Castlemartyr's Hunted Hog In Good Hands

 Castlemartyr's Hunted Hog In Good Hands

What would a five-star hotel want with a local pub? That question came up often when news broke that Castlemartyr Resort had bought a local tavern called Hunted Hog, previously owned by the Emporium Consortium and before that by comedian Pat Shortt.

Once I thought about the acquisition, I could see a "good fit". In fact, the "fit" was already established by wedding parties stopping off at the Hog for a pint or two in the old bar, and enjoying the craic on its riverside terrace, before heading to the hotel for the banquet.

So from now on, if you arrive at the junction of the village's Main Street and the road to Garryvoe on a summer weekend, or any time during the wedding season, expect to find a lively scene inside and out. When we arrived for lunch on a rainy March day, it wasn't that lively, nor would you expect it to be so. Our biggest worry was where to get parking close to the venue. We did find it just around the corner but that may not be the case later in the year.

The bar, while retaining its traditional vibe, has been improved and brightened up since we last called in the days under Pat Shortt.  The bar counter is on your right as you enter from the street and the first thing I spotted was a couple of taps with craft beer from the Killarney Brewing Company. Happy to see that and happy to enjoy a glass of their Golden Spear with my lunch.

The main dining room is on your left - just walk through, no doors. There is a well-worn timber floor emphasising the character of the building and quite a few more hints, by way of old bottles, flasks, advertisements and other posters, on the shelves and on the walls. Another area further in on the right has a telly for races and matches. They also have music here at weekends so it doesn't just doze through these winter months.

Indeed we got a lively warm welcome as did everyone else that came in that lunchtime. We were led to our table and soon we were sipping the IPA and studying the shortish menu, short yes but not lacking in quality. Far from it, as we were about to discover. 

They do a roast here daily and our server told us all about the Slow Cooked Brisket and veg. But having had beef at a confirmation meal the evening before, we gave the roast a skip, this time. 

We started with soups. CL enjoyed her Potato and Leek while I also savoured my Seafood Chowder (packed with pieces of fish) and both of these were accompanied by a well-made brown bread. Our excellent server kept an eye on us without overdoing it and checked if we needed more of the bread or more of anything.

Local suppliers and producers are supported by the pub (which is run by Colin and Barry Hennessey): the fish comes from Ballycotton pier, beef and chicken from Clifford's Craft Butchers on Main Street, greens come from the grocer across the road, and whiskey from the distillery in Midleton, all mentioned on the website. What you get here is good quality Irish cuisine.

The Fish Tacos were a good example, the breaded prawns on crispy tacos with a well-dressed selection of organic leaves certainly went down well with CL. More or less the same salad was served with their excellent chicken liver paté, also delicious Cumberland sauce and the bread, instead of the hard doorstep sourdough you often get, was a soft toasted Ciabatta. A terrific combination.

Thumbs up overall for the lunch and happy as we stepped out into the rain with just a short walk needed to get from bar to car.

The picturesque Luberon deserves to be better known here in Ireland for its wines. This one is an excellent introduction.

Famille Perrin Luberon (AOC) 2021, 13% ABV

€14.95 at Bradleys.

The Luberon deserves to be better known here in Ireland for its wines. This one is an excellent introduction. Highly Recommended

Gordes, one of the hilltop villages in the Luberon (by jacqueline macou from Pixabay)

Our Luberon blend, strikingly limpid in the glass, has a light gold colour. Famille Perrin proposes it as an aperitif wine or to accompany simple cuisine, a great everyday white wine! 

Citrus notes of lemon and lime abound in the aromatics along with a whiff of white flowers. The zesty fruits continue to the palate where the wine is endowed with freshness, elegance and balance with a knockout punch of acidity.

Vines below the
village of Ménerbes 2011

 

  The varying weather - ranging from frost in April to rain at the relatively late vintage - kept the vineyard teams on their toes. But they got their reward, one that we can share!

