KARWIG WINES 13.05.10 Off to the Dordogne at the weekend and…read moregot in a little wine practice last evening with a bottle of Chateau Belingard's silver medal Bergerac rouge. According to the http://www.chateaubelingard.com own website, this wine, "known for its Cabernet Sauvignon nose, can happily accompany most dishes". "It is ideal with all types of meat..or with fish or cheese." Tested it with a Spaghetti Bolognaise and later with the Europa League final! It was slightly cool, just like the weather, as suggested and very enjoyable: fresh. Blackberry, medium bodied. Must admit, I didn't get too much of the "cabernet sauvignon nose" but otherwise, it was all there. You don't have to go to France to get your hands on the Belingard wines as Karwig Wines have a selection and the rouge costs €11.15. KARWIG WINES 12.02.10 Karwig Wines do business in a peaceful rural setting near the satellite town of Carrigaline. Amazingly, they have some 800 wines on offer. Founder Joe Karwig says he tends to the Old World Wines himself: France, especially Italy, and Germany of course. "But I'm quite happy to drink some of the New World wines, such as the Pinot Noirs from New Zealand." We asked Joe if there is any new producer country on the horizon. "Well the Eastern European countries are old producers but suffered under Communist rules. That was bad for them. But new companies from the west are investing there, quite a lot of money is going in and a resurgence is expected." Joe himself had been working in the UK with a Germany exporting company in the UK and came over to Ireland in the mid seventies, doing his bit for the same company. At the end of 1978, he started out on his own working out of a Cork bonded warehouse on the City Docks where he was handicapped by restricted opening times, especially at weekends. So he, and his wife Betty, took the gamble. It might not have been the best of times for a new business but Joe stuck with it and now his stock is spread over three warehouses, one in the city and another in North Cork plus the Carrigaline base, catering for restaurants, hotels, pubs, corporate companies and private customers. He has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Joe is a Riesling fanatic: "It is the best white wine. I like the wines from the Nahe River where my favourite winemaker is Dönnhoff. Carl Ehrhard also makes excellent wines. We have a good selection here and indeed probably have the biggest selection of German wines in Ireland and we also have some from Austria which I also like." Karwig carry Rieslings from Germany, France, New Zealand and Australia. By the way, if you want to get to know German wines, here are three from Karwig that will provide you with an important first step: Burgerspital Wurzburg 2008 Silvaner Trocken (Franken region); Carl Ehrhard Rudesheimer, Berg Rottland, Riesling, Spätlese Trocken 2008 (Rheingau); Erbeldinger WeiSer Burgunder Spätlese, Trocken, Bechtheimer Hasensprung 2007 (Rheinhessen). We asked Joe and marketing manager Maurice O'Mahony if rivals were emerging to Champagne's position as the queen of sparkling wine. "People are that bit more price conscious at present but there are also fashions. Nowadays, quite a lot of Prosecco is sold - you couldn't sell it ten years ago. It isn't just about price. Some people do prefer to drink Prosecco as it has less acidity than champagne and has a richer taste." Maurice, who keeps Karwig in focus on his blog,on Twitter and via Facebook, told me that they will deliver anywhere in Ireland. "We do the local deliveries ourselves but use a courier for the rest of the country. We will deliver in the bigger cities in 24 hours but it could take twice that in the more rural places." Full details of the impressive Karwig operation are available on their website http://www.karwigwines.ie/ where you may also sign up to the blog and follow Maurice on Twitter and through their Facebook Fan Page. Best of all, if you are in the area, call in and sample the relaxed friendly approach of this company. Don't be shy if you know nothing about wine. They'll help you out and won't blind you with the science. Maurice: "Every day, we open several bottles for customers to try out. We do our best to have a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere in our shop. We cater for the serious wine connoisseur, the casual wine drinker and everyone in between. We love talking about wine and we pride ourselves on our casual sales approach. We want your visit to be relaxed and enjoyable. And you get to go home with some lovely wine too! " For more, here is the link to the related article that John Wilson of the Irish Times did on Wurzberg http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2010/0130/1224263156797.html

Excellent service great beef tenders. Had a wonderful conversation with one of the beer backs. And…read morewas very knowledgeable with the local beers they serve. Honestly felt like home away from home here in Cork!

Stopped into Rising Sons Brewery for a flight of their craft beer. The inside aesthetic was a mix…read moreof a brewery and sports bar. They had great music playing! They currently had (6) of their beers on tap and flights offer (3) beers to taste. We got the Handsum (indian pale ale), Wheat Dreams (german wheat), and Mí Daza (irish stout). The bartender was super friendly and gave us a good background on the brewery, their beers, and why there was a giant hippo hung in the brewing area. They have minimal merchandise but the beers were really good!

