18 October 2022 CoTD Merv Peacock

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

A Society favourite, duck was on the menu today, presented by a very confident Merv Peacock, with the aid of his son Gavin. Numbers aplenty for their “gros canard”. 

Canapes 

Merv got the ball rolling with “tuna spoons”. No, they were really bone china, but they contained finely chopped tuna tartare, a little onion, vodka with tomato tea made from tomatoes, basil and other bits and pieces. 

Next to appear were crunchy toasts loaded with sliced fillet steak and horseradish, along with Merv’s very own homemade spicy chutney. They were both very tasty and abundant, many opted for seconds and some even for thirds. 

Lastly, we were served mini chicken pies made by Merv’s wife.  Thank you, Kerry. They were delightful with chicken, mushrooms, leaks and sweetcorn. A favourite of the Peacock clan, certainly a treat for young and old alike. 

Main 

Our main course was a comfy duck Maryland with cassoulet. It was terrific. “Cassoulet” has a rich history in France, believed to have originated in the town of Castelnaudary and is characterised by white beans with protein on top. There are many varieties and these alter from region to region. Merv chose to confit the Marylands and serve them resting on the cassoulet; the ducks spent 24 hours in a dry marinade and were then confyied over the weekend for 6 hours, remaining in fat until Tuesday morning. The cassoulet was prepared from beans, tomatoes, pork spec, onions and the sausages were a mix of Cumbrian and Italian.  Paul was served gluten free pork chipolata sausages in his mix. Croutons were added at the end. 

The room was buzzing with praise for the main, with not the remotest hint of negativity, and mention being made by many that even in France, a better cassoulet had never been tasted. Well done, Monsieur Paon. 

Cheese 

Our Cheese Master, Dr James Healey, chose a Cantal AOP from the Auvergne, that same French region being the home of cassoulet.  A cow’s milk cheese, it is semi-hard with a fat content of 45%. This natural rind cheese is one of the oldest cheeses still made in France. It has been traced back at least 2000 years when cheese from Gaul was popular as far away as Rome. Being a large cheese, the flavour is mild unless it is matured over a long period, typically 12 to 18 months. It came to the table in perfect condition and attracted very favourable comments on the day. Merv accompanied the cheese with walnuts, dried apricots and sliced pear. 

A memorable meal indeed. 

Wine

We were treated today to a truly excellent Lunch both with regard to food and wine. Sincere thanks to Merv Peacock for a wonderful Cassoulet and to Chilly for his selection of some terrific wines. After a lunch like that who would not want to be a member of the WFS? My comments on the wines served are as follows.

The aperitif wine was a David Thomas Hunter Semillon 2011, coming in at 11.5% Thomas has become a bit of a cult hero with his Semillon, and it was easy to see why. Even with now 11 years since vintage, the wine was a delight. Fresh and clean, great balance between fruit and acid, years still ahead of it. What a great gift Hunter Semillon is to wine lovers!

The first red was a Yarra Valley Seville Estate PN 2013 at 13.8% An enjoyable wine, with light silky tannins with a pleasant PN flavour. A good food wine.

The next wine was a Christian Clerget PN 2014 from Burgundy at 12.5 %. The wine presented with some immediate problems for our table. Some speculated that it was corked, however, after more careful examination it was agreed that it was just a dud! Hardly any detectable fruit, bland and dull. The wine brought back distant memories of a bad date. Superficially an attractive prospect, with just about the desired level of maturity and background. As the evening progresses however it becomes clear that the date is unexciting, dull and boring, leading to increasingly frequent glances at your watch praying that time would fly by to enable the evening to be brought to a respectable finish quickly.  Overall a disappointing night out.  

Our fortunes were mercifully greatly improved by the last three wines, and what a bracket they were. Chilly stand up! Seppelt St Peters Shiraz, Tyrrells Old Patch Shiraz and the Glatezer Bishop Shiraz. What a trio of our finest Shiraz, all well-matured and drinking in perfect condition. Stand by for some generous, but well-deserved praise. Here we go. First in the bracket was the Seppelt St Peters Shiraz 2010 from the Grampians region coming in at 14%. The vineyard under the guidance of the legendary Colin Preece produced a wonderful Shiraz marketed as Seppelt Great Western Shiraz. A superb wine coming from some of the oldest shiraz vines planted in that historic region. Under the helm of the great winemaker of more recent origin Ian Mc Kenzie, the vineyard continued to flourish and in recent years was rebranded as the St Peters Shiraz. The wine today was just superb. Generous fruit, spicy and soft with gentle tannin overtones. Years ahead of it. One of my favourite Australian Reds. The vineyard is in fact very close to the Bests vineyard, just across the road. Not surprisingly Bests top shiraz, the Bin 0 and the Thompson Family Shiraz are remarkably similar to the St Peters.

The next treat was the Tyrrells Old Patch Shiraz 2007. I met Bruce Tyrrell at one of our lunches 10 years or so ago. I commented to him that I really liked the Old Patch wines. His reply was “just hang on to them for the long term“. Drinking this wine today, now a 15 yo, I think his advice was spot on. Not a hint of ageing, massive deep purple colour, but balanced and so full of flavour at 13.5%.  The wine was all class, as it should be coming from what is the oldest vineyard in the Hunter first planted in 1869, and regarded by many as the best in the district. Sold to Tyrrells some years ago by the then owner Neil Stevens, Bruce Tyrrell regards it as the jewel in the Tyrrells crown. Simply a wonderful wine.

The final wine in this glorious bracket was the Glatezer Bishop Shiraz 2012 at 14.5%. Comparing the three wines together, this wine was lighter in colour, with a strong sweet fruit flavour. Of the three I felt this wine was the odd man out, by no means inferior, just different. Barossa fruit from Ebenezer, the wine was dense with layers of modest oak, tannin and velvety ripe fruit. A delight.

Picking a favourite is near impossible and probably a pointless exercise, however, to get the discussion going I will stick my neck out and vote for the Tyrrells.

11 October 2022 CoTD Paul Ferman

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

Esteemed artist Paul Ferman (alias Paulo Fermano), after a stint in Italy, returned recently to Sydney and presented French-themed canapes and an Italian chicken classic for the main.  A renaissance man extraordinaire, Paul is careful about selecting his ingredients, and where possible sources organic and sustainable foods. James Hill, as he so often does, assisted with the canapes. 

Canapes

First up was foie gras served on a spoon. Luckily for our arteries but not so much for our taste buds, only one per person. This was followed by a Raymond Blanc-inspired simple country terrine.  While the Blanc version is based on pork livers and other bits of swine, Paul used chicken livers as well to give it some sweetness.  We then had a very green soup of good texture served in a cup dominated by leak and cauliflower, thickened with potato, and a variety of condiments. In addition, some walnut oil – which Paul had on hand (who doesn’t?) – was used to lift the flavour. Very good comments were made on the canape offerings. 