The Perrin family have been winemakers in the Rhone Valley for five generations. Their wines illustrate a strong knowledge and a deep attachment to these exceptional terroirs. The blend is:

Bourboulenc : 30%

Grenache : 30%

Ugni blanc : 30%

Roussanne : 10%.

  

It is excellent as “an aperitif wine or to accompany simple cuisine, a great everyday white wine!”

8°C with a starter or a cold buf

The Luberon is a trio of mountain ranges and associated valleys in the middle of Provence in the south of France. It is rather well known in these islands largely because of the writings of Peter Mayle. His books included A Year in Provence (made into a TV series).

My holiday pic of hilltop Bonnieux (2011)

A Good Year brought him even more notice. It was transformed into an easy-to-watch film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. It was shot in the Luberon and some of the scenes, including the cafe ones, were filmed in Lacoste, one of the many picturesque hilltop villages in the region. Others include Gordes, Lourmarin, Roussillon (reddest town in France!) and Ménerbes. 

On the craft trail: Two Red Ales and a Session IPA from 9 White Deer, O'Hara's and Lough Gill

On the craft trail

Two Red Ales and a Session IPA 

from 9 White Deer, O'Hara's and Lough Gill

9 White Deer Stag Rua Red Ale, 4.2% ABV, 500 ml bottle Bradleys

Be big, be bold, Bí Dána

Made with a mix of ale, crystal and chocolate malts, Stag Rua by Ballyvourney’s 9 White Deer, pours a very dark red indeed, with a soft off-white head. Indeed at first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a glass of stout was on the way to you.

Chocolate, coffee and caramel in the aromas and also on the smooth palate. A really well-balanced beer with no single ingredient dominating. Quite a satisfying mouthful indeed. Easy-drinking as they indicate and also Gluten Free (since 2018).

They say: Stag Rua is a beer with big malt flavours and it’s our impression of a perfect Irish Red Ale. The body is moderate meaning it’s not a heavy beer with an ABV of 4.2%. The flavour profile of Stag Rua is full of irresistible chocolate, caramel and toffee characteristics. These are derived from the liberal use of chocolate and crystal malts besides the gorgeous Irish ale malt. We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we love it. Be big, be bold, Bí Dána”

Very Highly Recommended.

 

O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, 4.3% ABV, 500 ml bottle, Dunnes

O’Hara’s has quite a dark red robe and an off white head that hangs about for a bit. They say the red colour is intensified by the finest roast barley, while subtle hop additions in the kettle give just the right bitterness and aroma to craft this distinctive Irish Red Ale.

Roasted caramel stands out in the aromatics. And you get that caramel and toffee flavour on the palate as well, thanks to the addition of a “pinch of roast barley during the brewing process”. The sweetness of the malt and traditional hop flavour combine well. A terrific example of the style gets a major thumbs up from this quarter.

 

The Carlow Brewing crew is naturally quite proud of their red ale: “This Red stands out in this beer style category. The malt body is as impressive as a bock, albeit in a uniquely Irish way….is much more complex than its mainstream rivals.”

Excellent balance and Very Highly Recommended

 

For the Geek

Style: Traditional Red Ale

ABV: 4.3%

IBU: 34 

Fermentation: Top fermentation 

Availability: Keg (carbonated), Bottle 50cl and 33cl (occasional 41L cask)

Serving Temperature: 6-8°C

Food Pairing: Pairs well with baked and roasted main courses from the oven such as beef hotpot. Also excellent with winter soups. A delicious accompaniment to mature cheddar or soft goat cheeses.

Lough Gill Shaka Session IPA, 3.8% ABV, 440 ml can, Higgins SuperValu

This light gold coloured IPA comes from the excellent Lough Gill Brewery in Sligo. 

