21 October 2025 Madan and the REX Team

Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by our President, Stephen O'Halloran

Food

A sunny spring day for our Tuesday lunch, with the REX team presenting an excellent Nepalese meal for the members.  Sous chef Madan oversaw today’s fare.  Out of town member Miles Hedge arose to tell the floor that he travelled from his home in Kings Plains – south-west of Bathurst –especially for the event, and he certainly was not disappointed.  Cellar Master Nick Reynolds did a great job with wines that were acclaimed to be a great match with the food on offer.

Canapés

Madan gave us three canapes for today’s lunch.

• Chatpate on cucumber, a spicy and tangy street food. Puff rice, green peas, carrot, peanuts, tamarind, green chilli, lime and coriander.
• Pork filled momo with spicy achar dip. These were made from marinated pork mince, shallots, ginger and garlic, then wrapped in plain pastry.
• Jhinga machha sekuwa (marinated prawn BBQ skewers). The prawns were marinated with plain yoghurt, ginger, garlic, turmeric, timur, mustard oil, cumin and coriander.

All great canapés, crafted by a professional chef.  Although quite young, the Pewsey Vale riesling was a good match with all canapés.

Main

Madan presented Dal Bhat Tarkari, a classic Nepalese dish.   The red lentil dal was served separately on the table, and it accompanied steamed basmati rice, chicken curry, a crispy cracker (papad), mula acha (a fermented radish pickle) and ghee.

Both REX chefs have their roots in Nepal, and you would not get a better Nepalese meal in town than that served today.

Madan provided extensive details on the dishes and took some questions from the floor.

Cheese

The Cheese Master returned to Australia with a Petit Fleuri, originally from the French Alps but made near Mortlake, between Warrnambool and the Grampians in Victoria.

This artisan double cream brie is handcrafted from organic cow’s milk with added cream.  The rich yellow coloured interior matures to a soft, buttery texture with a mild, creamy flavour, notes of mushroom and delicate hints of garlic chives.  There was a feeling it needed a little more aging.

Madan accompanied the cheese with a tasty green salad including sliced apples and pears.

Wine

A modest turnout of 25 or so, sat down to a fine Nepalese meal from our friends at REX. To jolly us along, our Wine Master provided us with a terrific lineup of high-class wines.  With canapes, we enjoyed a Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2024 @ 11.5%. Excellent choice, clean and fresh, very pale as you would expect from a 1-year-old Riesling, but showing all the hallmarks of future greatness. Perfect acid/fruit balance, a delight. 

Wine 1 on the lunch list was the Domaine Wachau Riesling from Austria 2022 @ 12.5%. This wine, to me, was a classic example of the difference between European and Australian wines. This was a class wine, quite dry, but with excellent, restrained fruit flavours and perfect acidity. In comparison, most Australian Riesling is a far bigger, bolder and exuberant on the palate.  This wine was to me cultured and elegant.

Wine 2 on the list was the celebrated Seppelt 2008 Sparkling Shiraz @ 13%. What a treat this wine was. After 17 years cooped up in a bottle, the wine burst out with unmatched vibrancy and boisterous flavour, which was astonishing. Fighting one's way through pink, abundant foam (aka mousse), the wine delivered a superbly

Generous, deeply flavoured mouthful of Australian Sparkling Shiraz at its best. Voluptuous, rich, spicy Shiraz, drinking at its peak, although on today's tasting, there seemed no reason to doubt that the wine has plenty to offer future drinkers.  Just pipped at the post by the following wine for my wine of the day! 

Wine 3 was my pick of the day, by a whisker. The Best’s 2014 Bin 0 @ 13. 5% was, in my view, a truly great wine. Medium weight, an elegant but deeply flavoured Shiraz, with a lingering, powerful finish.  Delicate spice and peppery hints, a luscious wine on the mid palate, with just the right degree of lightness of texture to make it a superb wine to consume. Surely, one of our great Shiraz.

Wine 4 was the Society's go-to Cabernet Sauvignon, the Wynns Coonawarra Black Label.  This wine from 2013, @ 13.5% was a delight to drink. To me, the wine provided a perfect illustration of the differences between Cabernet and Shiraz. Both wines from roughly the same year were excellent ambassadors for their unique differences. To me, the Shiraz was cultured, mid-weight and graceful, redolent with pepper and spice hints and smooth on the palate. In comparison, the Cabernet was a bigger wine, full of huge red berry fruit flavours, so typical of classy Cabernet. Red Currant, blackberry, stewed fruit, aroma, leather, oak and tannin, the usual suspects, were all there. A highly enjoyable wine, quite different from the Shiraz. 

So that was the party, and a great success it was indeed. Great atmosphere in the room, lots of positive energy and some delicious food and wine to complete the mix. Today was a good example of how our Society can foster firm friendships between members, creating an environment where we come along not just for the Wine and Food, but also to enjoy the company of our fellow members. "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers".

14 October 2025 Nigel Burton

Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Good to see the ever reliable and former Chef of the Year, Nigel Burton, cooking for us on a warm and sunny spring day.  Nigel served an innovative duck meal, always a favourite protein at the Society.  He was assisted by “The Three Gees” or was it “The Bee Gees” – Greg Brunner, Greg Chugg and George Winyard – on canapés and with plating on the day.

Canapés

We started with Greg Chugg’s creation of Gravlax on a bed of horseradish cream.  Next was Mushroom Conserva served on toast with four types of mushrooms, put together by Greg Brunner.  Finally, George provided us with prawns with smoked paprika served on a breadbasket.

Comments were favourable for the canapés, with the Mushroom Conserva drawing particular praise on the day.

Main

Nigel prepared an interesting main course of “Duck Three Ways” and separated by dried raspberries, snow peas and pomegranate molasses so as to depict a peace sign from the nuclear disarmament era.

The first and dominant duck was breast sous vide for two hours at 57 C and grilled off for a crispy skin.  The sauce on top was a combination of duck stock, fresh pomegranate juice, raspberries and vincotto.  This was all topped with fresh pomegranate seeds.

The duck ravioli had a butter sauce and fried leak, while the Foie Gras had pita bread and was shaped as a Star of David.

The dish was widely applauded.  The flavours were excellent, as was the presentation.

Cheese

The Cheese Master served Fromage d’Affinois Florette, a white mould goat’s milk cheese, which was a hit today.

The name d’Affinois is a play on ‘affinage’ – the French word for the ripening process of cheese.  Using an innovative method called ultrafiltration, Jean Claude Guilloteau pioneered a new method of cheese making in the 1980s that created a luscious and velvety cheese naturally richer in proteins and minerals.  Florette is a hexagonal-shaped goat’s milk cheese with a silky consistency made near Pelussin in the Rhone Valley.  As it ripens, the cheese becomes quite runny retaining its delicate creamy goat’s milk flavour.  It came to the table in terrific condition.

Nigel accompanied the cheese with sliced cucumber, fresh mint leaves and olive oil.

The bread, sourced by George, was a sourdough baguette from Indochine Corner in Lindfield.

