Ballymaloe House Hotel to open cave wine cellar for one weekend only

Ballymaloe House Hotel is opening its historic cave wine cellar deep in the foundations of the house for one weekend in March for a two-night tasting journey.

The wine tasting event, which takes place over two nights from Friday March 1st, will be hosted by Ballymaloe House Hotel Head Sommelier Samuel Chantoiseau alongside esteemed wine tutor Colm McCan. Guests will learn about food and wine pairing, explore emerging trends, and refine their palates under the guidance of Ballymaloe’s expert team. This event is taking place at the start of Ballymaloe’s 60th anniversary, highlighting and honouring its extensive history with a focus on wine. 

During the event, guests will delve into a diverse world of wines from various regions and grape varieties, learning about the nuances of organic, biodynamic, and natural wines. Ballymaloe House Hotel is proud to focus their wine list on ‘natural wines’; these being wines that are made in organically or biodynamically farmed vineyards with indigenous (wild) yeast, minimal or no added sulphites, resulting in more purity, vibrancy, and vitality.

The cellar itself holds its own magic. Over the years the walls have been adorned with photos of wine makers, distributors and wine writers who have visited Ballymaloe House Hotel through the decades, including greats like Jancis Robinson MW, John Wilson, and Hugh Johnson. One of the particularly notable items on the cellar wall is an article by the late Great Myrtle Allen, founder of Ballymaloe House Hotel and trailblazer in terms of hospitality in Ireland. The piece from The Farmer’s Journal, under the heading ‘The Wild Geese,’ dates back to 1966, and was written following a trip Myrtle made to the famous wine district of Bordeaux in France, where many of the vineyards have strong Irish connections. 

Looking ahead to the wine tasting weekend,’ General Manager of Ballymaloe House Hotel Laura Behan said: “Ballymaloe has a stellar reputation when it comes to wine, and we love passing on our knowledge and expertise to guests. The weekend in March is all about immersing wine enthusiasts and curious minds in a full gastronomy experience in the stunning setting of Ballymaloe”.

Ballymaloe House Hotel has a long list of accolades when it comes to its wine offering; recent awards include European Regional winner in the Best Short Wine list in the category World’s Best wine lists. 

For details on the full package available for the wine tasting weekend visit www.ballymaloe.ie