Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: With Sherry, the cream is at the top

By Kilkenny Now 23rd October 2020 0

Sherry comes in many hues and flavours. Last week I looked at some of the clean, white varieties we tend to drink in summer or as an aperitif. But in Ireland Sherry is seen largely as a drink for autumn and winter, and it is the dark shades we go for. Dark and sweet, some […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Whites to sip as the leaves turn red

By Kilkenny Now 4th September 2020 Post a comment

Keats called autumn the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, and undoubtedly it is a time for mellow and fruity wines. We’re putting away the barbecues and packing school lunch boxes instead of picnic baskets. And we’re putting away the wines of summer, the sparkling vinho verdi and rosé from Provence, in favour of something […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Invite the neighbours to your barbeque

By Kilkenny Now 7th August 2020 0

Sancerre and Pouilly-sur-Loire are small French towns facing each other across the River Loire, good neighbours but serious rivals when it comes to the production of excellent white wine. Both Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are from the Sauvignon Blanc grape, and while there are obvious similarities, they do have distinctive tastes. ‘Fumé’ is the shortened form […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: A drink for the dry season

By Kilkenny Now 17th July 2020 Post a comment

Full of fruit … bursting with fruity flavour. Those are descriptions of wine you will often see quoted by way of a compliment. Not by me. I dislike those big reds with more blackcurrant than Ribena. Whites “bursting with flavour” of peach or pear are nearly as bad. If I want to drink fruit juice, […]

News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: It’s cool to give your red a chill

By Kilkenny Now 12th June 2020 0

I am fortunate to have a very good friend who is fortunate to have a very good house in a very good part of southern France. A visit there is a pleasure I enjoy every summer. But not this year, alas. Even if the flight restrictions are lifted, I fear other rules would spoil the […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Chill out with this sunny Spanish special

By Kilkenny Now 29th May 2020 0

Albarino has become popular here in recent years, in part, I suspect, because it is easy to pronounce. The Spanish white is the perfect wine for the weather we have been enjoying. It is great with shellfish or tapas-type snacks and, lightly chilled, is just made for sipping in a sunny, summer garden. It is […]

Food & Drink News

WINE O’CLOCK: Mighty oaks that will grow on you

By Kilkenny Now 22nd May 2020 0

All wine spends time in a vat of some sort before it is bottled. Often it will be aged in a wooden barrel and usually the wood will be oak. The oak imparts aroma and flavour to the wine.  I don’t know if it is actually the taste of oak – I’ve never tried eating […]

Food & Drink News Opinion

WINE O’CLOCK: Keep the price down and the heat up

By Kilkenny Now 15th May 2020 0

I have been complaining about the number of wine-makers who have hijacked a particular day to promote their product. An email that goes one better has just dropped into my basket. Apparently the week beginning May 25 is National Barbecue Week.  I hope it keeps fine for them. Recent good weather and lockdown has meant that, […]

News

WINE O’CLOCK: A glass full of feelgood factor

By Kilkenny Now 8th May 2020 0

I am always a bit suspicious when I see the label ‘organic’ on any item. The definition tends to be vague, the product expensive and I have never found the flavour of the meat, vegetables or whatever, to be noticeably enhanced. I am particularly  suspicious of ‘organic’ wine because the term has no legal standing. It […]

Food & Drink News

WINE O’CLOCK: Sauvignon Blanc, your day has come

By Kilkenny Now 1st May 2020 0

The old proverb insists that every dog has its day. Soon we’ll be able to say the same for wine. There are special days for Beaujolais, Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Malbec. And today (May 1) is International Sauvignon Blanc Day. It’s a marketing ploy, devised in New Zealand, which hardly seems necessary since Sauvignon Blanc […]