Archive for 'Drink'
Curious Wines launches
Posted on November 19, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Bandon, Business, Drink.
You eagle-eyed West Cork drivers may have noticed a big new sign on the back of one of the units behind Great Gas on the Bandon Bypass. It is the retail/warehouse outlet of newly launched Curious Wines. Mike Kane, the owner, has put together a brilliant selection of wines which are not your usual supermarket generic stuff.
Their web-site has just gone live and it’s a corker (boom! boom!). Another stunning creation by the shockingly talented Ms Dent. I think it’s probably the best looking and most effective wine web-site in the country and puts the major chains to shame. The wine value is also fantastic and you really should buy by the case and save even more.
I’m just looking forward to the tastings that Mike has planned since I’ll be able to walk to them!
4 Comments
Wine Tasting in Bubble Brothers
Posted on September 21, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Blogging, Cork, Drink.
Like blogs? Like wine? Then Julian over at Bubble Brothers is having a wee tasting this coming Thursday. All details over on the blog.
This coming Thursday, 25th September, Emilio Saez van Eerd of Casa de las Vides and Javier Navarro from Tintoralba (earlier tasting summarized in this post) will be making a flying visit to us, and I’d like to give them and their wines as much publicity as possible. Check out the EWBC stuff on Vinus TV.
The day’s events have not yet been decided - but I think it would be great if as many blog and twit and wine folk as possible could come along to a leetle tasting here at the Marina on Thursday 25th. I’ve already had encouraging responses from a number of people, both on the wine side and in techno-trousers.
1 Comment
Fancy a meal for two?
Posted on June 27, 2008, by Conor O'Neill, under Drink.
I don’t know a lot about wine and beer, but I know a man who does. Julian over at Bubble Brothers has a nice competition on their blog. They import the gorgeous Japanese iKi beer (I had it in Wagamama a few months back) and are now supplying it to the Cafe Mao chain.
He wants you to use what you know about iKi beer and Café Mao and tell them which dish on the menu would make the best match for iKi, and why. They have vouchers for a meal for two, including iKi beer, at Café Mao - one voucher for each branch. Just leave a comment here.
The crew, sans Julian, will also be at Taste of Cork today (pleeeeeeease stop raining) as will we. Looking forward to tasting and texting. See you there.
No Comments
Never accept an award drunk
Posted on March 9, 2007, by Conor O'Neill, under Blogging, Drink, Food.
Damn I need to lose weight.
Check it out on Ryan’s Irish Blog Awards Photostream.
5 Comments
Mmm Trebor Fruit Salad
Posted on November 23, 2006, by Conor O'Neill, under Drink, Entertainment.
Just as I start grumping that there is nothing on the telly, a chunk of genius appears in the shape of Oz Clarke and James May with “Oz and James’ Big Wine Adventure” (Wednesdays 8pm BBC2). I used to watch Oz and Jilly for laughs back in the old Food and Drink days. They were so off the wall I don’t think I ever learned anything. James is of course Captain Slow on Top Gear and knows absolutely nothing about wine. The pair of them head off on a tour of France in a Jag XJS so Oz can teach James all about wine.
Sure it’s a standard “Odd Couple” bickering idea but it works soooo well. James is a big kid and Oz is desperately pompous so the sparks fly constantly. The scene of the two of them in disposable thongs getting into a bath of grape extract together at a Wine Spa is indelibly burned on my brain.
I’m of the James persuasion. He wants to learn enough to be able to buy good bottles of £5.99 French wine in his supermarket. Poor Oz wants to “educate” him. The word terroir hasn’t come up yet but it’s bound to at which point James will blow his whistle called the Ozillator to stop Oz being a wine bore.
James makes some wine by crushing grapes with a dirty hoe, adding sugar and yeast and leaving it in the boot of the car for a week. He then does a taste test of three wines including his own at a French Market. One poor muppet picks James’ as the best!
At Château Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse-de-Lalande I was reminded why Aussie wine with “Shiraz” on the bottle sells better. C’mon, that name’s up there with Tarquin Lim Tim Bim Fim Bim Ole Ftang Ftang Biscuit Barrel. They went into the cellars with Grand Dame Madame May-Elaine de Lencquesaing and discussed ancient wine. James was chomping at the bit “but they are just looking at it, what’s the point of that?”. Madame showed wines from 1817 and 1940. No mention of how they managed to make wine in 1940, cough, don’t mention the war, cough.
But the absolute highlight of the programme was the taste test they did at Château Pichon-Baron, in front of one of the wine industry’s biggest players, Englishman Christian Seely. They gave James three wines to get his opinion of their bouquet. The first was a young white bordeaux which should have peaches, apricots etc. James sniffed, thought, sniffed again and came up with “Dope”. If the ground could have swallowed Oz whole. Next up a £120 Grand Cru which should have smelled of blackcurrants. James interpretation of this - “Trebor Fruit Salad”. Ozes face was frozen in horror. And finally, another Red which should smell of tobacco. James does much better on this “Bonfire, BBQ sausage, Pork”. Oz looks ready to kill him, Then magically “and a hint of Virginia tobacco”. Hurrah, reputation recovered.
