News / natural wines

'Unicorns of the Jura' Wine event at L'Atitude 51, Cork

'Unicorns of the Jura' Wine event at L'Atitude 51, Cork

Thursday 23rd May, 2024

This evening we had the pleasure of introducing some very rare gems from the Jura to L'Atitude 51 customers. A mix of people from the Trade and regular L'Atitude events followers; it was an ideal audience and the best opportunity to open these wines which are so difficult to get, due to tiny production and very high demand. Sharing them with a maximum of interested people is Beverley and Davide's motto (Owner and Manager of L'Atitude)

The Jura, the tiniest of all French Appellation, producing between 0.2 to 0.5% of the country's production has had a revival of late, thanks to some of the very best Natural wine producers who hailed from this region. Long are gone the rustic, oxydative style of late, now the wines are 'ouillé' (barrels are constantly topped up to avoid the said oxydative style); they boast incredible precision, intensity and all sorts of minerals seem to make their way into these wines. When they hit right, they are unreal.

Average holdings for these growers are between 4.5 to 7 ha, and with the rude climate - late frost, heavy rain during flowering period, mildew, odium and hail storms, it is very rare indeed for them to ever have a full harvest. Combine this with tiny yields, very long elevages to see the fermentation through, and for most, a total dedication to only releasing the wines when perfectly ready; it is easy to imagine how tiny is their production.

On top of this, most of these growers have reached cult status in the World of Natural wines and beyond, their wines being in very high demand.

In this context, we opened and showcased 5 bottles, plus a mise-en-bouche from Les Cavarodes, a tiny production Mousseux 'La Bulette' (Sparkling, made from Chardonnay) to wet the palate.

In pure Jura style, we tasted the reds, then the whites.

Wine 1 came from Les Cavarodes also, a tiny estate located at the border between Jura and Doubs departments. The 4.5-ha farm is owned and run by Etienne Thiebaud, a disciple of late Pascal Clairet of La Tournelle.

Les Cavarodes, Pinot Noir 'Lumachelles' from the cool and austere 2021 vintage, was light, nervous and zesty. Beautiful Pinot character shines through, the finish was clean and long.

Wine 2 from one of the appellation's tenor, Jean-François Ganevat. JF or Fanfan needs very little introduction, he represents the 14th generation of this Jura vigneron family (since 1650!). He learned his trade in Burgundy, at Domaine Morey and returned to take over the family estate with his sister Anne in 1998. Today Ganevat is making some of the most exhilarating and sought-after wines in France, so much so, he was only the second Natural wine grower to be made 'Vigneron of the Year' by Revue des Vins de France. The estate is located in Rotalier, Southern Jura.

Domaine Jean-François Ganevat, Plein Sud 'Trousseau' from the solar and hot 2020 vintage, showed a lot of freshness and low alcohol (12%). The nose was enticing, a basket-full of red fruit, with almond and seeds, the palate was tightly knit and firm initially, it opened up with airing to a beautiful mouthful of ripe red fruit with perfect acidity and minerals.

In came the whites, with Wine 3 - whites are arguably, the real stars of the Jura. Domaine Bruyère-Houillon, from the village of Pupillin is a tiny 5-ha farm, owned and run by Renaud Bruyère and Adeline Houillon, who worked with Pierre Overnoy. They started in 2011, following the same ethics as legendary Pierre Overnoy. The wines quickly were recognised as some of the very best of the appellation.

Bruyère-Houillon Chardonnay 'La Croix Rouge' 2018 probably needed more time to open up (all bottles were opened 3 hours before kick-off and this one was double-decanted). Nevertheless, the wine was crisp, well delineated and impressive. The clean fruit with its backbone of minerals, were dancing on the tongue. From this wine onwards we started counting minutes, rather than seconds, when measuring its length. A beautiful bottle of wine, 6 years-old and with an ageing potential of double this.