Wine

Today we had a reasonable turnout, just under 30, to enjoy Nigel Burton's duck. I was a bit surprised there were not a greater number of members attending, as Nigel is one of our most accomplished chefs. However, I guess the old saying, "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink", has some applicability to those members who would normally attend a well-anticipated event. So it goes. See Food Report for full details. 

We started with some delicious canapes, which were accompanied by, firstly, a Cincinnato Bellone 2022 @ 13%. Those who were at last week's lunch will remember that we drank it then, and I am pleased to say that, in my view, it was just as enjoyable as last time. Clean, fresh, strong fruit flavours, with lively acidity and a crisp finish. I think it is fair to say that not everyone in the room enjoyed the wine as I did, from some comments I heard, but for a canape wine, light and fresh, I thought it was pretty good. 

The second canape wine, as per the menu, an Ox Hardy Chardonnay, failed to be delivered, much to our Winemasters’ chagrin, so we had to fall back upon a very, and I mean very, young Riesling, an O'Leary Walker Polish Hill 2025 from the Clare district. This wine was made by some very good winemakers and from a celebrated part of Clare, and will in the future become a fine wine, but today, barely 6 months post-bottling, the wine did not taste like anything familiar, hardly any taste at all. I am gobsmacked that the wine was put out on the market so soon. I guess the wine makers had their reasons. 

Wine no 1 on the list for lunch was Helen's Hill 2022 The Smuggler Pinot, from the Yarra Valley, @ 12.8% Some of you will remember that back in April this year, our Winemaster put on a tasting of several Pinots from different clones. This wine came from the Abel clone, originally from the Burgundy district of France, with cuttings then smuggled into NZ by a rugby player in the 1970s, via his boot. So the story goes. In any event, the wine today presented as a light-weight Pinot, same body weight as a lot of Australian Pinot, medium red brick in colour with a pleasing aroma of red fruits, strawberry and raspberry.. Generally attractive mouthfeel with noticeable acidity. I quite enjoyed the wine with the duck, but its lightweight structure did not allow for any lingering aftertaste. More depth of flavour would have improved the finish. 

The second wine on the lunch list was another Pinot, this one from France, a Christian Clerget Bourgogne Rouge 2017 @ 12%. A much bigger wine in its structure than the preceding wine, with dark berry fruit, colour and greater intensity, but having said that, I found the wine to be somewhat underpowered in the flavour department. There was none of that luscious, decadent, mouth-filling warmth of a good French Pinot, redolent with the rich strawberry and cherry taste, we all find so alluring. This wine, to me, had none of that, failing to lift my spirits to any extent after the first few tastes. It just sat there in the glass, doing nothing for me. Others may have a different opinion; however, in my view, the wine was dumb and boring. I think the acid must have fallen away after 8 years, leaving it flat and flabby. 

The third wine on the list was the Robert Stein Mudgee Riesling 2019 @ 12%. This wine is marketed as a 'dry' Riesling, and the maker meant every word! Stein is an excellent Riesling producer, and this was a quality wine. Bone dry, but with excellent fruit in the background. Pale straw colour, some hints of pear and lemon, with no residual sugar, leaving one with a mouth puckering sensation after the solid acidic finish. The absence of any detectable sugar allowed one to really taste the fruit, which was exceptional. A classy wine, better served in my view with the canapes than with the goat's cheese. The oily ocean trout canape would have been a better pairing with this super dry wine.

Final wine of the day was the Shaw and Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2015 @ 14.5%. I have for a long time been a fan of Shaw and Smith wines, which have consistently produced a range of high-quality wines from vineyards in SA and Tas. Backed by Yalumba and with a team of some of our best winemakers, their wines are amongst some of the best in the land. This wine comes from the mildly cool climate of Adelaide Hills, better known for producing excellent Chardonnay. In any event, this wine was a medium-weight Shiraz, quite elegant, with good integration of oak and tannin. Rich dark fruits coupled with some spice and a trace of peppery overtones. Now fully developed, the wine finishes with just enough acid to deliver a smooth and satisfying finish. A classic cool-climate Australian Shiraz.

7 October 2025 Steve Sparkes

Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

When Steve Sparkes is advertised as Chef of the Day, online bookings are traditionally high and today was no exception.  Good to see him back in the kitchen for his first stint of the year.

Canapés

Steve served us three canapes, all excellent, and a wonderful match with the Italian starter white, which needed a food accompaniment.

We had mushrooms sautéed in oil, garlic, thyme and balsamic vinegar, then tuna pâté with parsley, and finally beef tartare, marinated in what today’s Chef described as “Steve’s Secret Stuff”, served on a crouton with diced cornichons.

Main

Hard to know where to start with this decadent delight.  Tournedos Rossini, named after the nineteenth century genius of operetta and other polyphonic works.  A bon vivant, Sig. Rossini retired in his thirties to devote himself to the pleasures of the table.  This is evident from sequential etchings of him prepared during his lifetime.

Steve’s recipe was taken from Augustine Escoffier’s “A Guide to Modern Cookery”, first published in 1907.  It is one of 65 Tournedos recipes in the book!  Reliable sources report that M. Escoffier named the dish in honour of his friend, who moved from Italy to France.

The original dish consists of a piece of fillet steak (the Tournedos) served on a baguette crust topped with a slice of Foie Gras, a Madeira sauce and decorated with fresh truffle.  Steve mentioned that the dish presented needed to be modified for the Society, because of budgetary restrictions and the availability of fresh truffle.  A Foie Gras mousse with a Port Wine Gel replaced the slices of fresh Foie Gras and the truffle element was introduced via the Madeira sauce, a derivative of Sauce Espagnole, one of Escoffier’s five mother sauces.

To add a more modern, lighter touch, Steve accompanied the Tournedos with green beans dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar on the side, whilst a small portion of sauteed spinach was included in the “stack”.

Nothing but praise in the room today for this wonderful dish, prepared to the standards of a top restaurant.

Cheese

In theme, the Cheese Master presented a Woombye Truffle Triple Cream Brie, an artisan white mould cow’s milk cheese from the Sunshine Coast.  Cheese from the Woombye stable is well-liked at the Society.

To make this Flagship decadent cheese, carefully selected wheels of Triple Cream Brie are cut in half and just the right amount of Italian black summer truffle is added to create a thin straight layer of truffle in the middle.  The wheels are returned to the maturation room where they are carefully turned by hand every day.  The white mould rind grows to cover the entire surface of the cheese concealing the truffle layer inside.  During this maturation, the truffle layer concealed inside perfumes the cheese layers above and below.

This is a truly luxurious combination of a rich Australian triple cream and earthy truffle.  When cut, the cheese displays its beautiful straight line of truffle and releases a sublime truffle aroma.  The flavour is creamy and “mushroomy” with a delicious, lingering truffle taste on the palate.

To accompany this, Steve served a wonderful simple mixed salad with nuts, and an olive oil and Balsamic dressing along with truffled notes.

Today’s bread was a sourdough from Bourke Street Bakery.

Wine

A very healthy gathering, circa 40, assembled to welcome back Steve Sparkes, one of our most talented Chefs, after a period of RandR from his WFS duties in the kitchen and in other important roles in the Society. Welcome back Steve, and it is great to see you have not forgotten any of your culinary skills. Steve served up today a superb lunch of Tournedos Rossini, immaculately presented in a manner that would not have been out of place on the menu of any of our top Sydney restaurants. Well done Steve, great to have you back.

