborated well. I feel encouraged by their example.

It was great fun. In my business fun matters.  My aim is to help others make a living while enjoying the process.  This experience has reinforced my hope that this is the best way.  The anthem “Thank you Pat” is right.

AudioBoo recorded before the event:

10 November – It’s a long way to Tipperary

10 November – Good Food Ireland in Tipperary

10 November - Arriving at  Clonmel Park hotel for the event : students, Cooleeney cheese, Roger Overall

AudioBoo recorded at the event:

10 November – Meeting the Twitter Panel: @queenofpots, Brian Cleary (Clonmel Chamber), @bibliocook

10 November – Interviewing Ann Power from  PowerHousePR – a surfer from Tramore

10 November – Listening to Sheila Kelly Bord Bia demonstrating & Master of Wine & reporting on students

10 November – Sounds of demonstration, Twitter Panel working,  live-streaming by @anygivenfood, @goatsbridge too

10 November – Jane Boyce wine master in action – the sound of her voice speaking

10 November – RedNoseWine & Ice Cream interview with Michael Cantwell from Boulabán Farm

10 November - Nora from Inch House Black Pudding, Michael Cooleeney Cheese from Moyne

10 November –  Gary Gubbins RedNoseWine Ciaran Rooney winemaker, @garyvee story, @curiouswines

10 November – Hickey’s Bakery Barm Brack – interview

11 November - Pat Whelan – interview recorded on the night of the event (ends abruptly due to battery ran out)

AudioBoo  recorded after the event:

18 November – Reflections from Cork on the process of putting a collaboration together

This is the second attempt at this article. When I wrote the first, it was on the back of hitting a creative wall and not knowing what to talk about. Inspiration, for use of a better word dragged me into a political and social rant. I will shelve that article and save the argument for when Pat or Miriam ask me to rant in the centrally approved forum that is RTE 1. Until that happens, I will bring you sunshine and rainbows with a side of wonderful wine.

Tipp Food goes on and on

If you buy the paper on Wednesday you are no doubt very excited about tonight’s Tipperary Food Producers Extravaganza. If it is later in the week, you are in awe of the wonderful food (and wine) on your doorstep and can’t wait to tell everyone about it. Alternatively, you missed the show and are avoiding all of your friends who were there, as they keep reminding you of how good it was. Wherever you fit in this little jigsaw please keep local business in your thoughts this Christmas. We need your support.

Jane Boyce MW and Pat Whelan discuss wines to go with Pat's recipes.

The Twitterati and Food Connect Program cover the Food Extravaganza

There are even more events to look forward to in the run up to Christmas. I had lunch last week with Gay McGuiness, the Kilkenny man who owns Domaine des Anges, the organic vineyard that lies in beautiful Provence, just over the hill from Chateauneuf du Pape. We are delighted to announce that the winemaker, Ciaran Rooney will be visiting Clonmel on November 24^th and taking part in a wine dinner in Befanis.

Kilkenny & Tipperary meet again

Myself and Fulvio have been trying to organise a wine dinner for a long time, so I am delighted that it is with one of my own personal favourites. Places are limited and selling very well so if you want 5 different wines and a 4 course dinner for only 45 Euros, please contact Red Nose Wine or Befanis to get your ticket. There will be special prizes on the night as well.

I wrote about my visit there this summer, and will not wax lyrical about the room with the view this time. I will talk more about the wines and why they are constantly being reviewed as among the very best in France. Tomas Clancy gave them a huge write up in last week’s Sunday Business Post (although he forget to mention Red Nose Wine), and Oz Clarke has them in his 250 Great Wines book every year. My old friend Jancis Robinson is also a big fan.

Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine with Gay McGuiness at Domaine des Anges

As well as the quality, the most consistent message from them all is the value. These are very well priced and if you don’t want to pay for Chateauneuf du Pape or White Burgundy, then you would do a lot worse than try these. They have been one of my big success stories this last year.

Some Tasting Notes

The Reds are based around Syrah and Grenache, the classic Rhone Valley varieties. The Classic cuvee (i.e. the cheap one) is dominated by Grenache just like its illustrious neighbour in Chateauneuf. The nose is a mix of raspberries, cranberries, chocolate, and liquorice with subtle notes of thyme and rosemary. But will we like it Gary? I believe that you will if you like full bodied wine with a long silky finish. I think it tastes much better when decanted and there is not a lot of 12 Euro wines you can say that about.