It is hazy. Look hard and you’ll note fountains of bubbles rising up to the soft white head.  At 3.8% ABV, it limbos comfortably under the session bar. Aromas are moderate, are of the tropical kind and very pleasant. And so it continues smoothly on the palate with more tropical notes, also some citrus, and an almost creamy mouthfeel that “has been amped up with the addition of oats and Dextrin malts”. 

Another well-balanced beer with a refreshing finish and well suited to a session.

Highly Recommended.

A Merlot gem from Rizzardi. Made only in those years “in which we believe the Merlot grapes reach the highest level”

Rizzardi Clos Roareti Rosso Veronese (IGT) 2019, 14.5% ABV, €29.95, O’Briens Wine

Made only in those years “in which we believe the Merlot grapes reach the highest level”.

Guerrieri Rizzardi is located near the eastern shore of Lake Garda. But the grapes for this wine come from further inland, to the east. The vineyard is in Valpolicella, less than half an hour north of Verona.

Their Clos Roareti is a Merlot and is a smooth and supple performer on the palate.  It has the typical ruby colour, tending towards the darker side. Aromas, a melange of fruit and floral, give notes of cherry and violet. And a trace too of vanilla. 

It is rich and full-bodied and, according to the producer’s words, “is a unique departure from the lighter styles of Merlot from the Veneto region”. Easy drinking for sure, well balanced with a lip-smacking grip towards the end.

The first vintage of Clos Roareti, a single vineyard Merlot, was in 2006.  The grapes come from the historic monopole (a French term used to indicate that the entire vineyard is owned by a single grower or company). This Cru vineyard of Rovereti is in Negrar, Valpolicella. 

In this centuries-old walled vineyard, the family began to plant Merlot from the late 1990s onwards,  a grape variety perfectly suited to the climate and the vineyard’s red clay soil. 

Maffei Palace and winged Lion of Saint Mark - Verona 

The resulting wine is a rich, full-bodied and complex Merlot.  Clos Roareti is not made every year but only in those years “in which we believe the Merlot grapes reach the highest level”.

Check out  our Top Wines 2024 list (with stockists and short reviews) here 

Looking for better value? All under 20 euro. Click here

They recommend decanting and serving at around 16° C (or 60° F) and as an accompaniment to roast game or to red meats such as rack of lamb or fillet mignon, also with tomato-based pasta dishes. Ageing potential: up to 10 years.

Very Highly Recommended

Just started working my way through Vino by Joe Campanale who advocates using a Venn system to find a true Italian wine. Instead of the traditional pyramid with DOCG or similar at the top, his Venn (using three intersecting circles) values Artisan Winemakers, Exceptional Terroir and Native Grapes. Not too sure that Rizzardi would agree with Joe!

Pinot Gris. Very much at home in Alsace and this Colmar is a good one!

Domaine De La Ville De Colmar Pinot Gris Alsace (AOP) 2021, 12.5% ABV, €14.75* Dunnes Stores

Alsace -  by Ben Kerckx from Pixabay

* €11.80 in 2023 French Wine Sale.

The Alsace, in the northeast of France, seems to be the place to go for Pinot Gris. 

Grapes & Wines indicates that the grape can produce really good wines in many countries “but I still go back to Alsace to see what makes it tick” and points to the climate. In Alsace where “long hang times are possible; you can pick late for dry or off-dry, and even later for sweet ones.”

Dunnes, where I bought this bottle, say the area “is famed for zesty, flavourful white wines.  Pinot Gris goes perfectly with Asian cuisine…. This Pinot Gris epitomises the Alsace style…”

Domaine de la Ville de Colmar, with its centuries-old history, holds a privileged position in the heart of the famous French region.

This particular semi-dry Pinot Gris is light gold, a shiny gold, in colour. Aromas are fresh and complex with even a hint of smoke. It boasts a gorgeous fruity palate and a long finish to match.

Very Highly Recommended.