With regard to wines, we commenced with a delightful 2022 Cincinnato Bellone @13%. This Italian white has been a favourite of Italian white wine drinkers for centuries. A perfect canape wine, clean and fresh, with good acidity backed up by an abundance of citrus-like flavours. A medium-weight white, in excellent condition with a refreshing aftertaste, and a pleasing balance. Those Italians sure know how to make a perfect white to go with some melon and prosciutto on a warm day, seated outside under a shady tree. Bellissimo! 

We then moved on to two Italian reds to accompany our main course, the roast fillet with all the trimmings and an alluring sauce. The reds were both of the Nebbiolo grape, the first a 2015 Langhe Massolino @14% and the second, a Massolino Barolo d'Alba 2013 @13.5 %. 

The Langhe name refers to the hilly area where the wine is grown in the Piedmont region. The Langhe Nebbiolo is generally less intense and less confrontational than its brother, the Barolo. Langhe is usually a softer wine, maturing earlier than the Barolo, with much less acid and tannin. I found this wine somewhat of a disappointment. Thin structure, light to medium colour, more pinkish than red. There were some hints of red fruit, cherry, raspberry and the like, by no means unpleasant, but lacking in sufficient depth of flavour to make it a good match with the strong flavours of the beef and its sauce. Perhaps a chicken or pork dish with less powerful flavours would have been a better match. 

The second Nebbiolo, the Barolo, was, as expected, a much bigger wine, with plenty of the trademark high acidity and grippy tannin, although, being fair, these features were not as aggressive as found in younger Barolos.  Overall, I liked the wine; it had some hint of the "tar and roses" mouthfeel Barolo is famous for, and I did detect some red/black fruit and spice on the back palate. A firm and pleasing finish. A much better match for the roast fillet.  As an exercise in comparing the two branches of the Nebbiolo grape family from the same producer, both roughly the same age, and being drunk side by side, it was educational. 

The cheese wine was a bit of a surprise, a Pewsey Vale Contours Riesling 2018. I have been drinking this wine for longer than I dare to remember, and it would be a fair comment to make that in all that time, I have never had a dud Contours Riesling. I would rate this wine as being consistently one of our top Rieslings along with the Florita, Leonay and Drumborg. The winemaker, Louisa Rose, has been making this wine for many years, and in my opinion, she would have to rank with the legendary John Vickery as our greatest Riesling producers. Insofar as this wine is concerned, the usual comments apply to any Contours: crisp, clean,  well balanced, acid and fruit of lemon, lime, and grapefruit hints all working together to produce a delicious wine with a lingering toasty finish with great aftertaste.  Not sure that it makes a proper partner for cheese, but nothing ventured, nothing gained, worth a trial. 

The final wine of the day was a David Gregory, Rutherglen "Sticky" blend NV. As the name indicates, this was a dessert wine, thick, luscious, and mouth-filling. A great example of how this region can produce sweet wines of distinction. Huge sweet fruit but not cloying, with a clean finish. It is a pity that this wine style seems to have fallen out of public favour, as it is with a wine of this style, a unique and rewarding experience to try something quite different. 

30 September Bill Alexiou-Hucker

Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

A sunny spring day accompanied the end of September with a highly anticipated and utterly splendid tasting of top tier Penfolds wines – in three brackets of three –throughout the lunch.  Our numbers, being capped, were fifty for the day.  Understandably, the focus was all on the wines, but immediate Past President and current acting Food Master, Bill Alexiou, stepped up to provide suitable fare to accompany the wines.

Entrée

Instead of standing glass in hand and enjoying canapés being passed around, we returned to the days of the pandemic restrictions and were seated – five tables of ten – for an entrée with the first wine bracket.  Bill served us a tasty three; cheese spanakopita of Feta, Parmesan and Tasty, with spinach, onion and parsley, wrapped in filo pastry.  Lovely flavours and an excellent accompaniment to the first bracket of chardonnays.

Main

Bill selected brisket to accompany the second wine bracket.  All 21 kgs of it was slow cooked for six hours.  The brisket was accompanied with a corn rib roasted with paprika, chilli and olive oil, as well as a creamy mashed potato and roasted carrots.  These were cooked in chicken stock, then tossed in a honey mustard dressing and roasted in jus.  Some members – including Bill – though the brisket to be a little dry, but it was a worthy accomplishment to the three reds.

Cheese

The final bracket needed an appropriate cheese for the three famous Penfolds Shiraz’s, and after some discussion, a Society favourite hard cheese was sourced by the Cheese Master.  Pyengana Traditional Clothbound Cheddar is handcrafted using the finest milk from the pure pastures of the Pyengana farm in north-eastern Tasmania.  Cheesemaking at Pyengana dates back to the 1890s, and the lush pastures provide a rich diet for the herd of Holstein cows that graze there. The introduction of milking robots reflects how the dairy has brought innovation and tradition together to create their award-winning farmhouse cheddar.  The cheese is produced using the stirred curd method, which develops a fine-textured, crumbly body along with aromas of summer grass, herbs and honey.  Maturation of up to twelve months on pine shelves encourages the natural microflora which play a crucial role in developing the long, sweet and nutty flavour.

Bill served poached figs in syrup and walnuts with the Pyengana.

Wine

Today we were treated to a superb collection of great Penfolds wines organised by Chilly Hargraves and Nick Reynolds. Sincere thanks to both for the time and effort required to put together a function of this kind. The afternoon was basically divided into three brackets of wine, with three wines in each bracket. We were really travelling in the silk purse division of the Penfolds stable. 

The wines were accompanied by a most impressive booklet put together by Penfolds, which was in itself a virtual thesaurus of how to describe what a particular wine tastes like. I will not attempt to go one better; I would soon run out of adjectives. Read the booklet to equip yourself with an array of terms of how a wine tastes, e.g. wet stone, gunflint and so on. Proceed further and you will be the star of any wine show! 

Dealing now with each bracket, I will not comment in detail on each wine, just those wines that appealed to me the most. In the Chardonnay department, by popular acclaim, the 2021 Bin A took all the accolades. A wonderful wine, near the top of the tree in Australian Chardonnay, tremendous depth of flavour, elegance, coupled with balanced power. A  joy to drink. The other two, the 2024 Bin 311 and the Bin 24 A, were both potentially excellent wines, but needed more time. All the required structures were there. 

The next bracket consisted of two Bin 389's, 2023 and 2012  and a Bin 407 2023. My pick of this lot was the 2012 St 389, now 13 yo, but drinking at or near its peak. A high proportion of Cabernet for a 389 (Cabernet 54%, Shiraz 46%). Great integration of oak, tannin, acid and fruit producing a wine of real character and style. Rich with hints of earth spice and cedar, it reminded you of what a really good aged Australian red wine tastes like. The other 389, the 2023 was in my view too young to enjoy now, tannic and acidic, but will, I am sure, develop well in the future.  The final wine in this bracket, the 2023 Bin 407 was for me a real surprise. I have avoided drinking 407 in the past as I have regarded it as the weak link in the Penfolds chain. It has never in the past shown any true Cabernet features, and was a wine lost between Shiraz and Cabernet and tasting like neither. However, today, much to my surprise, the 2023 407 burst out of the bottle with an abundance of Cabernet flavours and trademark deep berry fruit nose and taste.  Well done, Penfolds, you have saved Bin 407, at least for me!