Wine 4 was from the father of Natural wine, Pierre Overnoy. An immensely modest and humble 87-year old, semi-retired farmer and vigneron, who passed on his estate, his know-how and his beautiful approach to life, farming and winemaking to Emmanuel Houillon in 2001. Emmanuel came to work as an apprentice, more than a decade earlier, when he was a teenager and never left.

Pierre took over the vines side of the family farm in 1964, and decided then he would farm the traditional way. At the time, this meant without the newly 'discovered' and heavily promoted chemicals - herbicides, insecticides and whatever other cides. In the 80's he met Jacques Neauport (Jules Chauvet's aide), who was assisting vignerons to make great wines without the addition of SO2. Pierre never looked back, and despite extreme difficulty to sell his wines, the breakthrough came in the 90's when Japan and US importers discovered his wines. The sales before that were mostly directed towards the Paris natural wine scene, Alain Chapel's restaurant and some early private customers, found of Pierre's style.

Today, Pierre and Emmanuel could sell their entire harvest 3/4 times over, they apply the longest elevage ever seen anywhere, three weeks ago we received our yearly allocation, 6 half bottles of 1998 Savagnin ouillé were part of it. The wine remained and aged slowly in a large barrel for more than 20 years followed by 2 or 3 more years in these half bottles before release. This is an example which shows how far these two are prepared to go in order to obtain the best wine possible. Mind blowing.

Overnoy-Houillon, Chardonnay 2017 was monumental, a magical mix of subtlety and power, finesse and intensity. It is sometimes hard to describe certain wines with words, via tasting notes when what they trigger is emotion rather than just taste and smell. This was one such wine. Perfectly aired, served at the right temperature and shared with the perfect audience, it sang and danced on our palates for several minutes. 

Wine 5: Where to go from there, I hear you ask - well we had a bit of a dilemna, sometimes the wines of Overnoy-Houillon can show a little shy and austere, and are rarely the wines that shout the loudest. And sometimes they explode in something grandiose, like the above. At the opening of the wine, it is difficult to see which way they will go.

With this in mind, and knowing the true explosive potential of the wines of Master Kenjiro Kagami of Domaine des Miroirs, we decided his Savagnin 2019 had the right pedigree to finished such a wonderful tasting.

Kenjiro always loved natural wines, so much so he decided one day to leave his well-paid job as engineer at Hitachi Corp. in Japan to pursue what seemd like the craziest dream of all, learning how to make wine and set up an estate in far-away France. After completing an oenology course, he worked for Comte de Vögue in Chambolle-Musigny (Burgundy), then three natural wine growers, Thierry Allemand, Bruno Schuller and finally JF Ganevat. Making Jura-style wines was Kenjiro's dream, so he was going to settle in Jura. Jean-François Ganevat helped him to find a vineyard and chai in Grusses, a nearby village to Rotalier, in Southern Jura.

A 5-ha garden as Kenjiro refers to it, where cover crop and surrounding trees and bushes are left to grow wild. His yields are tiny at best of time, and almost inexistant when the elements work against him (as it has been the case for the last few years). From his first vintage in 2011, the wines captured the imagination, they have become some of the most sought-after anywhere in the World.

Domaine des Miroirs, Entre-Deux-Bleus Savagnin 2019: From the deep, almost amber colour of the wine to its purely scented nose of yellow fruit, fruit stones and crushed rocks, we knew we had something very special in our glasses. An exceptional presence on the palate, deeply mineral, 'stone juice' came to mind, intense fruit flavours mingling with clear-cut fruit acidity. The wine breathe freedom, it danced its way through the multiple layers of flavours. Complex, lengthy, balanced, precise, unique.

Thank you to L'Atitude Team for organising this beautiful event and for gathering such a lovely group of people.

 

 

 

 

 

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Chat, stories and natural wine tasting with Dónal Gallagher - Ballymaloe MayFair 2023

Chat, stories and natural wine tasting with Dónal Gallagher - Ballymaloe MayFair 2023

A Saturday to remember!

