Archive for the 'News' Category
Flit to France
Sometimes one has to make exceptional sacrifices for one’s passion. A quick client meeting in Paris obliged me to make a visit to Ackerman. Ackerman, a French business established in 1811, one of the giants in French wine making. It was primarily a fact finding mission, to visit one...
Read MoreRearview & Beyond!
As the detox kicks into full swing after the gluttony of Christmas and suppliers commence their prospecting there is perhaps just enough time to dwell on the year past and the one ahead. 2016 – what a tumultuous year it was, Brexit, Trump, Assad ascendancy, strikes at home and...
Read MoreRoad Trip 2016 (Part Two)
Gianluca Telloli is a native of the Aosta valley in the western Italian Alps. An oenologist by profession he has developed a passion for cider and in particular the revival of Italian cider. And so it was that after Gijon my next festival was to be at an altitude...
Read MoreToffee Apple Cocktail
This recipe makes two cocktails, however it could be easily adpated to cater for a larger party. The Muldoon Whiskey adds a lovely twist to the mulled Stonewell cider. This is a cocktail that is guaranteed to warm you up on those cold winter nights. For the cocktail 2 shots...
Read MoreRoad Trip 2016 (Part One)
Despite the ongoing apple pressing, I sallied forth in late September to mainland Europe to attend two cider festivals whose previous generous invitations I had been obliged to turn down. Flying was out of the question as I needed to bring ample stock. So with my recently serviced 17...
Read MoreWorldwide Apple Wine Fair
It’s wind down phase after an intense 48 hours at the Apfelwein Weltweit Messe, or Worldwide Apple Wine Fair, in Frankfurt. Perhaps little known but in this region of Germany apple wine predominates in place of the normally ubiquitous lagers and weiss beers. The preference for apple wine is...
Read MoreLike Clockwork
Following hot on the tracks of the first pallet of Finnbarra/Stonewell to the country, I find myself in Zurich. A picturesque and intriguing city full of contrasting features. Household waste put out for collection on the incorrect day warrants a visit from the police and fly posters on signposts...
Read MoreHolland Calling
What a whirlwind. Yesterday started at 3.45 a.m. – off went the alarm clock to get me to Cork airport for the 6 a.m. flight to Amsterdam. Forty winks later and I’m meeting Raùl Henriquez, our Dutch distributor in the centre of the canal laden metropolis. Originally born in...
Read MoreOut with the Old, in with the Old
Driving to work this morning I noticed wryly that a lot of the election posters had been replaced by those for a travelling circus. And so here we are 3 days after a general election in a total state of flux. For whatever the reason, tribal loyalty, dissatisfaction with...
Read MoreSabrage an Esterre – something special for your Valentine!
Sabrage an Esterre – something special for your Valentine! The long “dry” January is at last over! It seemed like those 31 days would never end but it was perhaps a healthy reaction to the excess of the Christmas period. Now we’re looking out across all the activities and...
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