Wine

Cathal McBride: A Ballyfin welcome for Bordeaux’s Wine Geese

Ballyfin Demesne has been renovated in exquisite detail and its wine tastings celebrating Bordeaux’s Irish connections are held in the stunning original limestone columned cellar

Eric Arens, food and beverage manager at Ballyfin of Demesne in Co Laois where Wine Geese tastings will be held in August and September to showcase the best of Bordeaux châteaux. Picture: Shane Redmond

From the Williamite-Jacobite conflict to the Napoleonic Wars, many Irish soldiers and traders left the country for France. Settling mostly in Bordeaux, their families got involved in the wine trade and played a significant role in its historic development. Collectively, they became known as the Wine Geese.

I recently had the opportunity to visit Ballyfin Demesne in Co Laois, where I spoke to food and beverage manager Eric Arens about their Wine Geese tastings which ...