Farewell Jean-Marie and Rest In Peace

On Saturday last, 20th of August, the "Wine Buff" lost one of it's greatest supporters, Jean-Marie Zeli, 54 yrs young.

Jean-Marie was my brother-in-law and great friend.

He also featured among our most trusted and reliable wine tasters. His passion for great wine was infectious and certainly rubbed off on me when I moved to St. Emilion in 1988.

Our hearts go out to Jean-Marie's wife Claudine, and his two daughters, Esther and Laura.

Rest In Peace dear friend, and as Aunt Lizzie says, may God find a bed for you in heaven.

We will all miss you, hugely.

cheers my friend, Paddy

Paul O'Connell Bordeaux 2011

Photos taken in Bordeaux on Saturday morning before the France v Ireland friendly. The man in the Irish rugby shirt needs no introduction; Alain, the guy on Paul's left, is a friend of mine from St. Emilion.

The carnival atmosphere at the match was absolutely electrifying, and was certainly matched by the physical impacts on the field. Interesting to note that the French players seemed to come off second best in the physical contact department, they were very much slower getting back on their feet. Bring on the return match at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday.

After a few days of drying out Pilar and I are now back in preparation for next weekend!

cheers, Paddy

How great is Cork?

Photo 1. The tree you see stripped of it's bark is a "alcornoque" or "Oak Cork" tree. The cork used to seal wine bottles actually comes from the bark of this oak tree. The bark is stripped every 10 to 15 years.

Photo 2. This is very expensive, and absolutely delicious, "jamon iberico", or, cured ham, from the same region, the pigs here are fed on glands from the holm oak tree and the alcornoque tree.

Photo 3. One of two Irish pubs in Jarandilla, population of only 3,000 people, and the same town emperor Carlos V spent his final years.

Photo 4. Vidal Del Saz and Carlos Diez Sanchez of Bodegas Del Saz.

Currently back in Bordeaux getting ready for the France v Ireland rugby game this Saturday. Expecting to see lots of Irish out here for the free vineyard visit/wine tasting events the "Wine Buff" are organizing.

A week of Spanish food and wine was the perfect, and absolutely necessary, warm up for this important event!

Cheers, Paddy

Lunch in Toledo

Pictures taken of Toledo en route to Bodegas Del Saz yesterday.

We stopped for lunch and had the most beautifully prepared, incredibly flavorsome, wild boar burgers, you can possibly imagine.

Met with our suppliers for dinner and again had beautifully prepared local food, accompanied by many delicious wines, in a very ordinary restaurant. The baby lamb for our main course was absolutely mouthwatering. We were lucky to escape back to the hotel at around 3.30am; Vidal Del Saz, the owner of the winery, was only just warming up when we left.

Off to meet with another of our suppliers this evening, "Bodegas Ovidio". The owner of the winery, Angel, and his wife Amparo, also know how to party; it promises to be another late, and very well oiled, night for Pi and I. Angel, better known as Kojak, perhaps due to his lack of hair and robust Latin features, produces incredible wines in the "La Mancha" region of Spain.

We plan on journeying back to Bordeaux sometime tomorrow!

cheers, Paddy

Plasencia Spain, New Wine Buff franchise

Back in Plasencia, Spain, visiting with the "Wine Buff's" latest partners, Asun and Juan Sanchez-Ocana. Asun and Juan will open their "Wine Buff" franchise in October 2011. Plasencia is a beautiful touristic city in the north of Extremadura. Today we spent finalizing the layout of their premises and planning their trips to France and Ireland.

You can tell from the photos of our accommodation that I really do have a tough job; what can I say, that's what happens when you draw the short straw! I haven't included the photos of the room as they are just too depressing.

cheers, Paddy