Main

Today, Paul gave us chicken cacciatore – aka “hunter chicken” – served on white polenta. The chicken legs were free range; Paul attested to their big strong bones being from their ability to run around and these bigger birds were 16 weeks old, double what is normally found. They had a wonderful texture and were cooked to perfection.  The chicken stock had milk and butter. The Po Valley white polenta was corn-based (polenta is usually yellow) and procured from Simon Johnson Providore. Green olives enhanced the presentation and taste. The salad served by Paul was an integration of salad spring vegetables and nuts, arriving on the table before the main.  It looked and tasted great with a wonderful dressing. Paul explained that his organic days go back to his mother, who grew organic vegetables at home a long time back. All comments were very favourable. 

Cheese

Society Cheese Master James Healey provided us today with Casa Madaio Calcagno, semi-hard cheese with some similarities to Pecorino.  The milk hails from the rugged Sardinian hills, when the mistral winds retreat, and the wild herbs and grasses grow, the local ewes rear their lambs. In July, excess milk is collected to create large wheels of Calcagno. Casa Madaio is located in Campania, and the wheels mature at their caves at Castelcivita, where the sweet and herbaceous milk is concentrated in flavour during a maturation over 7 to 8 months duration.  The offering somewhat divided the floor, with comments ranging from an excellent cheese to a bland one.  Paul accompanied the cheese with pears and pecan nuts, soaked to just prior to germination before drying

A very pleasant offering indeed Paul, enjoyed by a capacity gathering on the day. 

Wine

The wines served today kicked off with two Pewsey Vale Rieslings from the  Eden Valley produced by Louise Rose and her Team at Yalumba.  This wine is always a solid performer, and today we enjoyed a 2012 and 2013. Both wines were presented on the central table in the room and sadly I was only able to taste the 13, the 2012 not finding its way to my glass. Some Sherry also provided escaped my glass, save for a few drops.  In any event, I really enjoyed the 13 Riesling, fresh and clean, in pristine condition despite it now being 9 years since vintage. High-quality aged Riesling like this one are some of my favourite Society wines. I normally arrive for lunch at 12.30 pm, so I will from now on I will set my alarm to arrive a bit earlier so that I can report on all of the pre-lunch wines on offer, some of which I have in recent times missed out on.

The first lunch wine was a Seppelts Drumborg Chardonnay 2017 at 12%. Drumborg is in Western Victoria and produces my favourite Riesling, also from Seppelts, but sadly that regional excellence did not carry through with this particular Chardonnay. Frankly, I thought the wine was a bit of a flop, not objectionable, but nothing to get excited about, no real character. I would have much preferred to keep on with the Riesling.

The first red wine of the day was a Tasmanian Pinot from the very talented winemakers Glaetzer and Dixon.  Vintage 2010  and 13.4 %. I really liked this wine.  Holding its age exceptionally for a PN, the wine was delicious, with soft and smooth low tannins and a velvety texture. The PN fruit was still there after 12 years. Quite a big wine for a Pinot, with lots of body, not thin at all. Some commented that the wine would have been better if drunk 3 or 4 years ago, which is probably right, however at today’s lunch, I found it most enjoyable. My wine of the day.

The second red of the day was the 2012 Wynns Coonawarra Black Label Shiraz. The wine was served still quite cold and took a fair while to reach room temperature, even when cradled in my eager, warm hands.

A  reliable Shiraz, the wine was quite drinkable, even touching on pleasant after some encouragement. I am aware that Wynns make an exceptional St Michael Shiraz from Coonawarra in good years, which often has that much sought-after cool mint flavour, however, this wine had none of that as one might expect.  At 13.5 % the wine was well-balanced and a good accompaniment to the delicious Chicken dish created by Paul Ferman. In my view, however, the wine never rose to any great heights and was basically unexciting. Question: is Shiraz the right grape for that region?

The third red of the day was the Rosemont Balmoral Shiraz from the McLaren Vale region 2004 vintage and 14.5%.  A bit of a blockbuster with huge jammy fruit and still some tannin overtone. Very drinkable, but at 18 years since vintage was beginning to show signs of tiredness. Others may disagree, but I thought that the wine was drinking 6 or 7 years past its prime. The wine was certainly in my taste at least, a pale imitation of some of the great Balmoral Shiraz produced during the 80s and 90’s when Rosemont was a dominant force in the wine market.  

The final wine of the day was the 2009 Blue Pyrenees Estate Cabernet from Avoca Vic. Coming in at 14%, it was for sure a big wine but was well-balanced and very enjoyable. Quite flavoursome and now with 13 years of bottle age under its belt needs no further time in the cellar. Went very well with the cheese. Loads of plummy fruit, but in harmony, a suitable wine to finish the enjoyable lunch.

4 October 2022 CoTD Greg Sproule

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

The room was full for our mixed lunch today with Chef of the Day, former Foodmaster, Greg Sproule in the kitchen providing a Spanish meal.

Canapés

As we’ve seen recently canapés have been bountiful and today was no exception. We began with a Spanish omelette - with Carisma potatoes served on spoons topped with yellow pickled capsicum.

Carisma potatoes have 25% fewer carbs, a lower Gi rating, gluten-free and vegan-friendly. Perfect for mashing, boiling and roasting. Full of flavour.

Next came Spanish green olives and lupin beans. We had to spear them ourselves. what the bean was, kept the room guessing but no one quite got there. Simple and tasty.

Then jambon croquettes with serrano Iberico and bacon. They were deep-fried, not greasy and perfect with our aperitif wine.

To finish our tapas experience Greg served some serrano ham.

Main

Always up for a challenge, Greg presented a ‘Zarzuela de Moriscos’ a shellfish stew from the Catalan coast.

It consisted of green king prawns, monkfish, king dory, mussels, clams, pippies, lobster, vongole, calamari, saffron, paprika, parsley, almond and dill. The mussels and clams were served in the shell.

You may not have got all the ingredients in your serving however you got the lovely flavour profile of the stew.

This was served with a Pipirrana salad, a typical Spanish salad originating from Andalusia. It has numerous variations because each province has a different method of preparation and different ingredients. However, one of the more traditional versions is made with cucumbers, onions, green peppers and tomatoes. Today Greg added quail eggs, fried bread, parsley, sorrel, watercress and en choy (en choy aka amaranth or Chinese spinach). The combination worked well with flavour and texture a highlight,

There were many favourable comments from the room some suggesting a little more seasoning lifted the dish.

Bread today was the Iggy ‘super long’ a lovely crusty white sourdough perfect to mop up the sauce of our main course.

Cheese

Our Cheesemaster James Healey continued the Spanish theme today serving a ‘Merco Mahon Curado’ a hard cow’s milk cheese.

Mahon is the capital of the rocky island of Menorca, the most northerly of the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. Cheese has been made on the island since 3000BC. Today, two ancient breeds of dairy cattle, red Menorquin and black/white spotted Frison, graze on dense island grass and are milked on small family ‘fincas’ or farms which total 600 on Menorca.

