Saturday saw the 2nd annual Coghlans Burns night Supper at Romaldkirk Reading Rooms in County Durham.

A special menu was served accompanied by the bagpipes and over 70 guests were seated on 2 large block tables decorated with Heathers and Black Watch Tartan.

The menu of Isle of Ewe smoked Salmon with the traditional accompaniments of grated eggs, capers, horseradish, fresh lemon and gherkins accompanied by freshly baked granary bread followed by haggis, neeps and tatties with a rich Whisky gravy and a shot of Whisky rounded off with a boozy Cranachan and a liqueur coffee to round off the evening.

The Toast to the haggis was theatrically delivered by Pete Blakeman with Dave Braithwaite reciting the Selkirk grace. All in all a great night and all are looking forward to next year’s event

Thanks also to village organiser Joan Anderson and service team led by Mark Price with Becky Richmond, Danny Richmond and Simon Lilley and Janet Coghlan hosting the Kitchen brigade

Picture of head chef Simon Lilley presenting the haggis at the Coghlans Burns Night on Saturday 28th January 2012

In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, this handsome estate belonged to the Lords of Lansac, ancient nobility of the sword, swearing allegiance to the English crown.

At that time, the wines of Falfas were exported with privilege to the courts of the Edwards. Later, in the seventeenth century, the domain was acquired by the Sires de Riveaux to whom we owe the pure Louis XIII architecture of the present building.
At the end of the seventeenth century, the property came into the possession of the family of the President of the Parliament of Guyenne, Gaillard de Falfas, who restored the chateau and gave it its name.

Today the present owners and winemakers, John and Véronique Cochran, build upon the traditions of the past to maintain the historic reputation and prestige of Chateau Falfas.

Terroir

The 20 hectares (50 acres) of vineyard extend over the hillsides sloping to the South around the Chateau, less than half a mile from the river in this beautiful,rolling region known as the "little Switzerland of the Gironde".
Merlot (55 %), Cabernet (40 %) and Cot (5 %), the noble growths of Bordeaux, sink their roots deeply and profoundly in soils predominantly of gravel, clay and limestone. This terroir, where vines have been cultivated for more than 700 years, rests on mother rock of limestone asterie (maritime), long recognized as one of the most suitable for grape growing.

Thus, in the temperate climate of the Gironde estuary, the vines and their lush fruit reach full maturity under virtually ideal conditions.
In the tradition of all the great vineyards of France, limited yields and a rigorous selection of the harvested grapes are standard elements at Falfas. Vinified from these rich, healthy grapes, with nothing extraneous added, the wines of Falfas are a pure reflection of the complex soils and subsoils of its great terroir. A manual harvest at peak maturity, followed by long and careful vinification and aging in barrels of French oak, insure wines of the highest quality with excellent maturation and conservation in-bottle over many years.

The Cochran’s philosophy is simple : the best wines are not "made" but rather "grown". The art of the winemaker consists in allowing the richness of his vinyard to express itself naturally through its fruits. They have thus chosen Biodynamic agriculture which permits them to extract the very essence of the fruit – and nothing but the fruit – to produce a wine of authentic character, rich and generous, a true pleasure to be shared.

Biodynamics

Since the end of 1988, the vineyard of Falfas has been cultivated in Biodynamics, a method of agriculture which safeguards the environment by respecting vine, nature…and the consumer !

In accordance with detailed regulations promulgated by France and the European Union and subject to frequent scrutiny and certification by independant controllers (Ecocert and Biodyvin), no synthetic chemical products of any kind are used, be they chemical fungicides, herbicides, insecticides or synthetic fertilizers.

At Falfas, the land is maintained, worked and cultivated naturally, in harmony with the seasons, the biology of the soils and their environment.

We have 2 wines from the Chateau Falfas estate which are available to buy online or in-store at Barrels & Bottles :

Chateau Falfas 2008 : £14.45

Les Demoiselles de Falfas 2010 : £13.00

Pale straw green in colour and enticingly fragrant, the 2011 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc offers lifted aromas of ripe stonefruit and juicy citrus with underlying notes of blackcurrant leaf and tomato plant spice.

The palate is fine yet succulent, with zesty citrus flavours and fresh acidity. There is an appealing plushness about this wine especially as it leads into a characteristically crisp finish.

Buy Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2011 online or call in-store to collect a bottle and see the other wines we have on offer at the moment. Online and store prices are the same at just £17.95.

Franck Pascal truly cares about the quality of each bottle he makes. The biodynamic ethos brings a level of care and attention to detail every step of the way from tending the vines, through harvesting and vinification to bottling. The family estate covers just 4 hectares at Baslieux-sous-Chatillion in the Vallee de la Marne.

Crafted using 57% Pinot Meunier, 38% Pinot Noir and 5% Chardonnay the grapes are fermented in stainless steel with 20% in wood to create a dry, elegant style of Champagne with good life and fresh, toasted finish.

Buy Franck Pascal Sagesse online for £29.95 inc VAT or call in-store for the same deal.

The Domain du Tunnel Cornas is their 2007 vintage crafted using 100% Syrah grapes from vines of at least 50 years old from 15 hand selected plots in the Cornas AOC. Priced at £36.65 inc VAT this is a genuine Chateauneuf du Pape beater.

The Domaine du Tunnel Saint Peray white wine is crafted from 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne varietals and aged in oak barriques to create a full, rich, energetic wine. Priced at £28.99 inc VAT this Saint Peray is perfect with pasta and creamy risotto dishes.

Keep your spirits up and cockles warm this Burns Night with a bottle or 2 of our Christkindl Gluhwein.

Christkindl Gluhwein is ready to drink, requiring only gentle heating before serving to achieve a cheerful warm glow and bonhomie. The use of a quality red wine and careful, gentle infusion of the spices ensures the Christkindl Gluhwein is soft and highly approachable.

Discounted online prices for these 1 litre glass bottles are:

1-5 bottles : £10.68 each

6-11 bottles : £7.98 each

12+ bottles : £7.54 each

Order Christkindl Gluhwein online or call in-store.

Tiger J’s Chocolates are about to announce a new range of mugs to help raise money for the Born Free Foundation.

The mugs will be filled with your favourite chocolates and beautifully wrapped by Janet Coghlan to make a wonderful gift to send and receive.

Further details online soon or from Janet Coghlans on 01246 453131

The day was made extra special with the provision of personalised Chefs hats. This added to the sense of occasion and made everyone smile. A great time was had and a follow email was welcomed :

“Hi Andrew,

Just wanted to thank you and your staff for a really enjoyable day on Saturday. Everyone present had a great time and lots of fun was had by all.

The staff we a credit to you, nothing was too much trouble and they were knowledgeable and very welcoming.

I’m sure we will definitely be coming back to see you in the future but until then we wont be giving up the day jobs!

Thank you again”

Anne Bagshaw, Taylor Wimpey

Thanks again – the birthday girl loved her bottle yesterday (being kept for her hen night!!) “

Liz Lambert

see our range of personalised wines for your special occasion.