The final bracket was the silk purse department of the Penfolds wines for today, two St Henri and a Grange. The St Henri were from 2010 and 2022, and the Grange was from 2021. 

My first choice of the two St Henri was the 2010. Now 15 yo but drinking superbly. Plush, rich with flavours of chocolate and dark cherry and traces of earthy spice. Everything balancing out to deliver a delightful, alluring finish. The other St Henri the 2022 was to me a bit too young to gain a proper insight into its structures. At this stage, the wine was a huge black thing, brimming with tannin and acid. Huge fruit. Needs much more time, but I am sure develop well. This is a wine for the future, not now. 

Final wine was the 2021 Grange, and this wine, along with the Bin 407, were the surprise packages of the day.  I think it is fair to say that, traditionally, drinking a Grange under 10 years of age would be severely frowned upon. Not so with this little baby! My first sip told me that this wine is almost drinkable NOW!  Could you believe it! I kid you not. Massive vibrant black fruit colour, brimming with plum, chocolate and liquorice hints, noticeable tannin and oak, but somehow not mouth puckering, and dare I say the wine is approachable now. Without doubt, the wine will improve with time to achieve its destined greatness, but somehow the wine makers at Penfolds have, through some process, produced a Grange that would be very drinkable in say 6 or 7 years post-vintage. Perhaps this is Penfolds attempt to cater to the market that is demanding red wines that do not have to be kept for a lifetime before they can show their real class. 

A great day all round. Makes you realise the value of membership of the WFS, special thanks to Chilly and Nick.

23 September 2025 Paul Irwin

Food review by Frank Liebeskind and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Calling Paul’s meal a deconstructed Reuben was a total disservice to a brilliant dish, a CoTY contender.

Canapes

Three canapes today, the first was tasty and simple, cherry tomato and baby bocconcini, peppered, oil and balsamic glaze.

Followed by Steve Liebeskind’s marinated herring on pumpernickel bread, which was a favourite (especially with President SOH), Bismarck herrings, sliced onions and sour cream create this flavour bomb.

The third canape was a Paul Irwin creation, smoked potato squares, not just squares, but a 15-hour layered potato that used smoked brisket tallow to give it a light savoury smokiness.

This smoked creation was a great introduction to the main, where Paul again used his offset smoker to create his pastrami.

Main

OK, what makes a Reuben?

Corned beef or pastrami, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, pickles, Russian dressing and rye bread.

Well, Paul had all these PLUS. The cheese was presented as a tuile, brilliant, crispy and tasty.

Russian dressing of mayo, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, paprika, horseradish and had sweet relish pickles, chives, and white onion finely diced through. A large, tasty smear on the plate.

Rye bread, a toasted, flattened slice of rye, crispy and a perfect accompaniment. A large home-made rye crisp bread.

Pickles were aplenty, and no, Paul didn’t pickle these; they were excellent store-bought European pickles.

Then the homemade hero of the meal was the sauerkraut. Paul sliced the cabbage (4 kg to start), salted and squeezed, and the resulting juices are the base for the ferment. Paul added caraway seeds, placed them in jars and fermented them over 4 weeks. Nothing tastes better than homemade sauerkraut, and it is great for the gut, full of probiotics.

The homemade pastrami was the true hero. Paul didn’t want a simple corned beef, Paul started with 8kgs of brisket, trimmed it, brined it in salted water for 72 hours, then refreshed it in distilled water for 12h hours. The brisket was crusted over an American mustard rub (common brisket technique to make the rub stick) in a blend of mostly cracked black pepper, along with coriander seeds, dried onion, brown sugar and paprika. And 3-4 hours in Paul’s offset smoker (brisket shrinks big time, and Paul was left with 5kg of his pastrami). Then, it was brought to the REX and rewarmed before slicing and serving. The meat was juicy, soft, beautifully smoked, and the dollop of American mustard gave an alternative to the Russian dressing.

But there was more. Steve Liebeskind created his version of a German potato salad, and each table had a couple of bowls, and we could help ourselves to this tasty addition.

Truly a fantastic, innovative take on a Reuben.

I went away happy and full.

Cheese

Gruyère Vieux AOP, served with an excellent rocket and pear salad, with a caramelised balsamic vinegar dressing. Perfect pairing with the cheese, a Society favourite. One of the best aged AOP Gruyères from a single Swiss cheesemaker.

This raw milk, cooked curd cheese uses milk sourced from small herds farmed close to the dairy, and just six cheeses are made each day.

Matured locally for 18 months, the cheese is brine-washed using Alpine Bex salt to encourage the thick rind formation.

The flavours reflect the milk of the season – spring and summer cheeses are sweet and herby, whilst autumn and winter cheeses are saltier and savoury. The smooth texture and rounded flavours have fabulous depth and light crystallisation.

Wine

A small gathering of 19 enjoyed one of the most delightful lunches of the year, food-wise, with Paul Irwin's deconstructed Ruben. Warm brisket with all the trimmings that go into the classic Ruben Sandwich, but without the bread. The meal was so good in such a small gathering that the words of Shakespeare, Henry the Fifth, came to mind, "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers. And, gentlemen in England now-a-bed, shall think themselves accursed they were not here." My thoughts exactly about WFS members who found themselves otherwise occupied yesterday. Missed a treat, fellas. 

Wine-wise, we started with an outstanding German Kabinett Riesling from the Rheinhessen region, a Gunderloch "als Wars Ein StückVon Mir Riesling" 2021 @ 11.5%. 

A really delicious wine, perfect with the canapes. Clear, brilliant mid-yellow colour, plenty of acid, delightful fruit but quite dry with a little residual sugar, and a crisp aftertaste. A top wine, my favourite wine of the day. This is, I think about the second or third week in a row, where our Winemaster has served what I consider to be the wine of the day first, bucking the trend established by none other than Jesus Christ at the Feast of Cana in serving the best wine last. In any event, this wine would have shone no matter where it was placed in the lineup. I would love to think we have some more in our cellar. 

First of the lunch wines was an Eden Road Shiraz 2021 @ 12.5% from the Canberra region. I actually liked this wine, quite elegant, modest alcohol, light to medium weight, a nice change from the thunderous Shiraz with high alcohol we often see nowadays. Good integration of fruit and mild oak with restrained tannin. Plenty of acid to carry it through to a satisfying finish.

Second lunch wine was a visitor we do not see here often, an Argentinian Malbec 2024 @ 13%, from the Mendoza region. This wine surprised me, as most of the Malbec I have drunk from Mendoza have been huge black things, with high alcohol and massive Malbec flavours with tannin. This wine, to me, was much more in the mid-weight category, restrained fruit flavours of blackberry and plum, with a nice balance of oak, tannin and acid delivering an enjoyable finish. Overall rating, a pleasant surprise package. 

