Stitch and Bear

A long-running Irish blog with reviews of the best restaurants in Dublin and throughout Ireland. Some wine and cocktails thrown in for good measure!

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

[Wine] Three wines from Curious Wines

Curious Wines is a Cork-based, online wine retailer, with physical stores in both Cork and Naas. Brothers Michael and Matt Kane are the duo behind the name, and I have been a customer for several years now. Last year, I purchased the wine for my sister's wedding from them, mainly due to their straightforward manner, bulk discount and promise to take back any unopened wine. 

I love calling into either of their stores. The wide open space, with stacks and stacks of wine bottles is the adult version of being a kid in a sweet shop. I was home recently and I called into the shop on the Tramore Road to pick up a mixed case of wine. I always end up with a box that's about 50% tried and trusted favourites with the remainder being some new bottles. I had seen via Twitter that a whole heap of new Rhone wines had just arrived in shop, so several bottles of those went into my cart.
Stitch and Bear - Curious Wines - July favourites
Three recent favourites from Curious Wines
So after some tasting and testing, here my three picks from the recent shop. All of these three wines were new to me and this was my first tasting. At some stage, I'll also do a quick post on my perennial favourites from Curious Wines. 

Johnny Q Chardonnay Viognier 2013
South Australia. Normally €14.99, reduced to €11.99 (at time of writing)

Winemaker Johnny Quarisa has done something very nice here with this Chardonnay Viognier blend. the warm climate Chardonnay (86%) has melon and peach flavours, while the addition of Viognier (14%) adds some floral notes such as honeysuckle and apricot. A portion of the wine spends some time in oak after blending which adds a little backbone. I utterly enjoyed this and think it's great value for this slightly bonkers wine.


Sommos Gewurztraminer 2015
Somontano, Spain. €17.49

There were two things I didn't know before drinking this wine. Firstly, that Gewurztraminer was even grown in Spain, and secondly, that Somontano, a small area in Aragon, is the top Gewurztraminer region. (I've also learned that typing Gewurztraminer repeatedly is a challenge to brain-finger coordination). I'll tell you one thing, my geographic knowledge of wine-producing countries has increased by leaps and bounds in recent years. 

Anyway, I had this wine to accompany an Indian takeaway (from the excellent Rasoi in case you want to know), and it was such an excellent choice. Beautifully aromatic, as you'd expect from Gewurz, it's also bright and lively with a long finish. 

Lavau Vacqueryas 2013
Rhone, France. €23.00

This was one of the new Rhone wines which found its way into my basket, along with several of its siblings. I've come to develop a strong liking for Rhone reds, and this didn't disappoint. First off, it's a GSM blend (50% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre) with a touch of aging in oak. This wine is vibrant and beautifully dark in the glass with all the usual Rhone notes of dark berries, a touch of violet and a slight minty freshness to round it all out. Tannins are fine and very approachable.
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Sunday, July 17, 2016

[Review] Miyazaki, Evergreen Street, Cork

Tanabata is the Japanese festival of the lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, who are separated by the Milky Way, and can only meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. And this year, there was a very special celebration of Tanabata held as part of the 2016 Clonmel Junction Festival. Cork-based chef Takashi Miyazaki would cook a celebratory dinner deep underground in Mitchelstown Cave, limited to just 28 diners. Tickets cost a relatively steep €95 each, with no alcohol to be served (for obvious safety reasons), but even so I jumped at the opportunity to dine in a cave. 

And what a beautiful, serene and stunning night it turned out to be. We arrived at the caves in bright, warm sunshine, only to descend down steep, treacherous steps to the caverns below. The temperature in the main cave remains a steady 12C all year round, which was quite a contrast to outside. Jackets and even blankets were called into service by many diners. We were seated at a long table, generously adorned with candles, potted ferns and beautiful Japanese illustrations. It was utterly beautiful and romantic.

Up above our heads, on a higher platform, Takashi and his team worked to prepare each course, using very limited cooking facilities (as a result of not wishing to damage the cave's internal atmosphere). We started with a glass of umesnu, or plum wine, followed by a variety of beautiful dishes featuring Takaszhi's skilful adept cooking. 
Stitch and Bear - Miyazaki - Tanabata night
The beautiful setting in Mitchelstown Cave
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Sunday, July 3, 2016

[Review] Gaillot et Gray, Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8

Gaillot et Gray has opened in a former bookie's premises on Lower Clanbrassil Street, just a stones throw away from the hot newcomer restaurant Bastible, and next door to the craft beer pub 57 The Headline. Slowly, bit by bit, this area of Dublin is getting gussied up. In my opinion,t he City Council could also greatly help matters by installing some proper pedestrian traffic lights at the stupidly designed Leonard's Corner. 

This French pizzeria and bakery is the next evolution from the retro Citroen van in which husband and wife team Gilles Gaillot and Emma Gray started out. (It's also very handy that their surnames blend together rather well.) The interior is open and sparse, painted in the shade that Tom Doorley has recently christened "Hipster Slate". I like that description very much. It somehow captures the grim earnest determination that oft accompanies such venues. 

There's a big communal table, a scattering of smaller tables, barstools at shallow window shelves and an outdoor terrace. The room is really dominated by the kitchen space, at the heart of which sits the brick, wood-fired pizza oven that is used to churn out the Emmental-based pizzas. No mozzarella here. The kitchen also functions as a working bakery turning out brioche, loaves and pastries, and I spotted a stack of proofing baskets tucked neatly away for the next bake. 
The kitchen at Gaillot et Gray
The kitchen at Gaillot et Gray

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Saturday, July 2, 2016

[Wine] July BBQ wines

It's July now, and we continue to BBQ at every opportunity. At a recent BBQ, I opened the following bottles of wine for Mr and Mrs H, to accompany our feast of cowboy steak, lamb and chicken skewers, along with various salads. The intention was to have both light and rich reds, along with a nice refreshing white. 


Yalumba Paradox Shiraz 2012
Marks & Spencer, reduced to clear approx €30 (I can't find the receipt)

This was my "rich" red and it didn't disappoint in any way. I've been steadily more and more impressed by the higher end reds produced by Yalumba. From the Barossa Valley, this wine is inky and velvety smooth. It has deliciously appealing spicy, peppery notes along with delicate dark fruit (think cherries), violets and fine tannins. I like to think of it as the elegant cousin of the more typical Barossa big reds.

Domaine des Corbillieres Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2014
The Corkscrew Warehouse €13.56

This wine hails from a small estate in Oisly, in the Touraine region of the famous Loire Valley. The Barbou family have the distinction of being the first to plant the Sauvignon grape in the region, and it took rather well to the ground. Although not officially organic, the wines are made with natural yeasts and this Sauvignon Blanc is a great crisp example. Lemon in colour, it's herbaceous with gooseberries  and pears. A fantastic summer wine. 

Quinta do Cardo Vinho Tinto 2014
The Corkscrew €15 (cannot find receipt)

I'm slowly becoming a big fan of Portuguese reds and this simple Vinho Tinto is a great introduction. I love the beautiful label but more importantly the contents are organic. It's made from a blend of three traditional grapes, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz. Whereas the Yalumba was dark and inky, this wine is light in texture and colour, showing as ruby in the glass. It has nice acidity, with dark fruit and a slight balsamic spiciness. A great bottle to have on your shelves. 
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