News / Ballymaloe

 

  On Friday March 6th, The Cork French Film Festival will be screening the Irish Premiere of Jonathan Nossiter's Natural Resistance at Ballymaloe House Grainstore, Shanagarry, Co.Cork. Natural Resistance is a movie/documentary about 4 Italian Natural winemakers. The screening will be followed by an Italian inspired rustic supper and 4 wines made by producers featured in the movie will be served to accompany Gillian Hegarty's (Ballymaloe House Head Chef) dishes. We are delighted to have been asked to supply the wines for this brilliant event. Furthermore, Doug Wregg of Les Caves de Pyrene, the largest importer and ambassador of Natural Wines in the UK will introduce both the movie and Naural wines in general. Tickets for the evening can be purchased here   We hope you can join us!  

Ballymaloe Grain Store was the venue for our ‘Real wines – Celebrating the Artisan growers’ presentation last Sunday. Pascal Rossignol of Le Caveau was joined by Eric Narioo  owner of Les Caves de Pyrene, a UK wine importer championing the cause of Natural wines and his wife Anna Martens, owner/winemaker of Mount Etna winery Vino di Anna.  Once again, we greatly appreciated the impeccable organisation of Ballymaloe, lead by sommelier Colm McCan and his team. We presented 8 wines, each of them bursting with individuality, charm and life. Answering a question during the presentation Eric Narioo predicted that in 20 years, most wines would be produced naturally, given the overwhelming enthusiasm with which an entire new generation of winegrowers around the World are embracing these methods. The demand is certainly growing, with the ‘natural wine bar scene’ in major cities such as New York, London or Paris still in full swing and with more and more restaurants allowing greater space to Artisan wines on their lists. In effect, Natural wines may never replace conventional wines, but they certainly offer a brilliant alternative to wine drinkers in search of emotion and authenticity,  and as in the words of Patricia Nelson recently posted on Slow Food website

‘In the end, there is definitely room to accommodate both markets. Natural wines counter what seems to be increasing homogeneity, and it is heartening to see producers and retailers embracing craft practices while creating products that do not present an ever-pervasive sameness.’

Wines We Presented At Ballymaloe Grain Store

• ‘Pink bulles’ Pet Nat Gamay rosé by Jean Maupertuis (Auvergne, France)
• 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)

Just back from the first edition of Ballymaloe LitFest, and what a wonderful week-end that was;  the line-up of International and Irish speakers was unique, and so was the quality of the presentations, forums, pop-ups, tasting and demos. No doubt as Food and Wine festivals go,  there will be a pre and a post-LitFest. On the wine side, there was a mountain of interesting events, Ballymaloe resident-Sommelier Colm McCan  lined up an impressive list of talks, tasting and presentations, Our own presentation with Mary Dowey 'Going Natural, new trends in wine'  went really well - we had a full house at the Carrigaun Room, and the wines showed very well. The themes of the presentations were: Biodynamic Wines, illustrated with Valpolicella Classico 'Saseti' 2011, Monte dall'Ora Natural wines, Vouvray 'la dilettante' 2011, Pierre et Catherine Breton No Sulphites added, Vina Almate Tempranillo 2012, Alfredo Maestro Tejero Old Vines, Vinsobres 2010, Chaume-Arnaud If you want to read more about our event and the LitFest festival, look-up Billy Lyons' excellent blog here   The next day, it was Jancis Robinson's inspiring 'Wine Grapes' presentation and tasting. Jancis lined-up 8 wines, including two of our imports: Chateau du Cedre, Cahors Cuvée GC 2007 Charles Hours Jurancon 2011 'Clos Uroulat' Read Jancis Robinson own report here   And to the Big Shed... what a brilliant place to be, the food, the atmosphere, the family-friendliness, and the party atmosphere in the evening were memorable. If you enjoyed the wines served there, chances are they were one of these: Alain Brumont, Gros Manseng-Sauvignon 2011, Pays de Gascogne Vouvray 'la dilettante' 2011, Pierre et Catherine Breton Valpolicella Classico 'Saseti' 2011, Monte dall'Ora   read more on what went on in the big shed in Joe McNamee's brilliant piece here   Full report on LitFest by John and Sally McKenna & Team here      

This coming May Bank Holiday week-end, the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine will bring some of the world’s best known chefs, critics, commentators, kitchen gardeners, foragers and wine experts to East Cork. The festival will be held at Ballymaloe House and Ballymaloe Cookery School. In addition to the usual festival activities (readings, talks, panel discussions) there will be demonstrations, tastings, producer visits, foraging expeditions, lunches and dinners. The objective of the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine is to bring together a wide, varied and international group of cookery writers, journalists, bloggers and critics whilst also offering a varied programme for professional and non-professional food enthusiasts from Ireland and abroad. We are delighted to be involved in what promises to be one absolutely brilliant week-end! see the full list of events here: http://litfest.ie/ and the wine events here: http://www.ballymaloe.ie/things-to-do/wine-events