Final wine of the day that we all drank was the Valminor Albarino 2022 @ 13% A very popular Spanish white wine, a good all-rounder, that pairs well with a wide range of foods. I found the wine quite rich and mouth-filling with slightly sweetish overtones. Pear and apple flavours were evident, as was a very crisp acidity at the finish. I found the wine enjoyable, but I felt it was a bit lost in its placement at the bottom of the list of luncheon wines. Perhaps it may have been better paired with the canapes.

16 September 2025 Steve Liebeskind

Food review by  Mark Bradford, assisted by Frank Liebeskind, and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Today saw only 30 members enjoy a terrific lunch.  Society Treasurer, former President, three-time Chef of the Year and twice Alexiou trophy winner, Steve Liebeskind, was in the kitchen doing wonderful things with duck or was it chicken?  He was assisted with canapés on the day by Paul Gibson and Dennis Cooper.

Canapés

Steve served three canapés today.

The first canapé was Steve’s often served and more than reliable chicken liver pâté.  This home-made starter is based on chicken livers, served on a slice of baguette with a cornichon.  An excellent starter to get the mouth flavours working.

Second was Steve’s home-smoked chicken breast, served on a small witlof leaf and topped with red currant jelly and a walnut.  This great new canapé was very innovative and full of flavour.

The final pass around was the big flavour bomb, Steve’s pickled zucchini slices, served on a spoon, topped with half a baby bocconcini, and rounded off with a white anchovy.

All of the offerings received very positive comments and were a good accompaniment to the starter wines.

Main

Anyone for confit duck?  No, let’s try confit chicken.  The marylands had four hours in Paul Thorne’s famous duck fat, with herbs and spices, and then a quick pan fry at the REX and kept warm in the REX ovens.  The confit chicken sat atop Steve’s now famous braised red cabbage, with onions, white balsamic vinegar and sweetened with brown sugar.  But wait, there was more duck!  Duck-fat roasted diced potatoes and caramelised brown onions, with a spare bowl of potatoes for the table.  Also served with oven-cooked asparagus and a jus of chilli jam with mushroom broth.

This was a terrifically balanced main, and to this scribe a great match with the Australian pinot and shiraz wines.  The chicken was moist and fell off the bone.  As Frank Leibeskind noted, “a great example of the meat being sweeter near the bone”.

Cheese

Requested by the Chef of the Day and sourced by the Cheese Master, today’s fromage was d’Affinois Excellence Triple Crème, from Fromagerie Guilloteau.  Using an innovative method called ultrafiltration, Jean Claude Guilloteau pioneered a new method of cheese making in the 1980s that created a luscious and velvety cheese, naturally richer in proteins and minerals.

The cheese is made in Belley, a small town nestled at the foothills of the picturesque French Alps, surrounded by ancient forests and famous for its many waterfalls.  Local farmers supply the dairy with luscious milk from their herds of Montbeliardes and Holstein cows that graze on dense pastures nearby.  Excellence Triple Cream has a smoothness and infinite sweetness due to the extra cream that is added during cheese making, and an elegant, silky-buttery mouth feel.

Steve provided a wonderful accompaniment to the cheese.  A salad of iceberg and baby spinach, roasted red capsicums and pan-fried pine nuts, with thinly-sliced pears.  This was served with a vinaigrette of olive oil, white balsamic, mustard and honey, combined to give some sharpness, freshness, crunch and sweetness, going well with the d’Affinois that was acclaimed on the day by the members.

Wine

A turnout of about 30 members gathered to enjoy what was to become a first-class afternoon of food and wine. Steve Liebeskind, our chef du jour, produced an excellent chicken confit accompanied by duck fat roasted potatoes and delicious vegetable trimmings. Overall, a terrific meal. Well done Steve. 

We got the show on the road with a brilliant Hunter Sem, the Tyrrells HVD 2019 10.5%, which matched perfectly with the canapes. This was a seriously good Sem, glorious colour, pale yellow with greenish tint, brilliantly clear, clean and fresh. The wine was in magnificent condition, with intense flavours of apple, lemon peel and grassy overtones. Powerful fruit, but at the same time quite delicate in its mouthfeel. Impeccable finish, inviting another glass or three. 2019 in the Hunter was a top year for Sem, and this wine, with its intensity and length, demonstrated the quality of that vintage for Sem. My number two wine of the day.

Wine one on the main course wine list was the Port Phillip Estate 2023 Pinot Noir @ 13.5%. This was a light-bodied Pinot with plenty of raspberry flavours on the palate initially, but soon fading. The colour was pinkish/light red with some warm, earthy spice. Low tannins, but some noticeable acidity, which would probably reduce with time. Overall, an enjoyable wine that paired well with the main course. A little bit more body and depth of flavour would not have gone astray. 

The second wine on the Main Course list was my pick for the wine of the day, the Tyrrells Old Hut Shiraz 2014 @ 14.2%. I think it is fair to say that Vintage 2014 is regarded as one of the best vintages in the Hunter in recent decades for Shiraz. There will be some debate on this issue as the assessment process is subjective, however, from my perspective, having drunk many 2014 Hunter reds from various producers, including Tyrrells, this vintage is outstanding, never failing to deliver a great glass of wine.  The Old Hut vineyard was planted in 2003 from cuttings taken from the 4 Acres vineyard, the oldest vineyard in the Tyrrells stable, planted in 1879. 

I found this wine to be utterly delicious, rich, voluptuous and spicy. Perfect integration of tannin and oak, muscular but in perfect balance. A full-bodied wine, brimming with ripe black fruits and sufficient acid to ensure a classic Hunter Shiraz finish, lingering and powerful. A great wine. 

Final wine of the day that everybody drank was the Origines New England district Chardonnay 2023 @ 12.5%. I have certainly never drunk this wine before, and I cannot recall ever drinking a wine from this region in the past. The wine presented well, light green / gold in colour, clear and fresh tasting. That is where the compliments end. Put simply, I found the wine to be very acidic on the front palate, but then, leaving the palate in great haste, disappearing without a trace of flavour. None of that rich mouth-filling citrus fruit, melon flavours we expect from Chardonnay. A nondescript wine, entirely forgettable, I certainly will not be rushing out to buy any. I noticed on the label that the wine is promoted as being vegan-friendly, a tag I have not seen on a bottle of wine before. I am sure that we can all retire to our beds at night, comfortable in the knowledge that the Vegans of this world approve of this wine. That's comforting I know! 

9 September 2025 Hal Epstein

 Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food 

A warm, early spring day for our lunch.  Hal Epstein was chef de jour, and it was the third time this year that Hal had been in the kitchen.  Hal’s first protein was pork, second time it was veal, and the protein of the day this time was fish.  Bucking an evolving trend of corralling other members for assistance, Hal put today’s lunch together solo.

Canapés

Three canapes were served.  The first were fried prawn meat spoonfuls which were seasoned with soy and fish sauce.  Sweet chilli, if desired, was on the side.  Secondly, Hal had prepared prunes stuffed with cream cheese and topped with a whole roasted almond.  The third was lump fish caviar on a cucumber ficelle bread base.

The canapés were abundant and light, and a good match for the reliable Pike’s Reisling.