It was a real privilege to share the stage with Dónal Gallagher, listening to stories about his brother, the legendary Rory Gallagher touring the World.

Colm McCan and I tried to illustrate some of the countries / regions visited with a wine and the people behind it.

A full house at the Drinks Theatre, reminding us of the very best days at Litfest, the lovely and laid back Ballymaloe Grainstore May Fair Festival delivered the perfect platform for this memorable evening. 

One for the books as Colm put it.

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Vins de Copains 2023

Vins de Copains 2023

It's happening again!

The trio of specialist importers - Brian's wines, Le Caveau and Veraison - is hitting the road in May and will showcase 36 newly arrived, beautiful and exciting natural wines.

Check below where you can catch us:

 

Dublin:

Note Bar. Bistro. Bureau - Fenian Street, Dublin 2

Monday 15th May - Trade & Press: 3 to 7pm 
(Public: 5 to 7pm, pre-book your tickets with the venue)

 

Cork:

L’Atitude 51 - Union Quay, Cork City

Tuesday 16th May - Trade & Press: 3 to 7pm 
(Public: 5 to 7pm, pre-book your tickets with the venue)

 

 

Galway:

The Universal - William Street, Galway

Thursday 18th May - Trade & Press: 3 to 7pm 
(Public: 5 to 7pm, pre-book your tickets with the venue)

 

 

See you all there!

 

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Beaujolais Nouveau Day, drink Natural

Beaujolais Nouveau Day, drink Natural

The third Thursday of November marks the official release of the year's Beaujolais Nouveau. Typically harvested in September, the wine undergo fermentation and after few weeks left to settle, it is bottled and sent around the World, for people to celebrate and get a glimpse of what the year's vintage is like.

For the last 10 years, Le Caveau has focused in bringing those 'New Wave' or 'Natural' Nouveau, made by producers who work their land the organic way and most importantly, do not add anything to their wines. 

When you open a bottle of Nouveau by Jean Foillard, Rémi Dufaître or Jean-Claude Lapalu (amongst others), what you get is simply what's described above, pure Gamay juice, spontaneously fermented, settled and bottled without additives. They are the polar opposite of mass-produced Nouveau, in their appearance, taste and the philosophy behind it.

Parties and events around these Natural Nouveau are organised around the World, Paris 11th arrondissement being the epicentre. Ireland's wine bars, wine shops, restaurant and bars scene will be very active today and this evening.

If you want to see for yourself, what the fuss is all about, make your way to any of the venues listed below, and grab a glass or a bottle!

Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day!

Green Man Wines
L'Atitude 51
Loose Canon
Station to Station
Baggot Street
Le Caveau 
Brindle
Blackrock cellars
Paradiso
Ventry Post Office
Cass and Co
Frank's
Ballymaloe House
Nash 19
Savoir Faire
Rift Coffee Limerick
Saint-Francis Kinsale 
Universal Galway
Glass Curtain
Nell's Cork 
McGuinness Dundalk 
Ard Bia Galway
Good Day Deli
World Wide Wines
Fallon Byrne Wine store
Trinity Cellars
the Wine Pair
Lennox Street Café
Bridge Bar Restaurant
Cheese Press Ennystimon
Kalbos Skibbereen 
Pop up Wine Shop Grain Store Ballymaloe
O'Driscoll, Ballintemple
Curran Retailer Galway
Dodi Café Lahinch
Lilith Wines
Pete's Provisions 
11 Deli 
Allottment wines
Nude Wine Co.
Mardagh Howth
Sweeney's D3 
NOTE Wine Bar
Whelehan's Wines 
The Fumbally 
AVOCA Rahtcoole 
AVOCA Ballsbridge 
AVOCA Monkstown 
AVOCA Malahide 
Mitchell's Glasthule 
Mitchell's CHQ
Drink stores Stonybatter
The Corkscrew
Thai House Dalkey
Dooks Fethard 
Greenwich Cork 
Bradley's Cork 
Mc Curtain Cellars 
Manning's Ballylickey 
WunderKaffee Cork 
Pilgrims Rosscarberry 
The Lane Cheese & Wine Galway 
Mosaic Ballydehob 
Luna Killarney 
51 Cornmarket Cork 
Fota Island Resort 
Lignum Galway
Stranfield house

 

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Real Wine Month Ireland is back!

