2023 Award Winners WINE EXPERIENCE 2023

Burren Fine Wine & Food Ballyvaughan Co Clare

A wine award with a difference, this is all about the unique experience offered in a scenic West of Ireland setting. Since 1999 Cathleen Connole’s interesting seasonal restaurant in an old coach house just off the Burren Waymarked Walk has enchanted visitors with its simplicity and charm. Keenly environmentally aware, the family offers eco experiences (guided walks and cycles) as well as Cathleen’s delicious local, homegrown and home cooked food. Although primarily a delightful spot for a daytime bite to eat (including traditional Afternoon Tea), they also offer packed lunches for walkers, sell gourmet hampers featuring local produce, take small parties for lunch or dinner and groups for private wine tasting, focusing on wines purchased directly from small independent growers including French wines from a wine co-operative with family connections in the Languedoc village of Saint-Jean-de-Serres. All round it’s a most unusual and utterly delightful place – and a great find for visitors to the area.