Main

The main for today was “whole rainbow trout with an indigenous touch”.  Hal apologised that some of the fish supplied were way too large to serve whole, so some were filleted to make plate presentation possible.  Nevertheless, little or no mention was made of this, detracting from what was a splendid main meal.

The whole rainbow trout was brushed with olive oil infused with crushed juniper berries, then baked in foil.  The fish skin was finished with a sprinkle of lemon myrtle before serving.  The trout came on a base of mixed salad leaves, topped with orange slices and whole new potato.  The leaves were seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper, and additional lemon myrtle/juniper flavours.  The bread was baguettes from Baker Bleu Double Bay, sliced diagonally.

The flesh was baked to the perfection of a leading fish restaurant, with the only debate being whether lemon slices are better than orange ones.  Oranges came up trumps, their sweetness and citrus being a great match for the trout flesh.

Cheese

Today’s cheese came from the Berry’s Creek range: Tarwin Blue in the southern Gippsland.  In theme, Berry’s Creek is indeed a minor trout fishing locale in Victoria; the pools yielding rainbow trout of similar size to those served today.  Berry’s Creek is a tributary of the Tarwin.  This cheese has been served at the Society before and was the fromage presented at Wal Edwards’ memorable100th birthday in 2016.

All the Berry’s Creek cheeses are handcrafted using fresh milk from specially selected local farms.  Under the natural rind, the rich buttery texture develops distinct green-blue veins as it ripens in the maturation rooms overlooking Wilson’s Promontory.  After two months, the cheese has developed a creamy texture with a subtle earthiness and delicate hints of spice.  The Berry’s Creek stable has amassed a sizeable portfolio of distinguished pedigree cheese awards nationally and internationally.  Accordingly, today’s cheese was appreciated by the Members.

Wine

We sat down today with reduced numbers, 20 odd, to a delightful meal of baked Snowy Mountains trout prepared by one of our ever-reliable Chefs, Hal Epstein, who did a terrific job in getting all the meals out about the same time, all beautifully cooked and hot and ready to go. Some delicious canapes got our taste buds on a roll beforehand. Well done, Hal, please come back again soon.  Despite the small numbers, the mood in the room was warm and convivial, and all who were there had, I am sure, a jolly fine time.

We got the party started with a Pikes 2022 Clare Riesling @ 12% with the canapes. For the second week in a row, I am going to award the canape wine as my pick of the wines for the day. This was a truly excellent Riesling, gleaming bright yellowish with a trace of green in the colour, excellent fruit, plenty of acid but balanced well with the fruit to deliver a delightful crisp, clean finish which remained on the palate for some time. A very appealing drink, perfect for the canapes. In my view, this wine, the standard Pikes Riesling, is only marginally inferior to Pikes Flagship Riesling, the Merle, which we drank a few weeks ago, with rave reviews by all present. I have been drinking Pikes wine over the years, and I have no doubt that their wine making skills with Riesling have gone in an upward trajectory in recent times, now producing their best ever Riesling.  Well done, Pikes.

First of the luncheon wines was the Schmolzer & Brown Pret A Blanc 2024 @12 % from the King Valley operation in Victoria. The French term translates into “ready to drink white wine". This wine was a real cocktail of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sav B and Sylvaner. This United Nations of grape varieties produced a light-bodied, clear, slightly sweetish wine, enjoyable on the palate and pairing well with the delicate flavour of the trout. The wine was restrained in the flavour department, not a bad thing when being consumed with food of mild flavour. 

Second wine, the Sinapius Gruner Veltliner 2018 @ 13 % from Tasmania, was a wine I did not enjoy. Probably drinking well past its prime, the wine had a deep yellow colour and a rich mouth filling taste, bordering on unctuous. Far too big a wine to drink with the delicate flavours of trout, perhaps would have paired better with chicken, but no matter what food accompanied this wine, it would remain a wine of diminishing appeal, with acid falling away and becoming flabby.

Final wine enjoyed by all was the Helen's Hill Yarra Valley Shiraz 2021 @ 14.8 %. This was a powerful wine with an excessive amount of alcohol. Medium bodied with deep red and black fruit colours, the first sip was slightly sweetish on the front palate with ripe fruit flavours, settling down to eventually finishing with a firm dry finish. Despite the huge alcohol component, the wine was quite enjoyable and not too unbalanced, tannin and oak blending in well. The wine paired well with the delicious Berry's Creek Blue.

2 September 2025 Ross Laurence and the Stadium Boys

Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

A sunny, cool early spring day saw Ross Laurence in the kitchen for his first lunch. And it was excellent.  Ross presented Sardinian Fregola with vongole and seafood; he was assisted with the canapés being handled by Brian Dunn, Rob Sigg and Foodmaster Bill Alexiou.

Canapés

There was no shortage of canapés today.  Rob served smoked New Zealand salmon on a blini.  The salmon was on a bed of taramasalata and topped with a wasabi mayonnaise and caviar.  Brian put together crab lime mayonnaise on a cracker while Bill prepared a lime marinated salmon ceviche with coriander, cucumber and chilli, served on an avocado smear on a corn chip.

All refreshing morsels and a good match with the Brokenwood Semillon starter wine.

Main

Ross explained that his dish is probably the most well-known Sardinian seafood pasta recipe, and that it is quite unique to the island, so not a dish you would usually come across anywhere else in Italy.  The recipe combines fregola, a type of small, round, toasted pasta, tomato base broth and seafood.

The tomato broth was based on fresh Roma tomatoes, cooked down with garlic, olive oil, fish stock; then blitzed to give a smooth consistency.  The fregola was lightly toasted (some thinking it was pearl couscous) and the seafood was vongole, prawns, calamari and mussels, with parsley to garnish.  Typical of many Italian dishes, the simplicity of the ingredients created great flavours, that were a good match with the Margaret River Chardonnay and Morgon Gamay.  Well done, Ross!!

Cheese

Hopping from Sicily onto the mainland and heading north to the hills of the Lange in Piedmonte, the Society Cheesemaster presented Occelli in Foglie di Castagno, a semi hard cow’s and sheep’s milk artisan cheese.  After 18 months of maturation, the cheese is carefully wrapped by hand in Foglie di Castagno (chestnut leaves).

Beppino Occelli began his involvement in the dairy sector in 1976. His story can probably be explained by his profound love for the region of his birth, the Langhe and the Alps, to which his creations and personal interpretations of traditional products are tied.  The rich alpine pastures of the Langhe provide excellent quality milk, which is matured in the caves at Valcasotto.  Tannins from the leaves suppress mould development on the natural rind as the cheese ages and impart a vegetal character. Wheels are selected once they have developed a dense texture, brown sugar sweetness and sharp finish.

Not being a cheese remembered previously, it was highly regarded by Society members on the day.  Bill Alexiou provided a delicious green salad to accompany the cheese, with rocket, walnut, pear with a honey mustard dressing.

Wine

A roll up of 35 or so enjoyed a French Style Seafood lunch with a variation on a Bouillabaisse theme. Preceding the main were some very delicious canapes, put together by our Virgin Chef du Jour Ross Laurence with the help of Bill Alexiou and the "Stadium Boys". Congratulations all round to those involved, a lovely lunch. 