Real Wine Month Ireland is back!

MAY IS REAL WINE MONTH

After 2 years of absence, May 2022 will mark the return of Real Wine Month, the time we celebrate Organic, Biodynamic and Natural wine.

Look out for restaurants, wine bars, bars, cafés and wine shops around the Country who promote these wines. There will be many events organised and we will publish the list below.

WHAT IS REAL WINE?

‘Real wine’ is a term embracing wines that are made organically, biodynamically and naturally. By no means precise nor prescriptive it serves chiefly to highlight growers who work with minimal mediation, ideally to obtain the purest articulation of terroir, fruit and vintage.

All great wine begins in the vineyard and is ultimately the result of sensitive farming. It is important that growers farm sustainably and with a sense of environmental responsibility, ensuring the natural balance and health of the vineyard. The juice from the resultant grapes should then ideally, be guided to the bottle with the fewest manipulations in order to create a vital and singular – rather than an homogenous – product. This sympathetic interpretation and transformation of nature’s gifts lies at the heart of what makes a wine “real.”

EVENTS

Check for price, tickets, info with the venues

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5th May: Jura Night

A unique opportunity to taste 'Unicorn wines' from Jura - Expect the rarest and finest:  Kenjiro Kagami (Domaine des Miroirs), Overnoy-Houillon, Jean-Francois Ganevat, Domaine Saint-Pierre, Domaine Labet..

L'Atitude 51 Cork

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9th May: Bojo & Hotdogs

Beaujolais from superstars Foillard, Métras etc.. & Hotdogs (with Gubbeen sausages!) 

Table Wine, Dublin

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16th, 17th, 18th May: Vins de Copains Tastings

3 indie importers, specialising in Natural Wines join forces to pour 36 of their best, in an informal, fun and wine fair style!

Veraison - Le Caveau - Brian's Wines

16th May: Note Wine Bar, Dublin

17th May: L'Atitude 51, Cork

18th May: The Universal, Galway

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22nd, 23rd May: Real Wine Fair, London

The World's most amazing Natural wine fair returns to Tobacco Docks, London

The Real Wine Fair

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28th May: Natural Wine Masterclass

What is Natural Wine? What does it tastes like? How do you recognise it? Join this fun, interactive and educational Masterclass.

L'Atitude 51, Cork

 

Date TBA: Mentors of Natural Wine

Tasting the wines of Vignerons who have mentored/influenced the current wave of Natural wine producers.

Green Man Wines, Terenure, Dublin 6

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PARTICIPANTS IN IRELAND: 

 

Co. Clare:

This is it, Ennistymon

 

Co. Cork

Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry

Bradley's, Cork

Crawford Gallery Café, Cork

The Blackpig, Kinsale

Da Mirco, Cork

Dunmore House, Clonakilty

Garden Shop at Ballymaloe Cookery School

Glass Curtain, Cork

Good Day Deli, Cork

Ichigo Ichie, Cork

L'Atitude 51, Cork

Levi's Bar, Ballydehob

Liss Ard Estate, Clonakilty

McCurtain Street Wine Cellar, Cork

Nash 19, Cork

Nell's Wine Bar, Cork

Nico's, Schull

O'Driscoll's, Douglas

Paradiso, Cork

Pilgrim's, Rosscarbery

Pop up Wine Shop at the Grainstores, Shanagarry

Sage, Midleton

Saint-Francis Provisions, Kinsale

Sonflour, Cork

 

Co. Donegal:

Bridge Bar and Restaurant, Ramelton

 

Dublin:

Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 2

Bastible, Dublin 2

Commons Room, Trinity College, Dublin 2

Etto, Dublin 2

Fallon and Byrne, Dublin 2

Fish Shop, Dublin 7

Frank’s, Dublin 2

Fumbally, Dublin 8

Grano, Dublin 8

Green Man Wine, Terenure

King Sitric, Howth

Lilith Wines, Dublin 7

Loose Canon, Dublin 2

Martin's Off Licence, Fairview, Dublin 3

Note Wine Bar, Dublin 2

Table Wine, Dublin 2

Two Pups Café, Dublin 8

Uno Mas, Dublin 2

Woodruff, Stepaside

 

Co: Galway:

Ard Bia, Galway

Inis Meain Restaurant, Inis Meain 

Kai, Galway

The Lamplight, Clifden

Re_Galway, Salthill

Tartare, Galway

The Universal, Galway

 

Co. Kerry:

Watchhouse, Valentia Island

Sheen Falls Lodge, Kenmare

 

Co. Kilkenny:

Aran Bakery, Kilkenny

The Grapevine, Kilkenny

Le Caveau, Kilkenny

 

Co. Louth:

MacGuinness Wine Merchants, Dundalk

 

Co. Tipperary:

Dooks Fine Food, Fethard

 

Co. Waterford

Cass and Co, Dungarvan

World Wide Wines, Waterford

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Artisan Wine Tasting (Trade and Press)

We are delighted to announce the details of our forthcoming Portfolio tastings (Trade and Wine Press) The 2 tastings will take place in Dublin and Cork on 12th and 14th April respectively. We are thrilled to be bringing our 'show' to Cork for the first time this year, we are huge fans of the incredible diversity of the food scene there and we're delighted of the interest the Southern Counties are showing to our wines, We will showcase about 80 wines on both dates, focusing on organic, biodynamic and natural wines (April is Real Wine Month!) and we are thrilled that 11 growers will be present at the tastings: The estates represented will be: Chateau Turcaud (Bordeaux); Maison Ambroise (Burgundy); Bodegas Menade (Rueda); Wiston's Estate (UK Sparkling); Guy Allion (Loire); Cockagee Cider (Slane); Tour des Gendres (Bergerac); Beauregard-Mirouze (Corbieres); Clos de Caveau (Rhone); Taylor's & Fonseca Ports; Highbank Orchards Gin & Liqueur  

Drury Buildings

Le Caveau Artisan Wine Tasting

 Trade and Press Tuesday 12th April, 10.00 to 5.30

Drury Buildings

2nd Floor Drury Street Dublin 2 http://drurybuildings.com/

contact/enquiry: orders@lecaveau.ie

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Latitude-51-exterior

Le Caveau Artisan Wine Tasting

Trade and Press

Thursday 14th April, 10.00 to 5.30

L’Atitude 51

1, Union Quay Cork http://www.latitude51.ie/

contact/enquiry: orders@lecaveau.ie

See you there!  
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Real Wine Month Ireland 2015

real-wine-month

http://realwinemonth.com/

The Real Wine Month - May 5th to May 31st 2015

The second Real Wine Month will be taking place across Ireland between 5th and 31st May 2015 and we hope will build on the success of last year's promotion. Over 50 outlets participated last year and we hope even more will come on board this year! Focusing on highlighting and celebrating organic, biodynamic and natural wines, the promotion is open to restaurants, wine bars, cafes, hotels and independent retailers. Here at Le Caveau we are delighted to offer 10% on all our Organic, Biodynamic and of course Natural Wines! That's over 100 wines on offer!   Happy bargain hunting!  
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Mid-year Trade and Press tasting