Traditionally, this cheese was bound in cloth before pressing which is still done on a small scale on the island. A larger proportion of production is now made in a more efficient modern way which uses square moulds instead. The result is a consistent cheese that captures the true essence of the original. The rind is still rubbed with olive oil and paprika which imparts a rusty-orange colour to the exterior.

The wheels are then ripened for a minimum of six months on wooden shelves. When mature or ‘curado’, the cheese maintains a milky character and has developed a nutty flavour and characteristic tangy finish.

Keith Steele again showed his impressive knowledge of cheese correctly guessing the cheese being cows and the country of origin.

A mixed luncheon produced very healthy numbers, with the room near full.  Nice to see the ladies present to witness their menfolk indulge in their dark arts of a Tuesday afternoon.

Wine

Drinks wise we kicked off with a sparkling wine,  which I did not taste.  Quite happy to leave it to those who enjoy bubbles.  The second wine was a 2017 Scorpo Bestia  Pinot Grigio from Mornington.

This was an excellent wine for the pass-arounds.  The wine had a distinctive reddish colour as a result of extended skin contact.  Great flavour,  good balance and a really enjoyable wine. I must get some.

Next on the list of our luncheon wines was Brian Croser’s Tapanappa Tries Chardonnay from 2021.  I hesitate to be critical of a Croser Chardy,  which I have enjoyed on many occasions over the years, especially if like me,  you like his tight, structured disciplined style. This wine however had no appeal to me.  Too acidic with a sharp, unpleasant initial first taste.  Perhaps in 2 to 3 years, it will develop into something more attractive, but today I just did not like it. Happy to suspend final judgement until 2025.

Next cab off the rank was a 2015 Pittnaeur from the Plains of Austria, being a  Blaufrankisch with possibly some other bits and pieces. We had this wine not so long ago and I suspect the acting Winemaster is engaging in some cellar clearouts.  Perfectly sensible. Nothing can be more horrible than having a cellar full of wines well past their best drinking date. I actually really enjoyed this wine, a good food wine with, a nice balance and length. I have from time to time over the years used a Blaufrankisch at my annual masked wine tasting competition, to add a bit of bastardy and humour to the occasion, given that none of the competitors would have heard of or tasted the wine.  When announcing the results, with not one soul picking the wine, I would say something like “ I am surprised none of you recognised wine no 4,  I thought it was a very typical Blaufrankisch. We drink little else around here”, or some similar smart arse remark. At any masked wine event, you have to inject some levity and humour along the way.

The second last wine was a Pagliarese Chianti Classico DOCG from 2014.  A Sangiovese that really packed a punch. Great fruit, It went very well with the cheese at 13%, robust flavours medium red brick colour, elegant and very drinkable. Great choice. 

The final wine was a real, for me,  a real eye-opener and my wine of the day. It was a Glandore Estate Tempranillo 2011 from the Hunter Valley. I have had some Tempranillo from the Hunter but not many. This wine really impressed me, massive colour, inky black and it just about sucked the light out of the room!  But seriously, this was a first-class Temp.  Great balance, with everything coming together to produce a beautiful wine at  13%.  Despite it now being 11 years old, there was no sign of ageing,  just delicious mellow overtones.  I have always enjoyed Rioja Temps and this wine was right up there with their best. The wine was in my view a little thicker and more mouth-filling than its Spanish counterparts which strike me as being somewhat lighter in texture. I understand Society Member David Madson has an interest in the vineyard.  Great to see one of our Society members involved in the production of this high-quality wine.  

Wine Served:  2017 Scorpo Bestia Pinot Grigio, NV Charles de Cazanove Brut tradition Champagne, 2021 Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay, 2015  Pittnaeur Pannobile Blend, 2014 Pagliarese Chianti Classico DOCG, 2011 Glandore TPR Tempranillo, 2014 Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2007 Tyrrells Stevens Vineyard

27 September 2022 CoTD James Hill

Food  summary by James Hill and wine report by Stephen O'Halloran

An Italian-themed lunch today by James Hill.

Canapés

Firstly, Gary Linnane made a white bean anchoïade topped with some Cantabrian anchovies served on a cracker. Gary used the Tarbais beans that Society member Scott Witt had provided.

The beans were puréed with some Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream cheese capers, anchovy, lemon zest and EVOO. Full of flavour, creamy, thick and rich.

Secondly, acciughe al verde on baguette

Parsley, garlic, EVOO, red wine vinegar cayenne, 16 good quality anchovies

Recipe

One bunch of Italian parsley leaves only and two garlic cloves peeled.

6 tablespoons of best EVOO, 2 tablespoons of best red wine vinegar pinch of cayenne.

Process garlic and parsley in a food processor, be careful not to make a purée add the oil and vinegar and cayenne for one more quick whirl.

Place anchovies in a bowl and fold the parsley sauce through the fish.

Cover, leave at room temperature and serve four hours later with grissini or bread.

Thirdly and lastly ‘Nduja (spicy spreadable pork salami) on pumpernickel with pickled carrots on top.

Main

Pollo al forno con funghi e Verza e pure.

Number 5 spatchcocks marinated in garlic and parsley and EVOO then baked in the oven. It sat on top of some mash mixed with parsley and spring onions. Surrounding the mash and spatchcock was cabbage and mushroom that had been reduced with butter and wine.

The cabbage was a head of Savoy cabbage finely sliced and three kilograms of Swiss brown mushrooms cut into bite-sized pieces. This was cooked with 750gm of Italian unsalted butter and two bottles of Tahblik Marsanne. The vegetables were reduced to create a flavoursome sauce.

Big bread love from Sonoma ‘Miche’, a dark sourdough which is characterised by a distinct smokey flavour. It has a dark caramelised and blistered crust and an open and chewy crumb.

The butter today was Copper Tree chefs' series truffle butter.

Cheese

James Healey provided an ‘in theme’ Piedmontese semi-hard cheese made from cow and sheep’s milk called Testun Di Barolo.

Known as Formaggio Umbria or Drunken cheese this speciality of Piedmont is aged in traditional wooden barrels containing the grape skins of Barolo wine. The marinade leaves a purple stain which gradually penetrates the rind of the cheese leaving a very distinctive wine barrel flavour. The wheels then age for a further two months in Langhe marc and Barolo wine during which time the cheese develops a rich flavour, semihard texture and lingering sweetness. The flavours of the cheese and grapes mingle together to create a flavour that is bitey, creamy, sweet, windy, buttery and sharp all at once.

The cheese accompaniment was ‘Pastilla’ a honey walnut and prune log provided by Lynette MacDonald.

It’s a version of a recipe from Zina Komonoski a woman who is in her nineties and still cooking pastilla for her family. The method was handed down from her great-great-grandmother. It was a perfect match for our cheese course today.