With regard to the wines, we kicked off for the canapes with a 2023 Brokenwood Sem @ 11%. This was a truly delicious wine. Clean, crisp, light straw colour, wonderful fruit and superbly balanced with fresh and decisive acid. A near perfect finish. I could not at the time believe that a Hunter Sem at only 2 years post vintage could be so charming. It was an ideal wine to go with just about anything in the entree, canape dept. It is unusual for me to tag a canape wine as my pick of the day, however this wine deserved that status in my view. I'm off to buy some! 

Wine 1 was the Nocturn Treeton Chardonnay 2021 13% from Margaret River. An enjoyable wine which took some time to adjust to after the previous wine. To my taste the Chardonnay tasted very sweet when compared to the Semillon, although after a few sips, that dramatic difference between the two began to fade. Towards the end of my glass, I was enjoying the wine with the food, but that initial comparison between the two was a powerful reminder of just how many wine drinkers regard Australian Chardonnay as "too sweet". 

Wine 2 was a Morgon from Daniel Bouland, a Corcelette Beaujolais 2023 @ 14%. An excellent wine, great pairing with the main course.  A good Gamay, medium body, acidic overtones, lively dark red fruit showing some tannin with a powerful alluring finish, inviting another glass or three! Enjoyable. Morgon is a much bigger and more complex wine than the average Beaujolais, a much more serious wine indeed to be treated with respect, not just glugged down, which one would usually do with a cheap Beaujolais over a pizza. 

Wine 3 was the Domane Wachau Gruner Veltliner 2022. We have had this wine on occasions in the past. I have always found it to be very drinkable without being in any way outstanding. Clear straw colour, with aroma and taste of apple, lemon peel and pear. In this bottle the flavours were restrained, and I felt the wine might benefit from another year or two in bottle to fully develop. Currently the wine to me was very acidic. A year or two in bottle might just knock those rough edges off. 

The final wine for the day was a Californian Cabernet, the Kendall Jackson Sonoma County 2019 @ 14.5%. California does make some terrific Cabernet, however we see little of them out here for the valid reason that good ones are prohibitively expensive. Sad, but the fact. We see a few of their Chardonnays out here, but unfortunately Americans like their Chardy sweet ++ so much so that I would not buy any. 

Getting back to the Kendall Jackson Cabernet, I had only a small amount and did not surprisingly detect elevated sugar levels which I was expecting, but what I did detect was huge oak and tannin, reminding me of some Australian Cabernets of the mid 80's, which had similar characteristics as well as high alcohol. Robert Parker, the well-known American wine reviewer, would probably like this wine as it would fit the style he promoted, BIG, blockbuster style reds with alcohol levels of 15% +. To my taste however I found this wine unbalanced and coarse. I suspect that most Australian red wine drinkers have moved away from this wine style to something more elegant. 

26 August 2025 Leigh Hall

Food review by Frank Liebeskind and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

What a pleasure it is to write the review for Leigh’s fantastic lunch. Merv Peacock and Nigel Burton assisted Leigh in the canape preparation and plating the main.

Leigh prepared flavour bombs today. And a meal worthy of CoTY Cook-off.

Lots of positive feedback from the members, all relished tasting venison again.

Canapes

Leigh did three canapes, the first a tapenade on a cracker, topped with a jalapeno slice and half a black olive, I loved it, and certainly not bland.

Next came guacamole on a corn chip, topped with smoked salmon, pickled red onion and black roe, a crazy combo that really worked, again a flavour bomb.

The third canape was venison sausage (two versions), a home-made fallow deer version and a purchased red deer version. Both topped with eggplant chutney and cornichon. And didn’t it leave a long and delightful taste in the mouth.

All three flavour bombs were well received and I loved them all.

We really need a CoTY prize for canapes, lots of effort and thought (and I’m sure testing), went into these three canapes.

Main

Leigh marinated the (45+) pieces of wild harvested venison in red wine, oil and herbs (lots of rosemary) for over 24 hours, the venison was seared to medium, I was lucky mine med/rare.

Venison was sourced from Alpine Game Meats.

The venison was presented on mashed potato, with crispy perfect green beans drizzled with blue cheese and carrots perfectly done, drizzled with honey. And garnished with thyme.

If the venison wasn’t the hero, certainly the stock reduced to an amazing sauce was the hero. 10kg of bone marrow was placed on the outside BBQ and cooked and reduced with cabernet for 48 hours, then cranberries added for sweetness. Just brilliant, and copious quantities of bread were well used to soak up the sauce, and most plates went back clean as….

Cheese

Leigh accompanied the cheese with sliced apple and sliced pears, and dried apricots and dried figs. The apple and pear balanced off a beautiful French blue.

A beautiful rich salty blue, that was very well received and identified by Paul Dressler.

We had, Bleu d ’Auvergne PDO 2.6kg  wheel.

This PDO cow’s milk cheese has been made in the Auvergne region for several centuries, traditionally matured in mountain caves where the unique blue mould flora flourished. Although no longer cave ripened, PDO regulations still stipulate that cheese must be produced at a minimum 500m altitude, in specific geographical regions and using milk only from cows born in the region. Each whole cheese is foil wrapped to prevent the rind forming and after 3 months maturation, an even spread of steely blue veins spreads through the body of the cheese. Mature cheeses have a moist and slightly crumbly texture with a tart and salty flavour.www.calendarcheese.com.au

Wine

A large turnout, 46 or so gathered for a much anticipated meal of venison presented by Leigh Hall. The lunch was a tremendous success, with all the servings of meat being perfectly cooked. A great effort by Leigh and the REX Kitchen Team. We are so lucky to have Amosh and his team in the kitchen. Read the food report for all details.

With regard to the wines, we were treated to an excellent line-up of modern Grenache assembled by our Winemaster Nick Reynolds. Nick brought together a range of Grenache from vintages that spanned from 2007 to 2023. I may be mistaken, but I think this is the first vertical tasting of Grenache we have done in the Society. All part of our Charter of wine education for our members. 

To begin at the beginning, which is always a good place to start, the history of Grenache in Australia is interesting, and reflective of the changing attitudes to wine over a long period of time and to improvements in wine making practices. Grenache is an important grape worldwide, with its history commencing in either Sardinia or Spain. Today, there are huge amounts of the vine grown in France and Spain and elsewhere.  The grape arrived in Australia in the late 1800s and was widely planted in the warm, dry regions of SA, where it flourished, so much so that it soon became the dominant red wine produced in Australia in terms of output, only overtaken by Shiraz in the 1960s. Until fairly recently, Grenache was mostly used to produce low cost, bulk red wine, fortified wines or as a wine to blend with Shiraz and Mourvèdre, the classic GSM. 

It would be a fair comment to say that until, say, the last 20 years, Grenache was treated with disdain by some of our great wine makers of the past, who regarded it virtually as a weed, and a very poor relative of the more illustrious Shiraz and Cabernet grape varieties. These great old winemakers would be spinning in their graves to learn that a Grenache recently won in August 2025, the James Halliday Trophy for the best red wine with the Thistledown Charming Man Grenache 2024. What, one may ask, is going on here? Were there no Shiraz or Cabernet wines entered?  Now I am aware of the worldwide trend to drink less heavy red wine and to prefer lighter styles, but let's get a grip here, a Grenache the top red wine of the year, "tell 'em they're dreaming!"