Last Tuesday we held our second Trade and Press tasting of 2014 in Fallon and Byrne, where we showcased the new Burgundies sourced during our last buying trip (read here). We also showed the myriad of new wines that have been added to our list since February, wines we sourced/discovered in Barcelona wine show, Vinisud Montpellier and the Real wine fair in London. In all, 50 wines were tasted. A very good turn-out from leading restaurants, wine bars, specialist wine shops and wine writers combined with the wines showing particularly well on the day contributed to a very successful event. The line-up of new Burgundies was well received - Burgundy is a place where big and famous names reign supreme, and prices are quite high, so it was always going to be a nail-biting moment to unveil such a large selection of wines coming from relatively new, up and coming producers. The other regions and Countries did well too, Bodegas Menade was particularly well noted and so was Wiston Estate in Southern England and their stunning sparklings. Ville-Rouge in Crozes-Hermitage, Roches-Neuves in Saumur, Beauregard-Mirouze in Corbieres generated very positive feedback while the 2 'orange wines' from La Stoppa and Denavolo divided the tasters the most. Massive thanks to everyone who came, to Fallon and Byrne for their hospitality and sensational venue, and of course to Le Caveau sales team (pictured below)

Claire O'Boyle-Gallagher, Gary Byrne, Pascal Rossignol, Colm McCan

Claire O'Boyle-Gallagher - Gary Byrne - Pascal Rossignol - Colm McCan

2014tastingb         2014tasttingc

 
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The Real Wine Month - April 2014

RealWineMonth The Real Wine Month will be running throughout the whole of April to promote natural wines in Ireland and the UK. Natural wines are made from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention in the winery. The Real Wine Month will seek to highlight and celebrate these wines in restaurants and independent retailers by making them widely available for consumers to taste, and enjoy.   Over 40 participants so far and counting!   Participating restaurants (Ireland) : Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry Co.Cork Fallon and Byrne Restaurant, Dublin 2 Hatch & Sons, St-Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 Chapter One, Dublin 1 La Cave wine bar, Dublin 2 Café Paradiso, Cork Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore, Co. Waterford Zuni, Kilkenny Anocht @ Kilkenny Design Centre, Kilkenny Campagne, Kilkenny The Grapevine wine and tapas bar, Kilkenny Trinity College Cellars, Dublin 2 Etto, Dublin 2 DeVille's Restaurant, Dalkey, Co.Dublin The Arch Bistro, Churchtown, Dublin 14 Uki-Yo, Dublin 2 The Box Tree, Stepaside Village, Dublin 18 One Pico, Dublin 2 China Sichuan, Sandyford, Dublin 18 The Green House, Dublin 2 Marcel's, Dublin 4 The Cliff Townhouse, Dublin 2 The Black Pig Wine Bar, Kinsale, Co. Cork Ely Wine Bar, Ely Place, Dublin 2 Ely Bar and Brasserie Chq , IFSC, Dublin 1 Ely Gastro Bar Hq, Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2 Ghan House, Carlingford, Co.Louth Trax Brasserie, Naas, Co. Kildare Bouchon (Above Kavannagh's Pub), Naas, Co. Kildare Taste Matters, Loughrea, Co. Galway Inis Meain Restaurants and Suites, Aran Islands, Co. Galway Locks Brasserie, Portobello, Dublin 8 Roly Saul : The Restaurant, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 14 Jacques Restaurant, Cork   Participating wine shops and off licences (Ireland) : The Corkscrew, Dublin 2 64 wines, Glasthule, Co. Dublin Fallon and Byrne Wine Cellar, Dublin 2 World Wide Wines, Waterford La Touche Wines, Greystones, Co.Wicklow Mac Guinness Wine Merchants, Dundalk, Co.Louth Clontarf Wines, Clontarf, Co.Dublin Blackrock cellar, Blackrock, Co.Dublin Liston's Food Store, Dublin 2 Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 2 Nectar Wines, Sandyford, Dublin 18 Le Caveau, Kilkenny   Restaurants, wine bars, wine shops - Interested in joining in? don't delay, email us secure@lecaveau.ie or contact 056 77 52166   Real Wine Month Events and Tastings in Ireland:   - Alliance Francaise, Dublin 2 -  Wednesday 9th April 2014 - 'Exploring Bordeaux' with Claire O'Boyle-Gallagher - Real Wine Month Natural wine Tasting and Seminar (trade and press) - Wednesday 16th April 2014 - 4 to 6 pm - Ely Wine Bar (upstairs), Ely Place, Dublin 2 - Moderated by Doug Wregg of Les Caves de Pyrene, with guests natural winegrowers: Elena Pantaleoni of La Stoppa (Emilia Romagna, Italy) and Craig Hawkins of Testalonga wines (South Africa) - Places are limited please call Claire, Gary or Pascal to book your seat! - The Dundalk Wine Circle - Wednesday 23rd April - 'Organic, Biodynamic and Natural Wines' with Claire O'Boyle-Gallagher - Fallon and Byrne, Dublin 2 - 'Real Wine Tutored Tasting' - Thursday 24th April - 7pm - wine@fallonandbyrne.com - tel: 01 4721012 - €25 - Blackrock cellar, Blackrock, Co.Dublin - 'Organic, Bodynamic and Natural Wines Tasting' - Friday 25th April - 6pm-8pm - Contact: Graham Kearney  - Tel: 01 2783844 - Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 2 - Thursday 17th April - 5 to 7 pm - Natural wine tasting with Claire O'Boyle-Gallagher - free - World Wide Wines, Waterford - 'Real wine tasting' - Friday 25th April 2014 - 4 to 8pm - declan@worldwidewines.ie - tel: 051 878 798 - free - Café Paradiso, Cork - Monday 28th April - 7pm - 'Real Food and Wine Dinner' - 5-course dinner with matching wines - info@cafeparadiso.ie - tel: 21 4277939 - €60   Related posts / blogs: The Vine Inspiration, March 6th 2014 Matthew Nugent, The Irish Sun March 8th 2014     and also don't miss ........ The Real Wine Fair London RealWineFair1                             Meet the winemakers   13th – 14th April 2014
    • Sunday April 13th (Trade & Public) 10am – 6pm
    • Monday April 14th (Trade) 10am – 6pm
VENUE | Tobacco Dock, Wapping, E1W 2SF over 150 growers will present their wines in London during these 2 days (Sunday is open to the public)   Full list of participants to the Real Wine Month (UK and Ireland) here    
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Real Wine - Celebrating the Artisan Grower

