Diary: Wine Weekends

WINE WEEKEND COURSE AT BALLYMALOE HOUSE
2nd - 4th March 2012


Mary Dowey’s Weekend Wine Course has become a firm fixture on the spring calendar at Ballymaloe House, Co Cork yearly for the past 11 years. Guests come from far and wide to learn the essentials of wine appreciation while enjoying superb food, great wines and good company in one of Ireland’s loveliest country houses.
Mary’s Introduction to Wine Appreciation is suitable for anybody who enjoys wine and would like to know more about it, the course focuses on key grape varieties. Besides quickly mastering the characteristics of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir, guests will learn how to recognise quality, buy wisely, serve and store wines correctly and match them with the most suitable foods. ‘The wine-tasting weekend was fantastic and we will highly recommend it to our friends.’ Emma-Jane Dockery, Dublin
Listed among the Top 10 Wine Courses in the UK & Ireland by the Daily Telegraph, and Lonely Planet Top 10 Weekend Breaks. Ballymaloe House is also recipient of the Georgina Campbell Wine Award of the Year 2010.
Mary Dowey (www.marydowey.com) has built up a large following through her enthusiastic and refreshingly unstuffy approach. She is wine editor of The Gloss magazine and a contributor to the internationally acclaimed wine magazine Decanter, having been wine correspondent of The Irish Times 1995-2005. She has visited most of the world’s major wine-producing regions and is the author of several books including Food and Wine – Matching Made Simple and 101 Great Wines Under €12.
Wine Weekend Format
Friday evening: welcome aperitif, dinner with specially chosen wines and brief talk
Saturday: wine course all day (9.30am – 4.30pm) with lunch, afternoon tea and a
six-course wine-tasting dinner in the evening
Sunday morning: champagne and sparkling wine workshop (10am -12.30pm)

Wine Weekend Packages – course open to both residents and non-residents
2 nights bed & breakfast with Friday dinner and wine talk; Saturday all-day wine course with lunch, afternoon tea and gala dinner; Sunday morning champagne workshop.
€495pp standard room; €595pp superior room

Gift vouchers available: the ideal birthday or Christmas gift for a wine-lover.
Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork. Tel: 00 353 (0)21 4652531
E-mail: res@ballymaloe.ie Website and online booking: www.ballymaloe.ie
 

Wine Weekend with Mary Dowey

March 31, 2008

Ballymaloe House - The Georgina Campbell Wine Award of the Year 2010

Lonely Planet Top 10 Weekend Breaks - Ballymaloe Wine Weekends

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2009

The Daily Telegraph Top 10 Wine-Tasting Courses UK & Ireland 2008

 

Ballymaloe House Wine Weekend Course with Mary Dowey, 2nd -4th March 2012

“I was at last week-ends wine tasting which I thought was terrific. Mary was a terrific host and the hotel staff were superb at delivering the right atmosphere and superb food and wine. My thanks to everybody.”

“A little note to let you know how much we enjoyed the wine tasting week-end in Ballymaloe. It was a fantastic weekend and we will highly recommend it to our friends.”

“We had a wonderful time in Ballymaloe…great food, great wine (of course!), great course and great fun. Thanks a million”

This was some of the feedback we received from people who attended the Ballymaloe Wine Weekend with Mary Dowey

Mary Dowey, Wine Editor, The Gloss Magazine, is an Irish wine writer, lecturer and irrepressible food and wine enthusiast. Mary has been running these wine weekend courses at Ballymaloe for the past eight years and they have become a firm fixture on the Spring calendar at Ballymaloe.

Open to all, and ideal presents as vouchers for the wine lover in your life, Mary wears her expert knowledge lightly, so there is plenty of interesting information and wine for those who feel they do not know anything about wine, and for those also who know a little and a lot – as the world of wine is constantly evolving and changing every year, there is always lots to learn – and its fun learning it here!. Mary has been to every corner of the wine world and met everyone who is anyone in the wine world, and is the ideal person to run these wine weekend course.

The weekend course features the star elements which have helped to make these weekends so popular – a welcome dinner with wine tasting on Friday evening, a gala food-and-wine-matching dinner on Saturday night and a sparkling wine and champagne workshop on Sunday morning. Both courses offer an array of worthwhile wines in a relaxed, convivial atmosphere underscored by Mary’s unstuffy but highly informative approach – and they are punctuated at regular intervals by delicious food.

We hope to see you at one of our wine weekends

St. Patrick's Day

March 15, 2007

On Saturday enjoy a lovely walk in the woods and pick your own shamrock, relax in the TV room and watch the 3 rugby games lined up for the afternoon. Rory will be playing Saturday night as usual in the Drawing room, songs and music till late. Lovely fresh Shamrock at reception for all guests. Irish Coffees and Murphys will be flowing. Sunday afternoon the Chernobyl Charity walk will be leaving from Ballycotton to Ballinrostig, a great charity walk to support.