Anyhow, leaving that history aside, I now turn my attention to today's wines. Keen followers of my weekly notes will be aware that when dealing with 5 or 6 wines of the same grape, I will not analyse them individually; that is a bridge too far for me, as I run out of interesting things to say after two bottles. So you will get the broadbrush approach to our wines today.  For the canapes, we had a Willunga 2024 Grenache Blanc @ 13%. I liked it. Fresh, unusual, clear and bright with good fruit and a nice crisp finish. So far, all good. We then moved to the bracket of six Grenache reds, which varied in colour from light cherry red (the Willunga 100) to the dark red, inky blackness of the Swinney and the Clarendon Hills. The wines were all high in alcohol, 14 to 15%, and all had that classic Grenache combination of light to medium texture, raspberry and spice, tannin and high acid. 

I found it hard to select a favourite, but I think the Sardinian wine got my vote, the Sardegna. Enough alcohol to start a fire 15%, I found the wine most enjoyable, medium to full texture, strong flavours, rich red fruits, spicy and juicy. Despite the high alcohol, I thought the wine was still in balance and finished with a warm, dry aftertaste.  Second place for me was the Willunga 100 2023 @ 14.5%. Probably the lightest in colour of the group, I thought the wine full of flavours of cherry, strawberry and red currant. Tangy and vibrant, it was nonetheless quite elegant and in good balance. My third place getter was the Clarendon Hills 2010, a complex wine, full of dark fruit flavours with noticeable oak treatment. Perhaps slightly out of balance due to the high alcohol?? 14.5%

Probably drinking well past its prime, but still enjoyable in a diminished capacity. Many thanks to our Winemaster for collating this wide-ranging selection of Grenache that has reinvented itself. 

19 August 2025 Julian Parmegiani

Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Our chef of the day was Julian Parmegiani, second time in the kitchen, assisted by Rob Guthrie.

Canapés

Our president, Stephen O’Halloran, prepared the first canapé, goat’s cheese with piquillo peppers on an oven-baked baguette.

Good to see Norbert Wynzenbeek assisting with canapés today.

Chicken scrolls stuffed with prunes, then warmed lamb croquettes with a dipping sauce of plum sauce, fresh coriander, and light soy sauce. The croquette was made with lamb mince, egg, onions, carrots, fresh (homegrown) coriander, onion juice, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and breadcrumbs.

Main

Our main today was lamb shanks with a cauliflower purée and a salad composée.

The lamb shanks were braised with a soffritto, tomato paste, tomatoes, chicken stock, and lots of wine!

The meat fell off the bone, tender and moist, lovely, rich flavour of lamb, some suggesting it may have been hogget. A little delay in serving today. Julian wanted the sauce reduced to give a well-bodied consistency, which was perfect.

The cauliflower purée was made with garlic, butter, crème fraîche, and Parmesan cheese. The salad was composed with cos lettuce, asparagus, red pepper, sugar snaps, and green peas with a citrus dressing. It was a good contrast to the richness of the shank and purée.

A perfect meal on a cold, rainy day, much appreciated and commented on by members attending.

Thanks team!

Hogget refers to a sheep between one and two years old. It's a meat classification between lamb and mutton, with a flavour profile that is richer than lamb but milder than mutton. Hogget is known for its well-developed flavour and tenderness.

Bread was a sourdough rye from Organic Bread Bar Paddington.

Cheese

Our cheese master, Mark Bradford, presented a ‘buffalo glera’, a hard buffalo milk cheese from Italy, which we believe is the first time we’ve seen this cheese. A tasty and interesting cheese.

An ubriacatura or drunken cheese, this semi-hard buffalo milk cheese is a tribute to the region. Latteria Perenzin is located at the foot of the Prosecco hills in Veneto, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Glera grape is the predominant variety that must be used in the production of DOCG Prosecco.

Local buffalo milk sourced from the Veneto region is used to make this natural rinded pressed curd cheese, which is matured in the underground cellars for around five months.

Organic Glera marc, the residual solids after the grapes have been pressed, sourced from the nearby Perlage Winery, is then applied to the rind of the cheese. The thin rind allows the Glera marc to infuse the rich, dense paste with mellow wine aromas, bringing hints of cellar, wood, and grappa.

Accompanying the cheese were bowls of biscuits, dates, apricots, walnuts and strawberries.

Wine

Yet another wet and miserable Tuesday afternoon, when will it end?  Anyhow, those who braved the rain and cold were rewarded with a fine meal and a couple of excellent wines to lift flagging spirits. Julian Parmegiani, with assistance from Rob Guthrie, produced some delicious lamb shanks with an unusual side dish, which was also well received. See full food report. 

The canape wine was a truly excellent Pikes Merle Riesling from the Clare Valley. 2017 at 12% This wine is made by Pikes in only exceptional years, as 2017 has proven to be with Clare Rieslings. This wine was clean and fresh, pale yellow, with an abundance of quality fruit. Green apple, lime, and lemon zest are flavours that greet the first sip. Perfect balance of fruit and persistent acids delivering a near perfect, lingering finish. This wine is Pikes flagship white wine, and it certainly deserves that tag. Many years of great drinking ahead. 

Wine 1 was also a beauty, the Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri 2016 @ 14.5 %. A lovely Italian red wine indeed. A Sangiovese blend from Tuscany, this wine ticks all the boxes in what one would look for in a red to accompany a robust meal of lamb shanks. Whilst the wine was medium weight, it was powerful yet balanced and packed in tons of dark fruit flavours off set by some tannin and oak. Acid was still sufficient to give a clean finish with lingering flavours. A top wine, my pick for the day. 

Wine 2 was the Vasse Felix Cabernet 2010 from Margaret River, WA @ 14.5 %. Vass Felix was the first vineyard planted in the Margaret River region in 1967 by Dr Tom Cullity. A genuine trailblazer. The vineyard is now part of the Holmes a Court group.  The bird featured on the label is a falcon imported by Dr Cullity to scare away another bird, the Silvereye, which was damaging the crop.  Over the years, Vass Felix has been at the forefront of Margaret River wines with their Chardonnay and, of course, Cabernet. The past is sadly where this wine belongs, in my view. Now at 15 yo, the wine, or at least this bottle of wine, had seen better days. Still drinkable, but a shadow of its former glorious self, maybe 10 years ago. The acid had fallen away, leading to a tired, flat wine. Very sad to see it just didn't have the legs to last the distance. 

Final wine enjoyed by all was the 2021 Bruno Rocca Barbera d'Alba @ 15 % from the Piedmont region of Italy. A medium-bodied wine rippling with flavour from dark quality fruit, spice and good natural acidity. Oak and tannins blending in well. Still a few years short of its ideal drinking window, I found the wine enjoyable to drink now, with a promise of improvement over time.  A lighter, fruitier style than a Sangiovese or Nebbiolo, but very popular in Italy.