Domaine des Anges

The L’Archange Red is a huge step up in quality and this Syrah dominated wine from old vines is a star. A Northern Rhone Syrah is one of the iconic wines in the world and usually has an iconic price to match. The likes of Jaboulet La Chapelle can put you back some serious money. The L’Archange is under twenty and offers spices such as nutmeg and clove complete with ripe blackcurrant and plum on the nose. The palette explodes with rich, ripe fruit and a refreshing note of lemon thyme all supported by spicy tannins. The finish is full, round and lingers long in the mouth. I cannot wait to try this with Befanis fillet of beef on November 24^th.

Del Boy Trotter’s favourite wine

While comparisons with its Fancy Dan Red Wine neighbour over the hill are the most obvious, the critics would tell you that the real stars are the white wines. Tomas Clancy from the Sunday Business Post thoughts is closest to my own on the top wine. “For me, the star of Domaine des Anges, it makes only 750 cases a year as it is a single vineyard wine. Barrel-fermented Rousanne, letting the wine sit on its lees, and ageing in oak provides the kinds of kid-glove treatment you expect of a flashy and expensive Burgundy”. High praise indeed. This is an allocation wine for me. That means I can only get a very small amount every year. I have six cases to get me to the next vintage. We’ll drink at least one of those at the dinner, so hurry up.

 The Hills are Alive…. with Acidity

White wine from Provence is not supposed to taste like this, and the reason that it does? The vineyard is situated on a hillside facing Mont Ventoux, “The Giant of Provence”, which rises to 1912m in altitude. The mountain has a profound influence on the climate of the vineyards with cool evening breezes refreshing the vines in summer after the day’s intense heat, and so enabling the vines to maintain high natural acids and elegant tannins.

In fact, the best white wines from traditionally warm parts of the world nearly always share this altitude and cooling effect. The great white wines of the Loire Valley and Burgundy are much more northern so the climate gives them this coolness that acidity demands.

 Hollywood is coming

As I write this, tomorrow sees another new wine departing the vineyard for Red Nose Wine. I wrote about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s vineyard in Provence earlier this year and I am delighted to say that the wonderful Chateau Miraval is on the way. This is another Provence wine that sits high up in the hills, beside my old favourite Chateau Margui. I am delighted that Ciaran Rooney will be the star of Red Nose Wine’s first wine dinner and we are planning more. Will Brad and Angelina attend one of these? If they do, it will be first refusal for the people who attend the other ones.

Chateau Miraval

If you want to taste Domaine des Anges but can’t make the dinner, don’t forget we are having our very first portfolio tasting in Hickeys Cafe at the Westgate in Clonmel on December 9^th. There won’t be the usual winemaker talk and taste format. We will have a huge amount of wines open and it will be very informal as you taste what you want in a very social atmosphere. There will be food and maybe even some music – I will need to restring my guitar. I will have everything opened from the 8 Euro everyday wines to the seriously complex superstar wines. Book your tickets now.

Don’t forget to log onto the blog at www.rednosewine.com/blog or follow the ranting on Twitter – www.twitter.com/rednosewine

Please have a look at our Facebook site and ‘Like’ Us so we can share all the photos with you. Feel free to share this page with your friends and enemies.

For anyone who would like more information and can’t make it into the shop, please feel free to contact me at info@rednosewine.com

“Life is much too short to drink bad wine”

This article starts with the sole purpose of being optimistic in a time that it is difficult to be optimistic in. I gave up watching the news a long time ago. It really served no purpose to be exposed to negativity all of the time. This article is inspired by a virtual conversation I had with a wine blogger this morning. To clarify, the blogger does exist in real life as well, and goes by the name of The Grapes of Sloth. The virtual aspect of it came via the magic of Twitter and that crazy old thing called cyber space.

I am sending out samples to journalists at the moment about the two new vineyards I have brought in from the Languedoc. These are what are referred to as the next icon wines. By this I mean, wines that are relatively unknown within the public arena, but are garnishing phenomenal reviews worldwide from critics. Another way to see them is wines that are perceived as expensive and hard to sell.

