I like Christmas pudding but it is usually St Stephen’s Day, or later, before I get to taste it. It is too rich and heavy to enjoy on top of the big festive meal. After turkey, ham and all the trimmings, I have no wish for any more food and I am usually happy to […]
Good wines, like good books, are best bought from shops where you can look at the stock, savour the atmosphere and get advice from somebody who knows what they are talking about. However, successive lockdowns have persuaded many of us to shop online and, while it is not a trend I would like to see […]
In 1698, eight years after the Battle of the Boyne, English kings had grown tired of fighting each other and went to war with France. The French, unsportingly, stopped sending their wine to England and the English, resourcefully, looked for another supply. They found it in Portugal’s Duroro Valley but the wine did not travel […]
I am not a fan of mulled wine. I like the idea of it spreading warmth on a winter’s day and I like the smell of the fruit and spices, but the drink is always disappointing and it has ruined many a party at this time of year. I am expecting a nice glass of […]
By COLIN BARTLEY UP to 50,000 people will get a taste of what Kilkenny has to offer as they flock to the Marble City this weekend for one of Ireland’s biggest and most popular food festivals. Now in its 13th year, Savour Kilkenny’s jam-packed programme will bring an aroma to the air and a buzz […]
LEGEND has it that the first Champagne was made by the monk Dom Perignon in the seventeenth century. That’s probably not true, but I don’t want to spoil a good story by inquiring too closely. Winters are chilly in northern France and, apparently, the monk left his wine to ferment in deep cellars where the […]