Stay Tuned

Congratulations to Darina Allen, who has been shortlisted for the prestigious André Simon Awards for her 'Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery Course'. In next month's Megabytes we will bring you news of the winner of the prize.

Rafael Alvarez's Carrick-on-Suir wine company, Approach Trade Ireland, has been one of the cult names in Irish wine circles for the past few years. Selling to restaurants and shops, Senor Alvarez has introduced us to the dazzling wines of Telmo Rodriguez (Alma, Gazur, Remelluri, Vina 105 and Vina 505, to name just a few), as well as the extraordinary wines of Alvario Palacios, of Priorat. The Approach Trade list is short, but it is as choice as it gets: even the basic table wine, La Cuvee des Vendangeurs, is right on the money.

And now, something that should be of interest to every specialist food shop and restaurateur in Ireland: Approach Trade have started to import a range of Spanish foods from artisan producers, including fantastic tuna in brine; smashing wild mushrooms, again in brine; pears in red wine; stuffed olives and ­ our favourite ­ some truly special Serrano ham, with the most sweet flavour imaginable. "I have chosen products which reflect a Spanish tradition of quality, based on natural ingredients", writes Rafael. To date, the foods have drawn an enthusiastic response from restaurateurs, and we would love to see them available through specialist food shops.

Contact Rafael via

Email: rafa@approachwines.com

Tel: (051) 640164