Decanter Magazine – February 2015 issue – Steven Spurrier.
“Raymond Blake, wine editor of Ireland’s Food & Wine magazine, is a dashing Dubliner married to Fionnuala, the city’s premier classical violinist, to whom he has dedicated this book. Under the subtitle A Hungry Irishman in the Belly of France, he treats the reader to a two-decade romp through their first idea of buying a house in the Cote d’Or to becoming part of the Burgundy furniture. People, places, endless menus – some simple, some inspiring – and bottle upon bottle, all are recounted in a manner as gloriously coloured as the roof of the Hospices de Beaune. If you already own Jasper Morris MW’s approachable encyclopaedic tome Inside Burgundy, this will complete the picture, bringing Burgundy alive on a daily, seasonal basis.

Having shared the author’s passion for la table in the Veneto and a memorable dinner at Dublin’s Kildare Street & University Club (unsurprisingly he serves on the Wine Committee there), I knew what to expect: this is personal experience at an emotional level. When my wife and I lived in France in the 1970s, we, too, bought a house in the Cote d’Or – no running water and not much roof – and were there most weekends from Easter to the Hospices de Beaune weekend in November. My memories of those years were fading until Blake brought them all flooding back. He says that ‘Burgundy must be enjoyed by the senses first, the intellect second.’ This is a book for the senses.”

Tags: Wine, Burgundy

BREAKFAST IN BURGUNDY

It was six years in the making but I am now delighted to report that my latest book Breakfast in Burgundy was published in New York recently. There’s limited ‘physical’ availability on this side of the Atlantic just yet but deliveries from Amazon have reached the length and breadth of Ireland & the UK – and points further away too, as far as New Zealand in fact. Check these links to place an order for delivery before Christmas – it makes the perfect stocking filler.

amazon.co.uk amazon.com

"An Under the Tuscan Sun set in fabled Burgundy, Irish wine writer Raymond Blake's lyrical, and personal, memoir of falling tangle-footedly in love with a grape (Pinot Noir), and then a region where it reaches its apotheosis, to a ramshackle cottage that he and his wife impetuously purchase to embrace their seeming cockamamie dream of residing there, is as heartbreaking and funny and emotionally honest as any Pinotphile's wallet-emptying odyssey for that singular levitational moment when a truly great Burgundy takes him through the whole fairy tale three-act narrative to sensorial sublimity and, finally, vinous redemption." - Rex Pickett, author of Sideways

"'A hungry Irishman in the belly of France'--what self-respecting female foodie wouldn't be hooked by that line? Blake's book romps along with pace and energy and provides a giggle on every page; it's about the food, sure, but the travel snarl-ups, home-reno dramas, and his conversations with wistful winemakers were highlights for me. Loved it!" - Yvonne Lorkin, wine writer

"A charming and witty read that delightfully evokes the Burgundian countryside, its food, wines, and its people; a book that made me want to immediately return to this wine-lover's jewel of France." - Chris de Burgh, singer-songwriter

READER COMMENTS

“Blake balances wit, charm and emotion beautifully to deliver a lively but touching story of his connection with this great wine region. An old-world Sideways, if you will. I think it'd be a great present for any wine-lover this Christmas.” (amazon.com)

“This is a suburb read; well written and entertaining. It would make the perfect Christmas gift - especially for anyone who has been to France, who likes food and has ever had that dream of owning a home there.” (amazon.co.uk)

Tags: Burgundy, Wine, France

“Sangliers sur la ligne,” said the announcement as the TGV, France’s high-speed train, ground to a halt somewhere between Paris and Burgundy. We got a good view of the wild boar, about a dozen of them, as they left the tracks and sauntered across a field before disappearing into some forest. Then we were on our way again. Read More...

Tags: Burgundy, Wine

“We will be interested to hear what changes you notice.” I arrived back in Buenos Aires for the first time since 1999 just two days ago and I have already lost count of the number of people who have said that to me. The first and most obvious change is the dining scene. My memory of 12 years ago is of an avalanche of doorstop steaks and little else. Today, an avalanche of new restaurants sees steak still on the menu but it has been joined now by a host of other delectable dishes. Read More...

Tags: Buenos Aires, Wine

In anticipation of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later this year I was commissioned recently to ‘select’ a World Rugby Wine XV and here is the result. The subs’ bench has yet to be filled and competition for those places is expected to be stiff, so get your suggestions in quickly…

1 Loosehead Prop
St Hallett, Old Block Shiraz 2005 14.5% Australia
Resisting the temptation to make quips about ‘a chip off’, we welcome the selection of Old Block in this key position where his experience and dogged application of the basic principles of scrummaging will prove invaluable. His contribution goes largely unnoticed by spectators but that doesn’t bother Old Block who contents himself with the high esteem in which every front row forward in the world holds him. It is worth noting that he was selected in preference to his Italian cousin Amarone who, it was felt, had bulked up too much in the gym, leaving him perfectly competent in the set pieces but unable to get from one end of the pitch to the other in any sort of acceptable time. Read More...

Tags: Rugby, Wine

I spent a fair portion of the late afternoon yesterday dodging the rain at Taste of Dublin in the Iveagh Gardens behind St Stephen’s Green. The ultimate, must-have, accessory was a see-through plastic rain poncho and thankfully there were 20,000 of them on hand to keep everyone looking their best. It was chilly too, so some heart-warming food was called for and I made my way straight to Jaipur where the endlessly talented Sunil Ghai was in charge, with some Bombay Railway Lamb Curry ready to hand. Read More...

Tags: Ananda, Wine, Beer

I had a minor hissy fit while watching the Channel 4 news last Friday night. Apparently researchers have discovered a link between the consumption of alcohol and certain cancers. Once this news was announced various worthies were wheeled in to give us the benefit of their wisdom. More than once the term ‘a glass of wine’ was used, which was the red rag to this bull. Read More...

Tags: Alcohol, Wine

If the words ‘Gourmet’ and ‘Abu Dhabi’ don’t exactly fit together in your mind then think again. I was the same myself until my first visit late last year. The first evening I dined on a splendid rib eye steak, accompanied by a tasty Erath Pinot Noir 2007 from Oregon, in Marco Pierre White’s recently opened restaurant at the Fairmont Hotel. Not every restaurant is as good, but this Emirate is certainly a place on the move in culinary terms. Beware the wine prices, though, they will bring your credit card to its knees. Read More...

Tags: Abu Dhabi, Gourmet, Wine