Wine

I must confess that writing this wine report is somewhat difficult to produce, as I have nothing to whinge about or poke fun at!  Usually, I can find a wine or two that invites deserved criticism or ridicule, however, today’s offerings were completely unhelpful. They were all like Caesar’s wife, beyond reproach!  Not one to be sent to the sink . . How boring!  Doing the best I can to liven things up, my comments are, the first wine was a Soave from 2020. A tasty little number, a popular wine, a blend of  Garganega and Trebbiano and some others. I tasted this wine when in Italy 40 years ago and it impressed me then, being more flavoursome than many of the white wines then on offer.  The wine hails from the Veneto region.  Great wine with the pass-arounds, balanced with excellent fruit/acid combination. More please.

Our acting Winemaster Nick Reynolds then produced six excellent red wines to accompany the superb food and cheese by James Hill and James Healey. We were treated to five straight Nebbiolo, and one blend with other varieties. My picks were wine 1 the Gattinara, a Nebbiolo, clean and fresh,  light body, but tons of flavour, great food wine, not too tannic.

Next was wine 3  the 2009 Uvaggio Coste della Sesia Rosso, a Nebbiolo blend. I really liked this wine. Big colour, not too tannic affected (now 13 yo), deep ruby colour stood out from the rest on colour alone. Great wine. Next on the Honours list was the  2012 Barolo from Massolino.   Noticeable tannins but the integration of fruit and acid and tannin was perfect. Elegant yet powerful, Nebbiolo living up to its expected standards.

The other wines not reported were all excellent and there is simply nothing more to say. I cannot wait for next week when we may have some hopeless joke of a wine that possesses several winemaking faults and other atrocities I can have some fun with.

Wines Served: 2020 Monte Ronca Colle Marianna Soave, 2017 Nervi Conterno Gattinara, 2016 Sandro Fay Carteria Valgella Riserva Valtellina, 2009 Proprieta Sperino Uvaggio Coste della Sesia Rosso, 2014 Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo, 2012 Massolino Barolo, 2012 Massolino Barolo Parussi

20 September 2022 CoTD Mark Bradford

Food review by James Hill and wine review by James Tinslay

Mark Bradford was in the kitchen as Chef of the Day preparing a Basque-themed lunch perfect for this bright sunny spring day.

Canapes

Our canapés were ‘pintxos’, which literally translates as a thorn or spike. These are small snacks typically eaten in bars in Northern Spain.

1. Tortilla Espanola cubes with roasted red capsicum and black Spanish olive.

2. Red and green peppers on pintxo wrapped with anchovy and capped with green Spanish olive.

3. Baked dates deseeded and stuffed with fetta and almond slices and wrapped with Serrano ham and then in the oven for five minutes (Dátiles Rellenos).

The canapés were bountiful with complex flavours and perfectly matched the canapé wine on offer today, the 2007 Tyrrell’s Belford sémillon.

There were many favourable comments from the floor on Mark’s canapé offering.

Main

Our main came to the table and immediately appealed to all our senses sight, aroma and lastly taste.

It was a Basque stew of rolled lamb shoulder trimmed, cubed and marinated overnight in Margan Hunter Chardonnay, garlic and rosemary. Braised then stewed for three hours with sweet paprika, roasted red capsicum strips, chopped deseeded tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, chicken stock and a 2016 Rioja. Mark advised a little reduction was needed.

It was served on a base of turmeric and onion basmati rice and topped with a pea and mint puree. It was garnished with chopped parsley and a slice of rustic bread to mop up the flavoursome sauce.

The meat was perfectly cooked moist and tender with a good flavour and texture and the right balance of paprika and seasoning.

It was a great effort with a lot of preparation and research going into the meal and much appreciated and praised by all for the authentic and interesting food presented today.

Cheese

Agour Ossau Iraty AOP

Our Cheese Master, James Healey, presented semi-hard sheep’s cheese from Larrau, France Basque district in the Pyrenees.

The ewes’ milk cheeses of the Basque region date back more than 4000 years and represent an important link with tradition and regional identity. Ossau Iraty is made for nine months of the year using the milk of black or red-faced Manech ewes, but what makes this particular cheese unusual is the red rind. It contains finely ground Espelette peppers from the region which form a natural barrier to moulds. Matured for nine months the smooth ivory texture has a nutty flavour with a deliciously sweet aftertaste. Interestingly the rind of the cheese had a fishy smell and aftertaste (not unpleasant).

Mark accompanied the cheese course with crackers, dried pears and portions of Jamon and prosciutto.

John Goldsbrough closed lunch today with some personal reminiscences on travelling in the UK and then proposing a toast to the King.

John provided a Bin AD 2000 vintage port called Masterton.

Following the boom of the early 1970s, the late ‘70s were difficult times for the Barossa wine grape growing community. The now legendary Peter Lehmann championed a cause that saved the livelihoods of the growers and their families. So it was by building the winery he committed to the region’s growers. Business was done with a handshake and Peter’s word was his bond.

Phil Laffer advised that this was a wine made by Peter Lehmann and it was at a time that the Barossa was on its knees and Peter persuaded local growers to provide fruit for this wine. Named ‘Masterton’ after the famed American gambler Bat Masterton as it was a big gamble.

During the lunch President Paul Thorne presented a Society tie to our new member Julian Parmegiani.

Wine

As mentioned in the food review above the canapé wine was the Tyrrells Vat 18 Belford Semillon. I am not the only member who finds young Semillon’s not particularly to my taste but wines such as this, with fifteen years of age (under screwcap), are wonderful. The wine was very light in colour, medium to powerful on the nose and a truly wonderful palate. The acid was a perfect match for the lovely fruit.

To match the Spanish food, our acting Winemaster, Nick Reynolds, selected all reds with the main course wines being Priorat and Australian Shiraz with the cheese.

• 2013 Marco Abella Priorat Loidana. From the first pour, this wine sprang out of the glass with an excellent nose following through with bountiful fruit and excellent structure. Priorat can be hearty and a little extracted, but this wine got the balance wonderfully correct.
• 2010 Torres Salmos Priorat. Torres is one of the largest producers in Spain with plantings pretty much across the country. The prices range from low to high end and this label in its current vintage is closer to $100 than $50. So, it was disappointing that this wine was barely drinkable. One bottle was so badly corked it was used as an example by our acting Winemaster to have people try so that they know exactly what a badly corked wine smells like. There was a serious brett influence on the bottle on our table. This is very disappointing as I am a big fan of Priorat and the surrounding area, Monsant.
• 2010 Cherubino The Yard Acacia Vineyard Shiraz. Cherubino has a well-deserved reputation for wine coming from the Margaret River region. This was one of their single vineyard wines and whilst drinking well one feels it may have been better a few years ago. There was a preponderance of oak at the expense of fruit in the wine had become out of balance.
• 2010 Lindemans Bin 1003 Shiraz. Whilst 2010 was a wonderful year in the Hunter Valley and many other areas, the quality and drinkability of this not-so-expensive Lindeman’s wine was a surprise. At twelve years of age, it lived up to the “Hunter River Burgundy” style with great elegance and freshness. It was an excellent match with the cheese.