What is this? A wine talk and wine tasting, presented by Eric Narioo (Les Caves de Pyrene, UK) and Pascal Rossignol (Le Caveau) This is a great opportunity to listen to Eric Narioo, owner of Les Caves de Pyrene, one of the most cutting-edge wine importer in the UK. Eric is also behind 4 very successful wine bars / restaurants in London: Terroirs, Brawn, Green Man and French Horn and Soif. Eric also owns a small vineyard on the slopes of Mount Etna, Sicily with his wife, Australian winemaker Anna Martens, where they produce gorgeous Natural wines, including the Nerello Mascalese based Vino di Anna. Is it just a talk? No, we will be tasting 8 Artisan wines, these wines have great personality and we will get a chance to hear about the people and the story behind each of them. Where is it? In the beautiful Grain Store at Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork and when? On Sunday 26th May 2013, 6 to 8pm How much and how can I book? The charge is €15 per person Bookings are handled by Colm McCan, Sommelier at Ballymaloe House Tel: 086 0859034 colm@ballymaloe.ie Ballymaloe website here We hope to see you there! vendanges    
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Ballymaloe LitFest 2013 'Going Natural' and more

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. Colm McCan (Ballymaloe Sommelier) 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 addedVina 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   Jancis Robinson with Pascal Rossignol (Le Caveau Kilkenny) 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      
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Two wines in the Sunday Times

Martin Moran writes a nice article on Natural wines in today's Sunday Times and select two of our imports   ST17March2013     Martin Moran recommends: Vouvray 'la Dilettante', Catherine et Pierre Breton Gran Cerdo Tempranillo
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