Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: These winter warmers are wines for all seasons

By Kilkenny Now 16th October 2020 0

As temperatures drop and the nights draw in, thoughts turn to cosy drawing rooms, a blazing fire in the hearth, a fragrant casserole in the oven and a nice glass of Sherry to sip while you wait for the cooking to finish. It’s wishful thinking, really. Modern houses aren’t big on either drawing rooms or […]

Business

WINE O’CLOCK: A last sip of summer as the nights draw in

By Kilkenny Now 2nd October 2020 Post a comment

Albariño was once a rare visitor to Irish shores. Ten years ago you would have had to go searching for it in a wine shop. But this Spanish white has become very popular and today it gets a prominent place on most supermarket shelves. Sudden popularity sometimes leads to overproduction and a lowering of standards […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Say cheese – and pick a wine to make you smile

By Kilkenny Now 31st July 2020 0

Whatever happened to wine and cheese parties? They used to be very popular. Charities ran them to raise money and cheapskates, who didn’t want to fork out for a real party, would buy some cheese and leave it to their guests to provide the wine. They seem to have gone out of fashion along with […]

News

We need your help! Cystic Fibrosis Ireland is looking for volunteers in Kilkenny for 65 Roses Day

By Kilkenny Now 7th February 2020 0

Cystic Fibrosis Ireland’s is looking for  volunteers in Kilkenny to help with their annual flagship fundraising appeal 65 Roses Day on April 10. ’65 Roses’ is how some children first learn how to say ‘Cystic Fibrosis’ and the symbol for the condition in this country is a purple rose. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland depend on voluntary […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: A good screw to pop your cork

By Kilkenny Now 25th October 2019 0

I AM not certain what constitutes a callow youth but I’m pretty sure I was one, way back in the day, when I got a summer job in what passed for a posh restaurant in the Belfast of the late 1960s. I served a very glamorous woman, dining with equally glamorous friends, but told her […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Rashers, eggs and a glass of champagne

By Kilkenny Now 4th October 2019 0

THERE’S nothing so simple that somebody can’t complicate it. Last week Britain’s Guardian newspaper produced a small magazine on how to prepare breakfast. It devoted two whole pages to making a bacon sandwich and another two to poached eggs. In case you missed it, I’ll give you an edited version. BACON SANDWICH Fry or grill […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Say cheese and keep on smiling

By Kilkenny Now 13th September 2019 0

DO people still do wine and cheese parties? They used to be very trendy but, then, so did spats, cravats and deerstalker hats. All the same, cheese and wine do go very well together and there are so many lovely Irish cheeses on the market nowadays that there’s always a good excuse to try out […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Raise a patriotic glass to Paschal Donohoe

By Kilkenny Now 6th September 2019 0

IN France, Spain or Portugal it is easy to buy a perfectly decent bottle of wine for a fiver or less. In Ireland you can only do this if a supermarket has a struck a deal with the supplier or decided, for some reason of its own, to subsidise the cost. That’s because Irish excise […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Season of mists and mellow wines

By Kilkenny Now 30th August 2019 0

A LOT of nonsense is written about matching wines to seasons. If you like a wine in winter you unlikely to go off it in the spring, so drink what you like whenever you like to drink it. But there is a degree of commonsense behind the matching. Obviously in summer we look for crisp […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Turning water into wine spritzers

By Kilkenny Now 21st June 2019 0

I’M a-going where the water tastes like wine, sang Woody Guthrie. Never been there myself. Sadly, I have been to places where the wine tastes like water, but nobody writes songs about them. Generally speaking, water and wine are best kept apart. They shared top billing at the Wedding Feast of Cana – but they […]