13 September 2022 CoTD Steve Sparkes

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

Food

On a cool spring Tuesday, Steve Sparkes greeted us with a delicious seafood themed luncheon, prepared to the exacting standards for which Steve is renowned. And such a gastronomic delight it was. We started with Coffin Bay Pacific Oysters – only one per person was allowed – that Steve presented with a homemade Teriyaki sauce which was reduced slightly and served with chives. Designed to be a palate cleanser, it was successfully so with the subtle sauce working well with the flavoursome juicy molluscs from the Great Australian Bight. This was followed by a light seafood terrine served on a cracker, that included prawn, crab and scallop ingredients, with saffron and egg white. Wonderful flavours again, with lots of colours. Finally, to whet our appetite for the main course, Steve presented Wonton wrappers moulded in a muffin tin filled with prawns, crabs, chilli, coriander, ginger, garlic and toasted coconut. This cleanser had us dreaming of lazy holidays in the Maldives.

The main course fish was blue-eye trevalla, aka blue-eye cod, a southern waters fish. Most of today’s diners “guessed” this correctly.  Served on steamed basmati rice, this specially sourced restaurant quality fish was laser cut into 180 gram portions and cooked sous vied to perfection. The curry sauce, Steve mentioned, was that featured in Sydney’s iconic Flying Fish restaurant; Sri-Lankan inspired with seasoning, curry, fennel, coconut and anchovies, but little chilli so as to try to match best the whites and reds on offer.  For most, the closest pairing was with the German resiling.  Being probably the most difficult food with which to match wine, the curry could be enhanced in flavour, for those who dared, with two bespoke chilli sauces that Steve had made some time back that he brought along with him: one hot and one seriously hot. The general feeling was that the Sri Lankan curry was best as presented without the additional chilli that, at least for this reviewer who is a big fan of spicy food, destroyed the palate completely. 

With numbers being a little in decline over some of the previous weeks, we had a full house and rightly so for such a great lunch.  Mention must be made of the impeccable presentation of both the starters and the main dish.  The cheese to follow was a Gippsland Tarago River triple cream from Neeram South, served with ample salad, marinated cumquats and roasted nuts. The cheese is quite different to Brie, with additional cream being added during the cheese-making process.  A great end to a memorable luncheon, and a testimony to the delightful cheeses that are being crafted in south-eastern Australia.

Well done, Steve, with expectations from the gentlemen that this dish will reappear early next year. A massive amount of planning and effort went into today’s lunch.

Wine

We have lunches where the food is the highlight and other lunches where the wine is centre stage. On this occasion, the food by Steve Sparkes was for certain the main performance. Others will comment in detail on the food. but let me say the wine played second fiddle.

We kicked off with a 2017 Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling from WA. An enjoyable wine. well made but a little bit too much residual sugar for my taste. Very mouth-filling, I would have preferred something dryer. We were then offered two other Rieslings. a Leo Buring and a Yalumba Pewsey Vale. I was only able to taste the Yalumba wine which was, as usual, quite sound. but a little unexciting. A Manzanilla was also offered which I declined. Then to my horror, I saw some bottles of the dreaded 2008 Chambers Gouais appear. I reviewed this wine in my report of the lunch on the 12th of April this year. Cutting to the chase I commented at that time that I hoped never to see the Wine again. My hopes were dashed when the acting Winemaster Nick Reynolds dragged a few remaining bottles from the cellar to finally extinguish our stock of this hideous wine. I think readers will suspect where I am going on this wine. Hence no further comment.

Moving on to the lunch wines. we all know tricky it is to combine wine with fish curry. Overall, the acting Winemaster did an admirable Job in a troublesome task. We started off with a Tyrrells Bin 63 Sem/Chardonnay 2017. Speaking personally. I have long avoided this blend. I do not know what is the problem. but anytime I taste this wine I think that it is a terrible waste of the two components. which are, as we know, enjoyable wines on their own. One would think that a marriage of two attractive grape varieties would produce an offspring of equal quality. but sadly not.

The combination just does not work. The offspring is dull. boring and without any enjoyable characteristics. Anyhow that is my view which incidentally I have held ever since the blend was released in the late 60s.

Having got that off my chest, I now turn to the remaining wines. The next wine on the list was a delightful 2009 O’Leary Walker Shiraz from the Canberra district probably from the Murrumbatman region. These two talented winemakers originated in Clare SA and have now expanded their production to other quality wine-growing districts. I really liked this wine, medium-bodied, beautiful integration of oak fruit, a modest amount of tannin and a classic peppery/spicy finish. Great drinking for a 13-year-old and still very fresh. Next on the list was a Dr Mayer Kabinett Riesling from 2016. An enjoyable wine with no apparent faults. It is just my feeling that the fondness I had for German wines in the 70s has evaporated due to lack of consumption over the years. I find this style now too thick and heavy to be enjoyed with anything but a sweet peach or a mango. 

We were then served a bolter. not on the published List. an Italian Dolcetto 2016. Like most Italian wines it was a food wine. and married up quite well with the fish. I quite like the style. very drinkable without making a fuss. like many of our oaky/tannic reds tend to do.

Finally, we finished up with a Pinot for the cheese. The wine was a 2016 Pinot from Kooyong Estate in the Mornington Peninsular. A very nice wine indeed. tons of flavour, quite a big wine with a delightful aroma and minimal tannin. 13.5%. I wish more Australian pinots were built like this wine. It reminded me of the Pinots from Otago which generally in my view, have more body and flavour than the local product.

Wines Served: 2017 Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling, NV Valdespino Deliciosa Manzanilla Sanlucar de Barrameda, 2017 Tyrrell’s Vat 63 Chardonnay Semillon, 2009 Nick O’Leary Shiraz, 2016 Dr Mayer Remstal Kabinett Trocken Riesling, 2016 Kooyong Haven  Pinot Noir

6 September 2022 Bill and Sam Alexiou

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

Our Foodmaster Bill Alexiou-Hucker was in the kitchen today preparing our inaugural “father and son” lunch. He was assisted by his son Sam who is the third generation of the Alexiou family to cook for our Society.

Canapés, Main and Cheese.

Today was a celebration of Greek food and we were treated to a degustation.

Our first two canapés were served on bread.

• Melitzanosalata a traditional Greek aubergine dip cooked with garlic and lemon and topped with mint …it had a silky texture and perfectly balanced flavour.

• Then followed taramasalata topped with bottarga. Bill’s tarama is delicious and today was another example, with only four ingredients however it is the execution that wins.

Here’s his recipe:

‘Soak 3 slices of bread in water and drain, I use a hand beater to blend with the tin of tarama, once a smooth consistency slowly add one cup of vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil as this overpowers the flavour of the tarama ). Once you have added the vegetable oil add the juice of half a lemon (or to taste).’