I feel I was ripped off but have nobody but myself to blame. I knew this was a new distillery with…read moreno historical or architectural significance so why did I book a tour for €60? Yes it came with a "premium" tasting but that should be €20 max. The tour, lasting about an hour, was in part a commercial for their distillery/brewery. Why should I pay them to listen to an ad? Admittedly the tour included behind the scenes of the facility with its modern brewing and distilling operations, and explanations of how it all works. All of which I've seen before at other distillery tours. Which makes me wonder, what's the draw of these tours? Once is really enough, unless it's a place with historical significance like Middleton, which I didn't get to visit. I do question some of what I heard though. On seeing the tank where the CO2 is added to the beers, I asked whether this practice was universal; is CO2 always artificially added? The response was an unqualified yes, even when I asked what they did before industrial CO2 was available? Answer: "They drank flat beer." I don't think so. The tour included the usual explanations of the process of making beer and spirits, from the ingredients through fermentation, aging, and bottling. Accompanied by open jars of samples: grains, hops, gin additives. All of which had almost no discernible smell because they were too old, probably never refreshed since they started giving tours. Besides beer and whiskey they also make gin, vodka, and rum. "Make" is stretching it for the vodka though. They don't ferment and distill the grain there. They buy 95% ethanol from a major corporate supplier and redistill it. This and several other facts weren't volunteered. I asked many questions with followups to get answers out of the guide. He may have been getting annoyed with me for forcing him to divulge these secrets. Then it came to the tasting portion of the tour. This included beer drinkers (the other couple) and whiskey drinkers (me; it was a very small group that day). That was a good way to do it because I got to hear the beer descriptions even though I wasn't drinking them. As for the whiskey, I tried 6, 3 from their standard line and 3 from their "premium" line. None were particularly good, and none were aged past 5 years, though the distillery has been in operation since 2015. Here's where it all got even stranger. As the guide was explaining the whiskeys, he told me to start with the glass labeled 4, after he confirmed with an associate by phone. So I did, pretending to agree with his tasting notes. Then 5. Then 6. I commented on its smokiness. That got his attention. He was puzzled, investigated, and consulted with his associate again. Turns out it was wrong! The first three to try were 1, 2, and 3! So he refilled 4, 5, and 6, then poured more into 1 for good measure. So I had a lot of whiskey! I protested slightly, not seriously, and he laughed it off saying I'd be fine on my bike (he knew because he saw me riding up in my rental). Understand I'm not complaining or faulting him in any way for this, just adding the detail. I know how much to drink and I didn't even finish it all. As for the tour's ending, I didn't like how that went. As soon as he finished his explanations of the beers and whiskeys, he thanked us for coming. We were all still finishing up. By the time he basically repeated the same thanks again, it was clear it was time to go. Not the nicest way to end the experience.

Hidden away in the popular fishing village this tiny brewery is a great find. You can do a brewery…read moretour, but it is so small I wouldn't bother. Just head upstairs to the nice bar - or sit on the sun trap balcony if the weather is nice and sample the wars. All the house beers are really good, especially the stout, and they even sell a decent range of clothing.

THE KILN Enjoyed my recent visit to the Kiln, the…read morehospitality "pub" of Heineken Ireland. There are no public tours of this brewery and unlikely to be according to a spokesman who said the modern computer controlled processes, largely conducted out of sight, weren't conducive to a tour situation. "Who wants to see a few people pressing buttons?" So if you want to get to the Kiln you'll have to rely on an invitation. I have been lucky enough to get a few over the years and things have changed there in the last 12 months. Previously, you had a choice of Heineken products e.g. Murphy's Stout plus Heineken and Amstel lagers. But since the Dutch giants took over the other brewery in the city, you may now sample Beamish Stout and Fosters Lager. It is still a little strange to see the two rivals now advertised side by side on posters around the Kiln. But I took advantage of the occasion to enjoy a few pints of Beamish this time. Variety is the spice of life!

This review is for the Elbow Lane brewery and smoke house restaurant which is part of the Market…read moreLane dining complex. Went in here after a long day's work for a quick dinner, and was pleasantly surprised by the great beer and food. Elbow Lane lager: an easily drinkable lager with good sweetness and a bit of hoppy taste. Sweet and spicy pork belly: grilled to perfection, crispy lean fiber and soft melting fat part. I would personally love more sweet flavor and less chilli on top, but a great appetizer overall. Grilled rack of pork ribs: grilled on order, served piping hot. Crispy surface, perfectly seasoned meat, served with rich and flavorful gravy. A great feast. Ice cream and brownie: standard. Overall, a very satisfying dinner. Will recommend this place to anyone visiting Cork.

