Everyone else is recommending wines for Christmas, so why not join them. Well, here it goes.

1. Brunch bubbly: Moscato d’Asti
Frank from Robert Francis Wine introduced me to the Oddero Moscato d’Asti NV at the iFoods.tv bloggers Christmas party. The way he put it was that you can’t help but smile when drinking this and he’s right – it’s really quite different to the normal bubbly you’ll have.
This wine is refreshing, really fruity and slightly sweet.  Continue reading »

Wine Series – What to buy for Christmas !
As part of my weekly wine column in the Connacht Tribune I have just recently completed a 4 week wine series on wines for Christmas. The idea was to help people find a great bottle of wine for Christmas ! The wines included cover all budgets from under €10 upwards. Due to the phenomenal success of the articles I have decided to post them here on my blog for anyone who still hasn’t picked up their Christmas bottle yet !  Continue reading »

Our blog posts have been quiet the last week, and understandably so. It’s been an encouraging month for one of Ireland’s latest entrants into the online retail scene. With online orders taking an upsurge and our warehouse in Bandon becoming the talk of the town, Curious Wines is really starting to make a name for itself. And people just keep coming back for more!

We will be dispatching our last national orders today (22nd) and starting again on January 2nd.  Continue reading »

Christmas week is finally here and every TV show under the sun is telling us how to cook a fancy-ass Christmas dinner. The plethora of sprout dishes thrown at us is both immense and mind boggling: sprouts in cider; sprouts in 7-Up; sprouts with bacon; sprouts without bacon; sprouts in bacon and cider; sprouts with beansprouts … the list goes on. Fair play to Darina Allen in Irish Examiner who gave a recipe for sprouts with salt and pepper. Just salt and pepper.  Continue reading »

It was flavour bingo up the Bull & Castle last Wednesday lunchtime. John, Ken, Mrs Beer Nut and I were sitting round halbes of Phúca, the winter ale just released from Franciscan Well in celebration of ten years a-brewing. There’s a lot to this dark brown ale with its tan head: ginger is definitely in the mix, being present in the aroma and adding a bite to the taste. Cloves dominate the flavour – raw and uncompromising.  Continue reading »

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Palo Alto, a Chilean red, is half price in Dunnes at €8.49 for a 75cl bottle. This was one of Irish Times food reviewer Tom Doorley’s three Christmas reds. It’s a blend of Cabernet, Carmenère and Syrah, and it’s fruity with a soft finish.  Continue reading »

In Marks and Spencer today, I noticed that 225g fresh cranberries are half price, reduced from €4.19 to 2.09. At Tesco, these festive fruits are priced €3.19 for 300g. Or €2.49 for 340g at Superquinn.
I’m making a few of my own sauces and chutneys to bring to my parent’s this Christmas, including this cranberry…  Continue reading »

Sunday Business Post – Tomas Clancy
TO TRY: Domaine de la Chique, Côtes de Roussillon 2007, €15.95 from Terroirs, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4 and nationwide on terroirs.ie (88)
“The grenache and carignan grapes used in this wine have seen no Rhône-like oak, instead being raised in steel.  Continue reading »

Click here to view the embedded video.
In the lastest episode of robertfranciswine.ie I try a Chablis Premier Cru from Lidl. This wine retails for €16.99 from Lidl stores nationwide.
Food Wise: Seafood and Chicken with creamy sauces would go down well with this wine.
Wine Tasted: Florine De Feussac Chablis Premier Cru 2007
Check it out and see ya next time on robertfranciswine.ie.  Continue reading »

I had lunch in the Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Temple Bar this weekend, and got a very tasty burger indeed. They have a very extensive menu, and most burgers are around the €10 mark.  Mine was a hangover-friendly Cajun burger
What was good:
The burger was really good quality, as were the condiments that were on…  Continue reading »

It may be too late to order but I received the best present yet last night and Im not sure who it was from as it was all part of the Internet Secret Santa as arranged by the lovely Helena. I got to meet a load of lovely people from the interweb too which was very nice and festive.

I currently have a very black tongue and expect to hyper for a good bit of the way into 2009. Thank you Internet Secret Santa.
You may still be able to order one of these boxes.  Continue reading »

The last time I made my penguins they seemed to go down well. Quite a lot of people searched for how to make them, so I thought I’d do a little tutorial for all those who wanted to know.

They’re quite take time, but aren’t particularly difficult and good for decorating this time of year. What’s nice is that (unintentionally) they all end up with different little personalities.  Continue reading »

Here’s some of the music we play in our shops, courtesy of ILIKE. ILIKE seems a useful enough tool for sharing music!

Yamore by Salif Keita
Humours Of Galway by De Dannan
Your Feet’s Too Big by Fats Waller
Le Bien et Le Mal (Good and Evil) by Souad Massi
Sangue De Beirona by Cesaria Evora
A Good Man Is Hard To FInd by Alberta Hunter

Super-powered by iLike

Technorati tags: music, ilike.  Continue reading »

Oxfam’s Fair Trade shops are currently offering discounts on their boxed chocolates, which make really lovely gifts.  Their Plush chocolates range are on sale for the following prices:
400g was €24, now €15
200g was €13, now €10
165g was €9, now €7
Their Divine Truffles range is also on sale with similar mark-downs. These are great prices for…  Continue reading »

The Milano pizza restaurants (part of the Pizza Express chain) are reliably decent places to get a meal; they’re not terribly exciting but the quality is good and the prices are reasonable.
One thing that is pretty good there however, is their facilities for kids.  Their children’s menu is pretty good value, at €8.50 for a…  Continue reading »

Click here to view the embedded video.
In the latest episode of robertfranciswine.ie I taste a keenly priced cava from Spain. It retails for €12.99 at Lidl so lets see if this could be a great value alternative for Christmas or the New Year ?
Check it out and see ya next time on robertfranciswine.ie.  Continue reading »

Irish Times – John Wilson
This weeks John Wilson picks something a little different for Christmas !
WINE
Schloss Gobelsberg Grüner Veltliner Steinberg 2006 Langenlois, Austria, 12.5%, €19.95 

Try saying that after a few glasses! The wine is lightly spritzy, with a rich, but light palate of canteloup melon and ginger. Delicious, different, and certain to please everyone, from the Sauvignon drinker to the wine anorak.  Continue reading »

I made this cake a while ago and forgot to blog about it until someone asked me could I give them the recipe because they wanted to make it for Christmas day instead of Christmas Cake or Christmas Pudding. A good idea I thought because it would complement the Christmas dinner well and be a nice and tasty treat for finishing off the meal.
From what I remember it was a beautifully moist and soft cake, the lemon and passionfruit working well together.  Continue reading »