If you’re interested in a friendly night out which includes convivial company, wine and delicious nibbles, why not book one of our autumn Wine Club events? We’re going to learn a lot about some very exciting organic, biodynamic and natural wines along the way from our in-house expert Jaq, and we'll be offering a great discount off wine purchases on the night...

At Ballymaloe Literary Festival earlier this year I attended two talks on natural and organic wines, one with Isabelle Legeron who is a Master of Wine and the author of a book on Natural Wines, and another by winemaker Caro Feely who makes organic wine in Saussignac in South West France and whose wines we sell in Organico. I found both talks fascinating - both women are passionate about wine and feel very strongly that we should all consider very carefully the origins of and ingredients in the wine we drink. Coming out of those talks I felt even more strongly that I want to know that a person made the wine I drink, rather than a corporation; and furthermore I only want to drink organic and natural wines from now on. Continue reading →

We are very excited about the events we are hosting for the taste of West Cork Festival. We have a wonderful evening planned with Dearbhla Reynolds from The Cultured Club who is coming all the way down from Belfast to cook us a 6 course tasting menu of cultured and fermented foods.  If you have an interest in fermented foods...

[caption id="attachment_4779" align="alignleft" width="300"] Dearbhla Reynolds will be Guest Chef at Organcio on 15th September[/caption] This year at the Ballymaloe Literary Festival I was delighted to meet one of Ireland’s great fermentation enthusiasts, Dearbhla Reynolds. Dearbhla has written an amazing book on the vast subject of fermentation; called The Cultured Club – Fabulously Funky Fermentation Recipes, which was John McKenna’s Book of the Year for 2016. The book covers everything about fermentation - why you should be interested, how to go about it and dozens and dozens of fabulous recipes on fermenting everything from miso eggs to fermented hummus! Dearbhla is incredibly passionate about fermentation (as one would want to be to write a book on the subject!) and she is particularly interested in helping people to bring fermented foods firmly and fully into their diets and lives, rather than simply eating them as side dishes. But more on that and on the amazing feast we are planning to host with Dearbhla later... for now, why are we banging on about fermented foods anyway? Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_4772" align="alignleft" width="194"] Dr Perlmutter's book Grain Brain[/caption] This is the title of an article by a doctor and health writer I follow called Christine Northrup. Surprised? So was I! But I was also intrigued, so I did some digging. My mother gave me one of Dr Northrup’s first books - called Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom - when I was 20, and I have found it a great resource for over 20 years. So when she published a video that claimed we could all get smarter with age, I sat up and watched! And then I realised this was information worth sharing. Many of us know someone who suffers from Alzheimer's or Dementia, or we are close to someone who has a family member who suffers. And from reading the newspapers you would think brain and memory decline is inevitable as we age, as it certainly on the rise in many Western countries. However, Christine Northrup argues that we shouldn’t just accept that our mental sharpness will decline with age - she maintains we are in charge of our own lives and we can influence how our health develops into our older years. Continue reading →

Chateau Petite Roubie, Picpoul de Pinet Chateau Petite Roubie, Picpoul de Pinet 2015/16, AC Coteaux du Languedoc, France, €13.95, reduced to €11.95 for Wine Club Members! 12.5%, Organic, Vegan A delightful light-medium bodied organic white wine, with hints of white peach and flowers and refreshing acidity and balance. Picpoul is the largest producer of white wine in the Languedoc...

This unusual new product is proving very popular with our customers. White-Mausu Peanut Rāyu is made in Dublin by Katie Sanderson. This devastatingly delicious recipe fuses Japanese and Chinese influences to spice up any dish. Give your vegetables a kick, jazz up a stir-fry, eggs or avocado on toast, or just eat straight from the jar. Katie was born and grew...

We are very pleased to be stocking WASi Seaweeds, produced on the Wild Atlantic Way at Donemark Falls just outside Bantry - you can't get much more local than that! They are the brainchild of Clare O'Sullivan who is a Bantry local and does everything from picking the seaweed to designing the stylish labels.  Clare says: 'We continue the age...

What an amazing start to our summer this year - a sizzling heat wave in May! I thought this month I would take a look at the difference between natural and chemical sunscreens, because I think it’s good to be informed about what you are putting on your skin and the skin of your precious children. Cheap sunscreen may mean you don’t burn in the short term, but it’s long term good health we are interested in and the cocktail of chemicals they contain are very concerning. I also came across a handy way of calculating how long you can stay in the sun both with and without sunscreen depending on the factor you have chosen. Continue reading →

Domaine Ecu ‘Janus’ Chardonnay, Loire, France, White DEMETER Biodynamic and ECOCERT organic certified. No added sulphur. €20.99, 12% What a smart wine! Biodynamically DEMETRE certified since 1998 with organic practises since 1975, this ‘Janus’ chardonnay is minimal intervention at its best. Spontaneous and naturally fermentated from the indigenous yeast on the grapes and within the microflora of the winery, it is matured for 9 months in concrete tanks, then bottled with minimal filtering to retain the vineyard character. No added sulphur, no added anything – a true expression of vineyard to bottle. Brioche complexity with balanced acidity, Janus matches beautifully with Bantry bay seafood, mushroom dishes and stinky cheese. Continue reading →