We arrived early for our reservation and were offered seats at the bar, close to the open fire…read morekitchen area. It's a fantastic place to sit and watch the amazing chefs at work. The live theatre of the kitchen adds a fun and busy ambiance, and the staff were friendly and welcoming, and ready to explain menu and dishes and make recommendations. Drinks arrived fast, and the cocktails were clever and tasty. They have a good wine selection as well as house beers from their own brewery. But the food is jaw-dropping - the best meal we had the whole trip without doubt. I suspect anything from the menu would be delicious, but the blue cheese greens and the baby new potatoes were the perfect accompaniment to the steak. Portions are very large, so we shared everything and still couldn't finish. We happened to be there on the night there was a fire evacuation, and had just paid our bill when the alarm sounded. Full credit to the incredible team for their swift and calm reaction, evacuating the restaurant (and the sister location next door) - it's heartbreaking that they'll be closed for a few weeks, but I can't wait to return and see them open and thriving again. Evacuation aside, our meal was a such an amazing experience and the Elbow Lane team are a credit to the company and to the Irish fine dining community.

SUPERVALU Supervalu in the old Roches Stores in Merchant's…read moreQuay is not the place I'd normally think of when looking for beers with a difference. But time was short and I tried and found a decent enough selection there from both sides of the Atlantic. Stuck with the Europeans though. Got the Budejovicky Budwar (€2.78) - was this the one transferred across the Atlantic? - from the Czech Republic, plus two from Bavaria , Paulaner Hefe-Weisbier ( €2.32) and the Erdinger Weissbrau (€2.78), all in 500ml bottles. Just a note on last week's trio (from Bradley's). They were Pilsner Urquell (€2.99), Rick Stein's Chalky's Bark Open (€2.99) and, from Oz, Hahn Premium (€1.89). All very enjoyable and I found it impossible to put them in a 1-2-3 order. Pleasantly surprised with the Chalky's Bark as I was a bit apprehensive about the ginger element. I must say that I didn't enjoy my Supervalu trio as much. The Erdinger, a dark beer, flattered to deceive. Rather enjoyed the first mouthful but gradually the sweetness got to me and I didn't finish it. The Pualaner, which also produced an abundant head, looked promising but there was something about it, noticeable in the nose and just when you finished the swallow, a kind of clove like whiff. Not for me. The Budwar saved the day! Better colour, better body, better all round that the pale watery American version, it was a decent beer, more or less on a par with the three from the previous week

This is not a distillery tour. It is an education in Irish whiskey -- and a genuinely memorable…read moreone. The Midleton Distillery Experience is home to seven iconic Irish whiskey brands: Jameson, Redbreast, Powers, Midleton Very Rare, The Spot Whiskeys, Method and Madness, and Knappogue Castle. The site itself is the original Old Midleton Distillery, and walking through it means moving through restored 19th-century warehouse buildings where whiskey has been aged in oak casks for generations. The history is embedded in the walls, and the experience is designed to make sure you actually feel it rather than just walk past it. We booked the private premium tasting tour, and the decision to go private changed the entire dynamic of the visit. Our tour guide -- French by birth, now based in Ireland having moved to learn English -- was exceptional. His enthusiasm for Irish whiskey was completely genuine, his knowledge was deep, and his ability to translate that knowledge into something both accessible and fascinating made the experience far better than any standard group tour could have. The kind of guide who makes you leave knowing things you did not expect to know when you arrived. The premium tasting takes you through four prestige whiskeys from the distillery's range, each contextualised properly rather than just poured and moved on from. The difference between what's available here and what you find on a standard shelf is immediately apparent. The highlight, and the moment that made the visit stick: I purchased a cask strength expression at 61% and bottled it myself directly from the cask. That is a singular experience -- standing in a working distillery, filling your own bottle from a numbered cask, corking it by hand. It is not a gimmick. It is exactly what it sounds like, and it earns every penny. If you are in the Cork area, include this in your itinerary without hesitation. The experience here is more thorough and personal than anything the Dublin distillery offers. Go private if you can, and stay long enough to bottle something. Visited on Weekday Wait time No wait Reservation recommended Yes

We had a great time during the Jameson experience at cork. The tour itself was well executed and…read morevery interesting. They also provided lots of samples which was appreciated. We learned a lot and particularly enjoyed learning about their method and madness line. Our tour guide was great. Do note that you may need to stick around after the tour a bit before driving especially if you didn't have much in your stomach! We would definitely come back sometime.

Wonderful food, great wine, but the game changer was the service of Valerie and Lisa! They were so…read morekind and exceptionally helpful making us feel welcomed. We'll definitely be back!

I am traveling through Ireland as a solo female traveler. Stopped here to get some tapas and a…read moreglass of wine. When the server (Amy) brought my meal, I took out my phone to take a photo of the food and she rudely asked me if I took a photo of her. I did not and told her so. I didn't think much of it until she came back to my table and accused me again of taking her photo. I felt so upset by her accusation that I just paid for my meal without eating it and quickly left. Did What a rude and disturbing welcome to Cork. if I had taken a photo of her, I would have posted it so all yelpers would know to run if they see her.