If you love French wine, keep next Thursday free.

On April 23rd from 7pm to 10pm, The Metropole has teamed up with UnCorked Wine Society and Le Caveau to bring a Loire Valley–inspired tasting night right into the city centre.

Translation: you get to sip your way through France without leaving MacCurtain Street.

The evening will be hosted by wine expert Emmanuel Boutard, who’ll guide guests through each pairing — breaking down the flavours and the stories.

Photo: Brian Lougheed

On the food side, Executive Head Chef Eoghan O’Flynn has put together a six-course seasonal tasting menu that honestly sounds like something you’d plan a holiday around. Each dish is paired with a specific wine, and both the chef and Emmanuel will walk you through the thinking behind it all.

What you’ll be eating (and drinking):

Expect a lineup that includes:

• Sparkling Frantz Saumon Montlouis paired with Templegall cheese gougère
• A crisp Muscadet alongside house-cured trout with pickles and leek oil
• A full-bodied Cabernet Franc matched with spring lamb, wild mushrooms, and a port casserole moment

It’s €80 a head, which, for six courses and expertly paired wines in a setting like The Merchant Restaurant, is actually decent value for a proper treat-yourself evening. Plus, the menu can be adapted for vegetarians and coeliacs, so no one’s left out of the fun.

Also worth noting: tickets are limited. Which means if you and your friends have been saying “we should do something nice soon” for the past six months — this is that thing.

You can grab tickets via Eventbrite — but don’t hang around too long, because Cork’s wine crowd will absolutely be all over this.