8 – 12 Euro Wines

This was the point my esteemed blogger friend made. Is this the time to bring in these kinds of wines? This is where the optimism I spoke of in the first paragraph is required. I know that most of the wine I sell will be between 8 and 12 Euros. I accept and understand that, but people will not experience these unique wines if somebody doesn’t take a risk to import and sell them.

I enjoy the challenge of finding the cheaper wines of quality and am delighted every time a customer comes back and raves about a Pinot Grigio that I sold them for 8 Euros. The fact that I am exceeding their expectations and the wine is cheaper and better than the ones they have being buying is very rewarding. It is the bread and butter of what I try to do. When I get these wines into restaurants and hotels, I am equally delighted. Cheap wine does not need to be bad quality.

Someone has to be the Fool

I could not sell the everyday wine if it did not allow me to find, taste and sell the special wines. Though there is only a small amount of people who end up buying them, I love being the fool who imports them. Some people will never get to taste and appreciate them, but they might. These wines are the very definition of a ‘hand sell’. You must sell the story and the winemaker as well as the wine. Why is it costing 20 Euros and why is it such good value at that price. The wines must not only live up to the “story”, they must exceed it.

A man called Pascal

Pascal Fulla owns a vineyard called Mas de L’Ecriture in a region known as the Terrasses du Larzac in the Languedoc. He sold up his share in a small airline and transferred his legal perfectionism from the rule of law, to that of nature. He is known as someone who believes in detail and the meticulous attention he gives to his wines is testament to this. Each individual plot is harvested, vinified and aged separately. Like all the great wines, the yield is ridiculously low. These are among the principle reasons wines like this cannot be sold for under 10 Euros.

Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine and Pacal Fulla of Mas de L'Ecriture

What does Gordon sell?

These wines are currently more or less unknown in Ireland, but if you bought a lottery ticket in Donnybrook recently and fancy a nice lunch, apparently Heston Blumenthal has a nice Three Michelin starred restaurant in the UK. He also sells these wines as does the other master of Michelin, Gordon Ramsey. The leading worldwide critics such as Jancis Robinson and Robert Parker have heaped praise on this estate.

The new Claret?

I am not suggesting that you abandon your budget and your sense and rush to Red Nose Wine to buy these wines. They will not interest most of you. However, for those of you who do occasionally treat yourself to a good bottle of Bordeaux, or a fancy Australian Shiraz. I am suggesting that you save yourself some money, and try these wines.

A good street corner in Bordeaux

Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be

People of a certain vintage often call into me and tell me of the times when good Bordeaux was affordable. The wines that now make their way to China for over one thousand Euros a bottle, used to be affordable for a special Sunday dinner. It is my belief that these kinds of wines are now the modern day equivalent. In case you were wondering, we are talking about 20 Euros, not 50 for these wines.

Last chance for Tickets

I have been talking about the upcoming Tipperary Food Producers Christmas Extravaganza for the last few articles and tickets have been selling very well. I still have more, so don’t leave it too late to get yours. I know that Pat Whelan has a great piece written about it this week so rather than try and compete with the published author, I would urge you to go to Pats blog and read his piece. I am only mildly jealous about the book Pat.

Domaine des Anges Dinner

If that’s not enough, Red Nose Wine is delighted to announce that Ciaran Rooney of Irish vineyard Domaine des Anges in Provence is visiting us on November 24th. Rather than do a formal tasting, we are going to have a wine dinner in Befanis restaurant. It promises to be a great night with super food being matched to beautiful organic wines. There has already been huge interest so I would suggest you contact Red Nose Wine or Befanis to reserve your seat.

Don’t forget to log onto the blog at www.rednosewine.com/blog or follow the ranting on Twitter – www.twitter.com/rednosewine

Please have a look at our Facebook site and ‘Like’ Us so we can share all the photos with you. Feel free to share this page with your friends and enemies.

For anyone who would like more information and can’t make it into the shop, please feel free to contact me at info@rednosewine.com

“Life is much too short to drink bad wine”

Last year around this time I wrote a piece on a Hungarian wine known as Bulls Blood. It was supposed to be a tip of the hat towards Halloween with the Blood reference. At some point I must have thought that I would consider bringing the wine into Ireland. Well that’s not going to happen anytime soon I am afraid. The market is not quite ready I think. We have a few more bottles of Merlot and Pinot Grigio to sell. It’s a shame as it is a really good hearty wine.