• Chicken, pork and lamb souvlaki served on skewers came next cooked on the hibachi in the rex kitchen. Needing to pace myself I only had the lamb and it was perfectly cooked, pink and moist with great flavour. I’m told the chicken and pork were as good.

Once seated we were served grilled octopus on skordalia with a slice of lemon. Bill told us he cooks the octopus in a little water then it is grilled, a chef’s secret to keep them moist. Skordalia is a garlic-based dip made with bread while the garlic is the main ingredient it didn’t overwhelm the dish, a perfect marriage with the octopus.

What’s a Greek lunch without spanakopita (spinach pie)? This is a Greek savoury pie and the go-to green is usually spinach however in this case a variety of greens were used as a change to the norm.

A Greek salad came next with large chunks of feta cheese dusted with oregano with cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes, peppers and a vinaigrette. The acid and olive oil dressing prepared our palates for the next course.

Our last course was Moussaka a rich tomato lamb sauce layered with orzo pasta and topped with yoghurt. What a finish! Full of flavour with many comments. A surprisingly light dish with one member describing it as featherweight.

Thanks Bill and Sam for the huge effort and authenticity of the food. The attention to detail and presentation was widely and favourably commented on by our members in the room today.

It is said you don’t leave a Greek lunch hungry and today was no exception Bill provided us with a digestive ‘mastika’ a liqueur produced with the mastika resin from the island of Chios. The mastika tree only grows on one island in the world.

I could almost speak Greek after this wonderful feast.

We must thank our club kitchen brigade and waiters for helping to make this one of the most successful lunches in our Society we have had the pleasure to enjoy.

Our Cheesematser, James Healey, provided feta as requested by our CoTD it was ‘Aphrodite Barrel-Aged Feta’, an artisan goat’s-sheep milk cheese from Greece.

Authentic handmade Greek barrel-aged feta is rare, and it tastes very different to modern feta matured in brine in airtight tins. This cheese has been carefully ripened in small, old beechwood barrels using traditional techniques that date back to the time when nomadic shepherds roamed the hills of northern Greece.

The barrels enable small amounts of oxygen to reach the salted curds as they ferment under whey, and the natural flora in the wooden staves helps to encourage a unique yeasty aroma. After three months of maturation in the barrel, the feta develops a soft milky texture and a creamy peppery finish that is very different from modern brined feta matured in sealed tins or plastic.

Barrel-aged feta is now produced by just a handful of small dairies in Greece because of EU regulations and the skill and expense involved in the production. Each barrel of Aphrodite feta has to be filled with curd by hand and after the cheese has been removed, it must be broken down stave by stave, washed and rebuilt by a skilled cooper.

Wine

The “Father and Son“ lunch kicked off with two superb Rieslings, the Seppelt Drumborg 2019 and the Leo Buring Clare Valley 2014, both excellent. First the Drumborg. The vineyard is located in the far southwestern corner of Victoria First developed in the mid-’50s by the legendary Colin Preece and further developed by the great Ian McKenzie. It is one of the top six Rieslings of Australia in my view and now just over 3 years old, the wine has all the potential of being in 4 to 5 years a classic Great fruit/acid balance, elegant with a superb fresh aftertaste. More please.

The Leo Buring was an 8-year-old from the Clare valley. I just love aged Riesling from that region. This wine was in my view drinking at its peak, mellow with just the right amount of acid finish without overpowering the fruit. A beautifully textured wine with real character and will still be drinking well in another 5 years Both wines were excellent choices by the Winemaster

For the main course wines, we started with the 2017 Viognier by Farr. Gary Farr is responsible for some of our finest reds and whites from his vineyards in Bannockburn. Putting my cards on the table, I confess to being very lukewarm about this grape as a stand-alone drink. Too unctuous, too thick, cloying and without a parting enjoyable aftertaste. I must say however, I found this wine reasonably pleasant and went well with the first course of the octopus. Viognier when mixed in small amounts with good quality Shiraz can produce wines of exceptional flavour and texture eg, Clonakilla Shiraz, but I am inclined to the view that Viognier should be confined to that use and not drunk as a stand-alone white. We have an abundance of better-tasting white wines!

Next Cab off the rank was the Greek Alpha Estate Xinomavro, a red wine proudly proclaimed as “the Noblest grape of North Greece “.  Well, that may be so, but I think that most of the good folk at my table would have been happy to see the wine remain in Greece. Light body with a slightly sweetish taste, with 14 % alcohol it was the kind of wine which tastes great when in the thrall of an overseas holiday syndrome, when everything is exciting and wonderful, in a lake or seaside location in the company of fellow happy campers. The same wine when consumed back home after time has passed never tastes the same.

The next wine was the ever-popular Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz 2009. Another creation of Seppelt’s Colin Preece. A very easily recognised style, big ripe fruit flavour, spicy and mouth filling. A wine that has been popular for decades and drinking the wine now as a 13-year-old it was in perfect condition and should remain so for years to come.

The final wine on the list was the Hardys 08 HRB Shiraz from Clare and McLaren Vale. Sadly I am not able to review the wine as it failed to make its way around the table, the bottle hitting empty before it reached my place. All I can say is that it must have been good!

Wines Served: 2019 Seppelt Drumborg Riesling, 2012 Pewsey Vale Riesling, 2017 By Farr Viognier, 2018 Alpha Estate Hedgehog Ximomavro, 2009 Seppelt Chalambar Shiraz

30 August 2022 CoTD Nigel Burton

Food notes by the COTD and canape chefs and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Nigel Burton was the main course chef today. He was assisted by former Foodmaster Greg Sproule and long-term, but newly returned to Australia, member Greg Brunner.

Greg Brunner offered a version of a southern French classic Pissaladière.  Puff pastry was spread with onions cooked with thyme over low heat for an hour and a half until sweet and caramelised.  This was topped with black olives, anchovies, and grilled red capsicum. His second canape was a Hungarian cheese spread, Körözött, on toasted baguette.  A mixture of buffalo and cow’s milk ricotta was mixed with a little Greek yoghurt to create a creamy spread.  To this was added just a little Dijon mustard and the main flavourings of Hungarian paprika and caraway seeds. This was topped with chopped Hungarian apple paprika (capsicum).

Greg also sourced the bread, which came as impressive rings provided by Raffael’s bakery in Haberfield. When the order was placed a request was made for “very crusty” and the baker did not disappoint.

Greg Sproule presented three different canapés: Pickled Beetroot with Goats Cheese and Walnut; Date macerated in Chardonnay with Dulcetta- Blue Cheese; and Pastry Case stuffed with Mushrooms, Onion, Creme Fraiche and Prosciutto

As usual with a wine lunch, the food was tailored to enhance rather than detract from the wines. Although with a Penfolds wine tasting, the food would have to have some power to overwhelm the wines.