Very very funny TV but Oz is failing in one area that James himself mentions several times and that is in the actual education about wine. Oz is so obsessed with the culture and history he forgets simple things - like what grape is white bordeaux made from? I had to Google it as my knowledge of French wines stretches from Sancerre to Pouilly Fumé which is a distance of approximately 400 yards on the Loire I think. Ah, it’s also Sauvignon Blanc with some Semillion and other optionals. Might give that a go.
If you want a giggle and to learn a bit about wine in the process, you cannot miss this programme.
Technorati Tags: Oz+and+James+Big+Wine+Adventure, Oz+Clarke, James+May
12 Comments
Both Drinkin’ and Bloggin’ in it
Posted on February 16, 2006, by Conor O'Neill, under Drink, Ireland.
Guinness has a blog. All the skinny at gapingvoid.
Looks like a pretty decent attempt at a corporate blog. They have a posting about great Guinness ads. One thing I’ve always hated about their web-site is that if you want to see their genius US ads instead of their dire “meaningful” Irish ones, you have to pretend to be in the US when signing in on the home page. Boys, dump the swimming across the Atlantic crap and give us “Brilliant!” over here please.
[tags]Guinness[/tags]
No Comments
Weight Crash in Aisle Five
Posted on November 22, 2005, by Conor O'Neill, under Drink, Personal.
Not that anyone cares other than those who have to look at me, but I managed to drop a stone (14 fluid ounces in US measurements and 3 kilopascals in metric) in the past 4 weeks. Only 28 more pounds to go. Targeting another stone by Christmas but that is probably unrealistic. With the money I have saved from not drinking, I’m buying myself a new Ford Mustang.
Another apt “Unfit” comic to celebrate.
[tags] weight loss, booze, GI, Unfit Comic, Ford Mustang[/tags]
3 Comments
Unfit, cough, moi? Wheeze. What was the question again?
Posted on November 4, 2005, by Conor O'Neill, under Drink, Food, Personal.
The war on weight continues and I am debating whether to start a weekly post on the Bloggers Belly Bulkometer. Half a stone in a week is not bad going. Those couple of bottles of wine and cans of Becks each week were obviously contributing slightly to the inexorable move towards Rick Waller territory.
Tonight will be a major trial. Curry with brown rice, no naans and no booze in the house on my own. And they dare complain in New Orleans about how tough it is over there.
Next week I might try a bit of exercise, but it is far more fun instead just to read the Unfit Comic Strip which just gets better and better.
Wednesday’s was one of the best yet:
No Comments
Stormhoek not quite stonking but pretty damned good
Posted on September 13, 2005, by Conor O'Neill, under Drink, Reviews.
My bottle of Stormhoek Sauvignon Blanc 2005 from the gapingvoid freebie arrived by courier this evening. I was going to wait until tomorrow to review but one dead linux server has fast-tracked the opening.
It uses a screw-cap which I support 100% for Sauvignons. I am sick to the back teeth of getting ruined bottles of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé with their crappy corks.
On opening, a bit of a sniff tells me that it is along the same lines as other South African Sauvignons and not like the Marlborough ones. So it’s pleasant but without the nose punch you get off a Villa Maria.
A few mouthfuls and I am well happy. Very decent wine. I am no Jilly or Oz, so comparisons to cut grass or mongolian ecky-ecky ftang flowers shall have to be left to others who are more knowledgeable. This is the type of wine I put in the eminently quaffable category. It’s not blow-my-socks off fantastic but it beats all Chilean Sauvignons I have drunk in the past two years. Besting the Chilean giants at their own game is something to be proud of. It is also the best South African Sauvignon I have tried to date.
Negative points? A bit thin and lacking in depth so maybe not brilliant for skulling back whilst watching Green Wing on a friday night but an absolutely perfect partner for food.
I’d love to know what the price point for this is. Most of the Chilean/South African Sauvignons come in at €10 to €12 in Ireland. The New Zealand ones are more €12 to €16 (apart from over-rated Cloudy Bay at €26). If this is at the same level as it’s peers then I think Stormhoek will have a very strong seller on their hands.
You Orbital boys have a distie yet in Ireland? Maybe it is time for me to diversify the company into wine.
Now back to deciphering the arcane mysteries of fsck with two glasses of wine inside me.
UPDATE: I am an ungrateful pup. At no point above did I say thanks to Stormhoek, Orbital and Hugh for the lovely bottle of free wine. Thanks all.
[tags]stormhoek, sauvignon, gapingvoid, wine, review[/tags]
1 Comment
Woo hoo - free wine for Irish bloggers
Posted on August 10, 2005, by Conor, under Blogging, Drink.
I’ll just have to give up the drink next week.
Hugh McLeod of Gaping Void fame has arranged for Irish bloggers to get their hands on free bottles of Stormhoek too.
Hope they give me some Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon is pretty much all we drink but we have got some good bottles of South African Sauvignon recently which are far far better than anything coming out of Chile.
No Comments