The Irish Times agree

I was interested to note in the weekend edition of the Irish Times that John Wilson covered the same ground as I did recently when breaking down the price of a bottle of wine. The only slight difference was that he has the final margin a little higher than I had. Maybe I need to put up the prices. Thunderbolts and Lightening, I think I am selling my wine too cheap. When this gets out we will need to install the crowd control grids again. All joking aside, I encourage you to look up Saturdays Times online and read about the pricing of wine in this country and how the government are talking such a huge cut. When the budget comes out, we may need to revisit it, so get your wine before Mr. Lenihan sucks the soul from the country.

I now banish this mention of the evil day to the toilet of inevitability. Instead, I will return to some of the characters I met on my recent trip to Italy. I deliberately took a little break from introducing them, as I was conscious of diluting what was a really educational and delicious trip to Italy. In some ways I am saving the best for last, as the remaining two winemaking families are iconic and have been for many years. Their very names evoke the heart of Italian white wine excellence.

The Hills of Soave

Soave People

The Italian region of Soave got a bad name for a number of years as a change in Italian law expanded the region from its historical base in the hills around the medieval village of Soave. An historical and small area around a little village expanded into a huge area of commercial high yielding vines. So, now much like Burgundy, it is very important to know and trust the producer.

The KIngs of Soave

The very first bottle of wine to call itself Soave came from the Pieropan estate in the early 1930s. Founded by Leonildo Pieropan in 1890 and subsequently run by his two sons, Fausto and Gustavo, it was the youthful enthusiasm of his grandson Leonildo, known as Nino, that revolutionised it. Nino and Teresita run the company now and have been joined by their sons, Dario and Andrea.

Screwcaps and Classicos

Despite this link to tradition, they are pioneering screwcaps on classified Italian wines. They are determined that screwcap is the way forward and their Soave Classico wines reflect this. However, they were forced to reluctantly abandon the Classico denomination to achieve this. When you buy a bottle of Pieropan Soave you are actually getting a bottle of Soave Classico. Forget under cost rubbish wines, that is real value.

Jane Boyce MW listens beside the old bamboo drying Table

The mighty Oz is a fan

Oz Clarke ( who was in the first Superman film ) agrees and says “when the right grapes were grown in the right vineyards and turned into wine with skill and care, Soave was, and is, one of Italy’s loveliest white wines. This has a comehither scent of ripe apple and soft leather with just a whiff of tobacco and white peach. The flavour is subtle yet delightful: a tiny nip of grape skin tannin is easily disarmed by scented lemons and stones, a whisper of violet, a dash of creamy softness – succulence in pastel shades.” Flowery words indeed from Mr. Clarke, but good Soave is known as the Chablis of Italy and anyone who has tasted great Chablis will absolutely love this.

Darius Pieropan gives us the tour

That restaraunt in Verona

A few people have asked me about the restaurant in Verona that I mentioned in a previous article. It is called Trattoria al Pompiere and has a website at www.alpompiere.com. If you are planning a trip to Verona, I would very much recommend this little piece of heaven. I can still taste the Amarone Risotto. It is a few steps from the Romeo and Juliet balcony, so if you need romantic inspiration, may I suggest a meal here followed by a squeeze under the balcony. If he or she is not butter in your arms at this point, you still have the ancient open air opera, which is about three minutes walk away. “Buona Fortuna”.

A good table in Verona

Food Extravaganza

There has been a huge uptake in tickets for the Food Extravaganza in the Clonmel Park on November 10th. Held in conjunction with Bord Bia, this promises to be a great evening. Jane Boyce MW will be on stage and matching wines to the food that Pat Whelan among others will be preparing. A lot of companies are using this as a team building night out and for 15 Euros it is great value. We want to show you what is on your doorstep and I think you will be amazed. Jamie Oliver and Richard Corrigan make TV shows about people like those in the Tipperary Food Producers. I urge you to come along and see what the term Taste the Difference really means.

A Very Tasty Wine Dinner

Red Nose Wine are starting to put final dates on our own more intimate wine evenings and we will be having an Irish winemaker in France over on November 24th. Ciaran Rooney of Domaine des Anges will host a wine dinner in Befanis restaraunt in Clonmel. They menu looks superb and I have never had a bad meal there. €45 for food and wine and a peek into the world of winemaking in Provence.