Enjoy with smoked fish, pork or veal is the advice from Dunnes while the winemaker’s recommendations are as aperitif, and with foie gras, duck breast, cheese (fish in foil, scampi, shellfish, white meats in sauce). A generous wine, an ideal partner at the table. 

Check out  our Top Wines 2024 list (with stockists and short reviews) here 

Looking for better value? All under 20 euro. Click here

In general this versatile wine may be paired with terrines, shellfish, oily fish, smoked fish, sushi, white meats, sweetbreads, mushrooms, spicy and aromatic dishes, and Asian cuisine … It really is versatile! 

KILLARNEY PARK'S PADRAIG CASEY APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF LES CLEFS D’OR IRELAND

PADRAIG CASEY APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF LES CLEFS D’OR IRELAND

Delight at Killarney Park

The Killarney Park Hotel is thrilled to announce the appointment of Padraig Casey, Head Concierge at The Killarney Park to the position of President of Les Clefs d'Or Ireland. 

A very valued member of the team, Padraig has worked with The Killarney Park for over 8 years and is the first hello and last goodbye each of their visitors receive as the hotels’ Guest Relations Manager & Chief Concierge.

Les Clefs d'Or is a professional association of hotel concierges across the world with over 4000 members. Padraig will now lead the Irish Chapter of the organisation along with the newly appointed team for a two-year period. 

“We are so delighted for Padraig as he takes the reins at The Clef d’Or Ireland.  They are in exceptional hands as Padraig always goes that extra mile to exceed guest expectations and it is a great honour to have him as a member of The Killarney Park family” said Hotel General Manger, Marcus Treacy.

Les Clefs d'Or Ireland is a section of a worldwide professional association of hotel concierges. Members are identified by the golden crossed keys on their lapels, these members are an elite fraternity, globally connected, committed to professional development, and driven to setting new standards for guest service perfection. With roots dating back to 1929, Les Clefs d’Or was officially founded in France in 1952 as a not-for-profit organisation based on two pillars: Service and Friendship. Before earning the right to wear the golden keys, those who aspire to become a member must have several years of experience as a hotel concierge, pass comprehensive testing and prove, beyond doubt, their ability to deliver highest quality of service.

Commenting on Padraig’s appointment, Martin Mulholland ex-President of the Irish section and current European Zone Director who welcomed Mr Clinton to Belfast twice and was awarded a BEM by King Charles last year on the honours list said, “Padraig is a wonderful ambassador for Killarney and for the concierge of Ireland”. As lifelong professional hotel concierges, their experience, knowledge and professional relationships make them the most reliable local experts and ambassadors of their chosen destinations.

With every member having access to the Les Clefs d’Or global network, often meeting face-to-face at one of their annual international congresses, there is nowhere they cannot reach or guest request they cannot deliver. No one knows the world like Les Clefs d’Or. From Berlin to New York City, Paris to Tokyo, and everywhere in between, Les Clefs d’Or concierges strive to provide nothing short of inspired service.

Beer of the Week. A Superb Balance Of Juicy Fruit and Tart Bitterness, Hopfully's IPA ShineBright.

 Hopfully Shine Bright IPA, 5.5% ABV, 440 ml can Bradleys

Beer of the Week. A Superb Balance Of Juicy Fruit and Tart Bitterness, Hopfully's IPA Shinebright.

Shinebright comes in a hazy golden colour and a white bubbly head. It gets its aromas mostly from the Citra hops that may also contribute some of the tropical (eg Mango) notes on the juice itself. The other hop used is Comet, also from the US. It too is noted for its citrus flavours but is also used for bittering. Here it is well utilised to balance the tropical fruit and help the beer to a soft and silky finish.

Quite an impressive beer from Hopfully, nowadays based in Waterford. My kind of IPA.

Very Highly Recommended.

Geek Bits:

Malts: Maris Otter, Flaked Oats, Wheat & Dextrin

Hops: Citra & Comet.

Artwork - Staselé Jakunskaité