Wine Courses
Upcoming Wine events in 2012
- Weekend wine course, 'Introduction to Wine Appreciation' with Mary Dowey, 2nd - 4th March 2012
- 'Riesling Revolution - a journey to the heart of this great wine', 17th May 2012 (further details below, listed after Mary Dowey's wine weekend course)
Introduction to Wine Appreciation, Wine Weekend Course with Mary Dowey
2nd - 4th March 2012.
Mary Dowey’s Weekend Wine Course has become a firm fixture on the spring calendar at Ballymaloe House, Co Cork. 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 course with the handsomely restored Grain Store at Ballymaloe as the main venue. 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
'Fantastic weekend. It was most informative and great fun. The last time we had such a good time was on the Orient Express' Pat & Mary Murphy
Listed among the Top 10 Wine Courses in the UK & Ireland by the Daily Telegraph
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; 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 Also open to non-residents €295 (which includes all of the above, except bed & breakfast on both nights)
Gift vouchers available - ideal Christmas, birthday or Valentine’s gift for a wine-lover.
The February 2010 issue Lonely Planet magazine includes the spring wine course at Ballymaloe House in Co Cork among their listing of 10 BEST WEEKEND COURSES. It is the only wine course to be chosen in a wide-ranging article about 52 interesting weekend breaks in many different countries.
Contact Ballymaloe House by e-mail colm@ballymaloe.ie or by telephone: 00 353 (0) 21 4652531.
'Riesling Revolution - A journey to the heart of this great wine’
Ballymaloe House, in association with Wine Australia, is thrilled to present this very interesting wine event.
Thursday May 17th, 2012, 7pm, The Grain Store, Ballymaloe, Shanagarry, Co. Cork
Riesling presents a conundrum. For some it produces the greatest white wines in the world, yet misunderstood and ridiculed by many. Our presentation, plus a 12 wine tasting, followed by a Summer supper, aims to resolves these two disparate points of view. Joining us to present the evening are 3 winemakers from some of the great Riesling growing regions of the world.
Tim Adams, Clare Valley, South Australia
- Tim Adams is based in Australia's Clare Valley and since establishing Tim Adams wines in 1984 has developed a reputation as a brilliant and fiercely independent winemaker.
Carl Ehrhard, Rheingau, Germany
- Based in Germanys Rheingau, Carl Ehrhard expertly marries tradition with innovation in making and packaging his delicious range of wines.
Séverine Schlumberger, Alsace, France
- Owing some of Alsace's most respected vineyard sites, Séverine Schlumberger of Domaines Schlumberger is custodian of both this famous house and it's vineyards.
Although from different parts of the world, Tim, Carl and Severine share a passion for Riesling, a passion they will share with us tonight.
The evening will be hosted by John Wilson, Irish Times Wine Scribe (and self confessed "Riesling disciple").
For more information, please contact Ballymaloe or John Mc Donnell at Wine Australia.
Bookings direct with Ballymaloe House colm@ballymaloe.ie
(Cost & booking details to follow very shortly)
Wine Events at Ballymaloe Mailing List:
Please e-mail colm@ballymaloe.ie if you would like to be added to the wine events mailing list. Thank you.
Some previous wine event here at Ballymaloe, include:
Paddy Borthwick, Borthwick Wines, Wairarapa, New Zealand, 21st June, 2010
Jean Trimbach, Trimbach Wines, Alsace, France, 2nd July, 2010
Eric Talavet, Château Valandraud, Saint-Ėmilion, Bordeaux, France for a wine dinner, 27th September, 2010
Silvia Allegrini, Allegrini, Veneto, Italy, for a wine lunch, 28th September, 2010
Wine for the Festive Season course at Ballymaloe, with John McDonnell and Colm McCan, Saturday 4th December 2010
Winemaker dinner, with Tom Portet, Penfolds Wines, Australia, 24th February 2011
Dinner with wines from the house of Hugel, Alsace presented by David Ling of Hugel Wines, Alsace, France. 10th March 2011.
Sherry Dinner with Cesar Saldana, Consejo Regulador, Sherry, 26th May 2011, in association with The Irish Times Readers Evening, and John Wilson, wine writer, The Irish Times, and Wines of Spain.
Anne-Claude Leflaive, Domaine Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy. Saturday 11th June 2011.
Dave & Diana Palmer, owners/winemakers, Skillogalee, Clare Valley, Friday 16th September 2011
Jane Ferrari, Yalumba, Barossa Valley 29th September 2011
Samuel Guibert, Mas de Daumas Gassac, Languedoc 21st October 2011.
An evening of Tuscan Wines, and the New Season's Olive Oil, with the following owner/winemakers here themselves representing some of the best known Tuscan wine estates, including Bea Contini Bonacossi, Capezzana, Carmignano; Federico Giuntini, Selvapiana, Chianti Rufino and David Gleave MW, of Liberty Wines, introducing the wines and olive oil of Fontodi, Panzano. 9th November 2011
Oscar Bayo, of Gonzalez Byass, Jerez - wine presentation and tatsing, Friday 11th November, 2011
Pictured below, in the wine cellar at Ballymaloe, helping Ballymaloe sommeliers, Colm and Samuel, (along with some giant size glasses just for the photo's!), highlight the wine event, are Darina and Rachel along with co-hosts for the visit of Samuel Guibert, Gary Gubbins, Red Nose Wines, and Mike Kane, Curious Wines.
Ballymaloe House - The Georgina Campbell Wine Award of the Year 2010
Lonely Planet Top 10 Wine Weekends
Food and Wine Magazine 'Wine Experience of the Year' Top 10 2010
Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2009
The Daily Telegraph Top 10 Wine-Tasting Courses UK & Ireland 2008