I am then planning on having an open house portfolio tasting on December 9th which will involve lots of wine open and little or no talking. I will pick the cream of the wines and open them up for a tapestry of wine. Be sure to get on the mailing list to get the information when it is hot off the press. Tickets will be limited. The competition for the Icon Wines from the Languedoc closes today, so if you are not Liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter – do it today. Winners will be announced on Facebook & Twitter.  

Don’t forget to log onto the blog at www.rednosewine.com/blog or follow the ranting on Twitter – www.twitter.com/rednosewine

Please have a look at our Facebook site and ‘Like’ Us so we can share all the photos with you. Feel free to share this page with your friends and enemies.

For anyone who would like more information and can’t make it into the shop, please feel free to contact me at info@rednosewine.com

“Life is much too short to drink bad wine”

As you all know, the Irish travel well, and have made great success of themselves across the globe. We all have the relations who made good in America. To this day Irish names resonate across the wine world. Bordeaux in particular has Lynch, Kirwan, MacCarthy, Barton and Phelan stil commanding prices and respect across the world.

Another Irish Family done good

The latter day Wine Geese found themselves moving a little further south and one of the great modern Irish vineyards is based in a wonderful little part of Provence. It is called Domaine des Anges and Kilkennyman Gay McGuinness owns it and Dubliner Ciaran Rooney makes the wines, and they have been fantastically received all over the world. They have been very popular in Red Nose Wine since we started taking them in.

After that rather long winded introduction, what’s the point. I am delighted to announce that Red Nose Wine is having a wine dinner with winemaker Ciaran Rooney on Wednesday November 24th in Befanis Restaurant in Clonmel Co. Tipperary.

Menu

This promised to be a fantastic night where a menu of fresh in season food will be prepared to match the artisan and organic wines of Domaine des Anges.

Gary Gubbins climbes the hill above Domaine des Anges

For those of you not familiar with the vineyard, it is basically “over the hill” from Chateaneuf du Papes and its Reds reflect the style, especially in its entry level offering. I would suggest the Archange is more like a nothern Rhone in style and the high altitude definetly helps here, but its whites are where the real surprise occurs. Countless critics from Oz Clarke to Jancis Robinson and Tomas Clancy have raved about these wines. I haven’t even told you the best bit. They are fantastically priced and a real bargain from €12.50 up Retail.

Tickets can be purchased from Red Nose Wine or from Befanis, but places are limited and with all the food and wine included for only €45, this could sell out very quickly.

Where to now on our rocky road through the technical aspects of tasting wine? Do we have to endure more statistical nonsense about sweetness and acidity? All we really want to know is if the wine tastes good. And so shout the gallery from the rooftops of my imaginary fanbase. Is anybody reading? Does anybody care? Well I can tell you that someone is reading because I got a fan letter. I am not sure they were supportive of the articles or not as it was a bit of a rant, but I am framing it and putting it on the toilet wall with my signed Maradona shirt. To answer the earlier question, yes we do have to endure more wine talk. It is a wine column after all.

Margaux or Pinot Grigio?

And so on to all things grapey, if such a word exists. I appreciate the recent articles may be a little heavy in terms of the technicalities behind wine tasting, so I think I will talk about something a little less taxing. To be honest, it is exhausting writing in that detail, so we’ll all take a week off. The break will do us good and we’ll be ready to talk about something magical or mystical next week. So what to fill the pages of the paper with in its place? I’m banned from talking about France for a while yet, and I have a few things on Italy planned soon. I think use the information we have been amassing these last few weeks should be used, so I will approach a sensitive subject on wine. Do people pretend to like complex and expensive wines because they think they should, when really they would prefer the cheap €10 euro bottle instead? When I attend family gatherings there is often a silent assumption that I will bring something nice to the table. I personally prefer to use up their current stock of Red Nose Wine so they will be forced to buy some more. In any case, I have often arrived with what would be referred to as a serious wine, with layers of complexity. It takes every amount of self control not to recite poetry on the spot; such is the inspiration within this liquid gold. It usually goes in two directions. One person claims to see the light and bows down in adulation before the alter of this most wondrous creation. The other finds it too tough and sneaks away to return with a nice and easy Pinot Grigio. The question is – who is right and who is wrong and is it fair to strip it down like this.

Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wine at Chateau Margaux

Days of Wine & Roses

I am not talking about the times when you are tired and want an “easy” wine by choice. I am talking about the wine when someone else is buying and money is not a major option. We can all close our eyes and remember the days of wine and roses. As the old song goes, “The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at play. Through a meadow land toward a closing door. A door marked “nevermore” that wasn’t there before”. I think that’s a good summation of the Celtic Tiger actually. Sometimes bitterness can add to the wine, but we’ll get back to the subject at hand.

For all the people who buy cheap new world wine. Are they wrong to like it? Should they aspire to something more. For me, and this is only my opinion, they are right and wrong at the same time. If they like it how can they be wrong, so in this regard they are right. However, as human beings we all should aspire to something better, and the Celtic Tiger proved where this can lead. With regard to wine this doesn’t have to more expensive, and negative equity probably won’t kick in between the purchase and consumption of the bottle. In fact, the ‘better’ wine can often be cheaper. If you recall the sugar article, the added sugar in a lot of the cheaper wines masks the true integrity of the wines, so a bad wine can be very drinkable. We all like a bit of sugar, and the global popularity of Coca Cola and chocolate can attest to this. I know I used to have a problem with Coca Cola ( I don’t want to use the abbreviated version in case there is a whole other misunderstanding ). I would drink a bottle of it without thinking and absorb the sugar at speed. I now only rarely have it, unless I am on holidays in the country I am not allowed to speak of. They still serve it in the tall glass bottle with ice and lemon. I can almost taste it. Maybe I still have a bit of a problem.

Coca Cola

Taste the Difference

The true essence of a wine is when it reflects the people who make it and the land where it comes from. If that is a wine style you don’t like, then that is fine. However, I do think we should all be drinking a wine in its purest form, and that doesn’t ecessarily mean organic. It means there is nothing added or taken away from the essence of the fruit, be it a very cheap wine or a hugely complex monster. There is always a temptation to say wonderful things about complex expensive wines as many people feel they should. I love it when people come into the shop and tell me they know nothing about wine and want me to recommend a wine. I try to determine if it’s for food or if they like it sweet or dry, and the vast majority of the time I will give them a cheap, cheerful but authentic wine. It is usually a cheaper wine because if they are not used to drinking it, the expensive one will be wasted. I love it even more when regular wine drinkers around the 9-11 euro mark ask me for something special. When you go above 12 euros towards the 15 euro mark you should be getting wines that really make you stop and think. No amount of added sugar can replicate this experience and I never tire of people coming back and telling me about tasting the difference. It took me a long time to appreciate the really complex wines and I am still learning and that is a really great part of the job. Ultimately you must enjoy the wine. It should not be hard work so I understand why my Pinot Grigio loving relation likes it so much. However, the same person will not be found hiding when a good bottle of Red comes around. I think it is much easier for the amateur wine taster to appreciate a fine red, compared to a fine white, but it could be argued that some of the world’s most interesting fine wines are white.

Kilkenny team sponsor a case of Wine

By the time you (hopefully) read this, the hugely popular Tipperary Food Producers Long Table dinner will have happened. I am supplying the Kilkenny owned Domaine des Anges for the dinner in The Old Convent. I asked the owner, Gay McGuiness to sponsor a case for the night, and he kindly agreed, but on condition. If Kilkenny win the All Ireland, I pay for the sponsored wine, and if Tipperary wins, he does. So, for all of you, who enjoyed this wonderful organic wine from Provence, be sure to shout for Tipperary on September 5th, or I will be broke. Please visit the website www.tipperaryfoodproducers.com to see highlights from the night.

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For anyone who would like more information and can’t make it into the shop, please feel free to contact me at info@rednosewine.com

“Life is much too short to drink bad wine”

The Irish are a tough bunch. I am just in from a very nice BBQ on the neighbourhood green. It is the 3^rd attempt ( in 3 years ) at it, but we would not let the rain dictate us this time. We stood out on the green in defiance until the drizzle stopped and the sun ( almost ) came out. It was a coming together of neighbours and the local butcher, baker and wine merchant supplied the goods. I spent last Saturday at another barbeque with Pat Whelan at his Oakville emporium of all things nice and tasty. I was giving out free samples of artisan wine to match Pat’s artisan food. One lady came out laden down with meat and before I could offer her a taste, she pronounced that she was a pioneer. I looked at her bag of meat and said, “It could be worse, you could be a vegetarian”. She laughed, but still didn’t break her pledge. However, I have no doubt that she was stocking up for a wonderful party with friends and family, and it is interesting to see the change in people’s attitude to eating and drinking at home. What was great at our local event tonight was that everyone pitched in and brought a plate and did their bit. I grew up in Cherrymount in the 70s and 80s and we would regularly be in our neighbours houses. They were dark days but people knew no better is what they tell us. I think that the current recession ( or maybe it’s a cultural shift ) is making people re-evaluate their social venues. I still like a night out, but it’s nice to meet the neighbours as well.