Nigel chose to cook within a Hungarian theme, repeating a prior glory when he won Goulash of the Year under John Rourke’s presidency (it was the only Goulash that year, so he was a shoe-in to win). 

Today he made this classic east European dish which can be made using meat, veal, chicken, or pork.  Nigel chose shoulder blade steak to which he added the usual ingredients of red and green pepper, garlic onion, sour cream, ground and sweet paprika, and plenty of mushrooms.  This was slow-cooked for 5 hours.  To be different and consistent with being deconstructed each of these ingredients was placed along the plate making a unique presentation. One of our members, who has Hungarian ancestry, commented that he immediately reconstructed it when it was placed in front of him! Another commented that the colours of the accompaniment matched the colours of the Hungarian flag.

Also on the plate was homemade spaetzle, with its traditional pinch of nutmeg. A Thermomix recipe replicated 12 times!  Finally squeezed through a colander, immersed in boiling water, then ice water and finally browned off to provide both substance and crunch.

The dish was deliberately toned down from a heat perspective to ensure that it did not overpower the wines.  Some members expressed a personal preference for more paprika and on reflection, the wines were big enough to have coped.

The salad was again Hungarian in origin being cucumber, onion oil and vinegar left to marinate for 48 hours in the fridge.

Our Cheesemaster, James Healey, presented Maffra Cloth-Ashed Cow’s Milk Cheddar which was in great condition. Nigel accompanied this with a salad that was again Hungarian in origin comprising cucumber, onion oil and vinegar left to marinate for 48 hours in the fridge.

We were treated today with a  sensational lineup of Penfolds RWT Shiraz and St Henri  Shiraz, from various vintages ranging from 2001 to 2009.    The aperitif wines were a Black Label  Penfolds Chardonnay and a  Teppanata Chardonnay, both from the Adelaide Hills Region, and both from the 2017  Vintage.  The wines were poles apart.  Penfolds has made great strides in recent years with the development of high-quality Whites such as the Bin A  series of Chardonnay which is a terrific wine, however sadly, the wine served today was a long way removed from that class. Over oaked with a blousy finish, the wine was not attractive at all.  I have not previously seen a Penfolds white in a black bottle.  I have now been warned and will avoid it. 

The second Chardonnay was the Tapanappa from Brian Croser immediately brought back memories of his yellow label Petaluma Chardy from the 70’s and 80’s. Taut, structured and tight, a very different wine from the Penfolds.  Plenty of flavour, but restrained. Excellent.

Moving now onto the main course and cheese wines, we were thrilled to have three RWT’s, two St Henri and one Bin 389.  Penfolds in my view seem to have adopted the attitude of “give me a lot of money and I will deliver a great wine “. Sadly they omit to say when that wine will be “Great“.  In the case of the RWT serious greatness acquaints with the 12th of never in my view.  My first tasting of RWT years ago revealed a wine that needed to be tasted again in 20 years.   Massive fruit, sweet oak and tooth-pulling tannins were the order of the day.  In my opinion, nothing much had changed with the wines served today, especially the 09.  

The RWT (Red Winemaking Trial) got underway in the 1990s with the first vintage being released in 1997.  The concept was to have 100% top quality Barossa Shiraz from various vineyards, 20 to 100 years old, picked at optimum ripeness then matured in new French oak for  12 to 15 months.  The result is the RWT series which we were fortunate to enjoy today, an 09, an 05 and an 01.

For the sake of comparison in this ultra high-class Penfolds range, we were also able to enjoy two St Henri from 09 and 01 and finally a Bin 389 from 05.  Talk about being indulged!

I do not intend to analyse all of these wines separately but will give my overall assessment.  My preference was for the St Henri, both vintages. Elegant, and well-balanced fruit/oak combination.  Restrained tannin influence.

St Henri has a small percentage of Cabernet, which I think distinguishes it from the RWT. Matured in large old oak, it does not have the overpowering influence of the small new oak used to mature the RWT. My pick was the 01, a beautiful wine.  The quality of St Henri has waxed and waned over recent years, however, this wine was a beauty. After the two St  Henri, the 05 Bin 389 was my next favourite. Everyone loves 389, Australia’s most cellared wine, after Grange.

My pick of the RWT’s was the 01, a rich intense wine with still huge concentrated fruit and sweet oak.  A delight, if you like this style!

Overall a wonderful array of Penfolds near finest. We were privileged. Incidentally, none of these wines showed any sign of ageing, all good for another 10+ years.  My only hope is that I live long enough to see the 09 RWT blossom into something resembling a mature, smooth and balanced wine that is flavoursome with minimal tannin.

Wines Served: 2017 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Chardonnay, 2009 Penfolds RWT, 2009 Penfolds St Henri, 2005 Penfolds St Henri, 2005 Penfolds Bin 389, 2001 Penfolds RWT, 2001 Penfolds St Henri

23 August 2022 CoTD Hal Epstein

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

Hal Epstein was in the kitchen today answering a call to arms from our Food Master as he needed a ‘volunteer’ as chef of the day.

Canapés

I like it when Hal cooks he usually issues us a challenge to identify a secret ingredient or product. Today it was the salami unusual in that it was a duck salami with juniper berries served on seeded bread.

Next up was rollmops (pickled herring with onion) served on spoons with radish and watercress.

To round the canapés off we had some pork crackling, a commercial pack from Station meats. Tasty and moreish.

Good comments on the canapés.

Main

Hal set the scene with his description of lunch.  

“Spring will be with us shortly.

Imagine being in a Swiss Alps Café overlooking the flowering meadows below.

You might choose this traditional dish which would be on most menus,

the always enjoyable Cordon Bleu schnitzel and to wash it down with a glass of fresh young white or red.”

It was a true Aussie bleu cordon schnitzel and yes bleu it was.

Rose pink on the inside and made with two pieces of meat, the secret here is to have a low melt cheese to meld the schnitzel together. The filling was Emmental cheese and ham.

It worked although Hal thought the meat could have been thinned out a bit more. Some of the servings were a little cool and our ever-obliging chef offered to warm them up.

There were a lot of comments on the meal with a good history of schnitzel provided by our expert on hand Josef Condrau who opened comments today.

This was accompanied by a perfectly executed red cabbage with apple/butter/cider vinegar per Stephanie Alexander and potatoes.

Many asked about how the potatoes were cooked. Something we have not seen before, these were chat potatoes simmered to tender in highly brined water and let dry - salted skin is the attraction. 

Well done, Hal.

Cheese

Our cheese master James Healey presented an Emmental cheese as requested by our chef. It was ‘Chabert Emmental De Savoie’

A hard cheese cow's milk from Savoie in France.

Made from partially skimmed Alpine cows’ milk these huge cheeses are possibly the largest in the world. Made with a natural, oiled rind and large walnut-sized holes interspersed through the body of the pale yellow paste. The whole cheese is matured for a minimum of 12 months and cheese is made during the summer months when the cows graze the rich pastures of the high alpage. The flavour is buttery with a distinct sweet fruity flavour and smooth chewy texture.

