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

Video Wine Buff Shop St. Emilion

This gives you a vague idea of what the medieval grain silo is actually like. The stone mason will sand blast the entire silo, finish the stone arches correctly, and then re point the joints where necessary. Now that the exterior wall is stripped back, and the stone can breathe correctly, the damp odor has all but disappeared. Another three walls to strip back and then we allow a few months for the stone to dry out.

cheers, Paddy

Grain Silo in St Emilion Shop

To give some perspective to the height of the grain silo, Ciaran is 6ft 2ins. Over his head the shaft reaches up at least another 12 ft and we have absolutely no idea where it comes out.

In the second photo Ciaran is standing at the entrance to the grain silo, the stone wall is now fully stripped back and will be ready for the stone mason to renovate once it has dried out.

Photos of New shop in St Emilion

Finally located the USB cable for the camera.

The first photo shows the new "Wine Buff" premises in St. Emilion. (the house with the open shutters and courtyard)

When preparing the room for painting we noticed dampness on the wall leading into the medieval grain silo. Underneath the cement based plaster we discovered the original stone walls.
The third photo on this post is of the medieval grain silo. The silo was manually chiseled out of the famous St. Emilion limestone back in the middle ages. It is incredibly spectacular and really has to be experienced to be properly appreciated; my level of photography certainly does not do this magnificent area justice!

Our stone mason will eventually spend a week in there restoring the silo to it's former glory. The area is roughly 40 sq. meters and will entertain more than a few "Wine Buff" tastings over the coming years. My son, Ciaran, and I, are heading back into St. Emilion now to pull up the carpet throughout the house. More photos on the way this evening!










cheers, Paddy

Paddy's Day out in Bordeaux

“Paddy’s Day” out in Bordeaux.

Paddy O’Flynn, co-founder of “The Wine Buff” Franchise in Ireland, has gotten together with a group of his Bordeaux suppliers/friends, to create a welcoming wine event for Irish supporters travelling to the France v Ireland friendly in Bordeaux.

Paddy lives in St. Emilion since 1998. He is organizing this event, in part, to repay the generosity the Irish rugby community has shown to The Wine Buff since its inception in December 2000.

For those of you interested in Visiting one of Bordeaux’s most renowned Organic Vineyards, The Wine Buff, along with Regis Moro of “Vieux Chateau Champs de Mars”, are offering a free wine tasting/vineyard visit, to coincide with the France v Ireland match on August 13^th. The event is informal and the idea is to have a bit of Craic. Regis is a former second row and is heavily involved with the French Rugby Federation.

The Wine Buff will organize the event and also supply homemade pate, Cheeses and Fresh French Baguettes to complement Regis’s wines.

Please contact daragh@thewinebuff.com if you are interested in participating at this event. The number of people wishing to attend will determine the final planning in regards to dates and times.

Looking forward to seeing you all.

Cheers, Paddy