Leaving the Rat Race

The last leg of my French odyssey took place from Carcassonne to Bordeaux with a stop in the Dordogne valley along the way. I visited Sean and Caroline Feely of Chateau Haut Garrigue. Some of you will know them from one of our first tastings with Caroline in 2008. Others will know them from their cover story on the Irish Times or maybe it was the big TV feature on Nationwide last November. They get a lot of press and for a variety of reasons. Tomas Clancy of the Sunday Business Post calls their wines “a dazzling winery which is a model of organic and biodynamic excellence”. Their Bordeaux style blends have often been compared to a top end Bordeaux that sell for much more. If you ever want to try a 30 euro Bordeaux for half the price, try their red wines. Taste them blind and you will find it hard to pick it out. Regardless of all of this, their story is fascinating and they basically left the “rat race” of Dublin to start a new life in the country with their two young children. They somehow made it work and in a relatively short space of time, they have made superb wines that reflect both the land they come from and the people who make them. The really made me feel welcome and I wish I sold more of their wonderful wines than I do.

An evening with Brando & Pacino

I booked into a cheap hotel in the suburbs of Libourne, near St Emilion for my final night in France. I was expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised. My room was modern with a flat screen TV and the hotel was immaculate. I watched the Godfather in French in complete comfort. Both Marlon Brando and Al Pacino are still cool in French. There was a little restaurant downstairs and I had a fantastic meal for 12 euros. The jug of wine cost 4 euros. One thing I have learned on this trip through the cheap hotels of France is that the house wine is worth trying. In Ireland, the general rule is the house wine is not for drinking, unless supplied by Red Nose Wine of course. You are usually better to try the 2^nd or 3^rd wine on the list. However in France, if you visit places that the locals frequent, then they cannot afford to have bad house wine as the people will not come back. If you go to a tourist spot, you are fair game and you will often do well to get a bottle worth the price. Some of the best wines I drank ( as opposed to tasted for work ) on my trip were carafes of house wines. It’s great to find a cheap wine that you can enjoy.

A morning in St Emilion

Saint Emilion Terrace view

After my good meal, Italian mafia movie in French and power shower the next morning, I headed to the beautiful village of St. Emilion for lunch. I don’t know if the paper has room to print the photo I will send them, but there was a great view from the terrace of the bistro. If you are planning a wine holiday, and don’t want to go too far, St. Emilion is not a bad spot. There are flights to Bordeaux from Waterford and Cork and the village itself is stunningly picture postcard. I would advise strongly against buying any wine in the village itself. Very overpriced, and it is much more fun to go to the local winemakers. I can suggest some good ones to visit if you are planning such a trip. After my picturesque lunch, I headed to the Medoc region of Bordeaux and found myself outside some of the most beautiful and impressive chateau in the world. The villages of Pauillac, Margaux, St Julien and St Estephe are the money villages of French wine. This is where you will find Mouton Rothschild, Lafite, Latour, Chateau Margaux, Leoville Las Cases, and Lynch Bages. You need an appointment made months in advance to visit some of these places. I was visiting a family vineyard in the middle of all this that I import from and their pricing reflects the reality of market, unlike Lafite who’s opening en Primeur price of 1,150 euros a bottle is aimed at the Chinese market. So, amongst this wealthy land, my trip came to an end and I was happy to be back in Clonmel to meet my customers last week. I met some great people and tasted some great wines on this trip but the big thing that I am taking away is that my instinct of moving away from Bordeaux towards more southern based wines was right. The wines of the south really outshone those of Bordeaux in terms of style, price and originality. I will stock both, but the biggest choice and most exciting wine will come from the south.  I look forward to you tasting them soon.

Decisions Decisions

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For anyone who would like more information and can’t make it into the shop, please feel free to contact me at info@rednosewine.com

“Life is much too short to drink bad wine”