The bread was from Organic Bread Bar, baguettes, seeded stick and five seed loaf.

When Paul Irwin cooked earlier in the month many comments were made regarding the quality of the bread. It can be ordered at Bar Mammoni, in the Hinchcliffe House complex. They bake every day and they’re happy to take orders. Just ring the day before.

Wine

The report on today’s lunch wines will be quite brief as there was not much disagreement around the room on any of the six wines on display. Unusual. The opening white was the delicious Tyrrells Belford Semillon 2017. Hardly a critical comment was heard. Balanced, great flavour, lots of time ahead. At five years from vintage, fresh and crisp. Potentially a classic in the making. Review in five years. Perfect with the canapes.

The next wine on the list was served with the main course of veal. The wine was a German Riesling, a Kabinett from Dr Mayer.  Very nice wine indeed, good mix of fruit/acid, medium-bodied, nice wine with food. A bit more thickness on the palate than our Rieslings. Enjoyable. The next wine was from a close neighbour, a Pittnaeur from Austria. The label was of no assistance whatsoever in identifying the grape variety, other than being a red wine, so the experts in the room eventually came up with a suspect, Blaufränkisch a popular Austrian red, much favoured by the local Viennese. The wine was greeted with lukewarm enthusiasm by our group, drinkable, but forgettable. Perhaps a remnant of Paul Ferman’s efforts to expand our horizons.

Wine No 4 was indeed a “sweet little thing “, the literal English translation of the grape Dolcetto. Those at my table regarded it as being an excellent accompaniment to the veal. the producer Paulo Scavino produces some excellent reliable Italian wines and this wine was most enjoyable. Medium body, five years of age, nice fruit, a little thicker than the same grape we see here occasionally. A great wine to glug down with a pizza.

The cheese wines were the Lindemans 2010 Bin 1003 from the Hunter, and a Majella Coonawarra Cabernet hailing from 2004.  In reverse order, dealing with the Majella first, it nearly leapt out of the glass with huge Cabernet flavours and aroma. POW! No mistaking this was Cabernet. After the initial bravado and with ten minutes or so in the glass, the wine began to fall away into a stewed fruit cocktail of various flavours and a blousy flabby finish, no elegance here.

The final wine for review was the Lindemans. Generally regarded at my table as being an excellent Hunter Shiraz. Drinking at 10 yo, the wine had plenty of time left and was a vibrant deep red colour, with an excellent clean finish. Very drinkable. Would very much like to see the wine again in 5 years.

Wines Served: 2017 Tyrell’s Belford Single Vineyard Hunter Semillon, 2016 Dr Mayer Remstal Kabinett Trocken, 2014 Pittnaeur Pannobile Blend, 2010 Lindemans Bin 1003 Shiraz, 2004 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon

16 August 2022 CoTD Paul Irwin

Food review by Steve Liebeskind and wine review by Nick Reynolds

Paul Irwin produced a lunch worthy of a COTY nomination for 20 members. It was disappointing to have a small roll up but that allowed for a more personal lunch for those who attended.

The theme today was Middle Eastern utilising some recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi.

Canapes

There were two starters today.

Firstly, Paul went off-theme with tuna seared on a spoon. The tuna was lightly seared in long rectangular pieces rolled in sesame seeds, and sliced with a raw middle. Topped with shallots and a sauce with citrus (orange juice), soy and smoked capsicum oil. The canape looked great and the flavour is what you would like and expect to pair with the aged Riesling served today.

Second, on theme, we had cauliflower fritters. The cauliflower pieces were combined with cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, parsley, garlic, flour and egg. This mixture was divided into pieces and fried. The fritter was served with a dip of yoghurt with lime juice and zest, then garnished with chives and parsley. The fritter did lose some of its crispness but the flavour was terrific. The spices came through however what little heat (minimal) there was, was cut by the dip. The lemon juice and zest enhanced the flavour of the fritter and the texture and feature of cauliflower were on the front foot.

Main

Members were presented with an attractive plate of colour and quality produce.

Atlantic salmon was seared to crisp the skin and then baked in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes. The salmon sat on a bed of Israeli/pearly couscous which had been cooked and tossed in olive oil and chopped herbs. On top of the salmon was a good serving of capsicum and hazelnut salsa.  To finish the plate there were broccoli pieces blanched with slivered almonds, sliced garlic, sautéed serrano peppers with lemon juice and zest. A dash of salt lifted the citrus flavour.

The salmon came to the table in perfect condition. The skin was crispy, the meat was cooked through and remained pink whilst retaining moisture and flaked with a fork. The capsicum complemented the salmon and added a wonderful dimension to the protein. We haven’t seen Israeli couscous for a while and it worked so well. The pearls were soft and well seasoned and complemented the salmon and capsicum.

Not to be forgotten was the outstanding soughdough bread that had a wonderful flavour and char on the crust. While the bread was lighter than Iggy’s it certainly was right up there for enjoyment.

In summary, the members were very complimentary of the lunch and felt fortunate to have attended.

Cheese

Today we had a D’Affinois Bleu a cow's cheese that came in a 2 kg round. Jean-Claude Guilloteau created a method of ultra-filtration that occurs before the cheese-making process. The process utilises pasteurised milk being passed through a series of membranes to extract protein and water. The outcome is a wonderfully silky and creamy texture to the mouth. The blue is light and subtle and today's cheese was in perfect condition. To complement the cheese we had rocket with pear slices with a dressing of honey, vinegar and olive oil.

Wine

We started off with 2012 Pewsey Vale Riesling. Although it retained its classic Bickford’s lime cordial taste, the wine was starting to verge into a honeyed and aged expression of Riesling. Some thought it may be the petrol/kerosene notes thought to be generated as a by-product of sunburnt grapes common in Australia. However, this characteristic is also common in aged German Rieslings so it was probably varietal related. Whichever it was, the wine was well balanced, aromatic, and well received.

With ten members at each table, we had three wines with the main Salmon dish. The first was a 2017 Tapanappa Picadilly Valley Chardonnay made by Brian Croser. The wine is fermented with a proprietal yeast blend and was aged in one-third new oak with the remainder second and third fill. It sat on lees for around nine months before bottling. Stone fruit and marzipan dominated the palate and the wine was well balanced and mouth filling. Some commented that it was a big Chardonnay but there was no evidence of excessive malolactic fermentation, instead the wine had the cheesy note that comes from lees. The second main course wine was a 2014 Christian Clerget Bourgogne Rouge. This vintage in Burgundy started out with some pretty severe hail and finished with sufficient heat for an unusual breakout of vinegar flies (Drosophila Suzukii), which can cause fruit rot. The selection of fruit reduced this issue and today’s wine was supported on purchase by Ray Healey as a very good example of regional Burgundian wine. Today, eight years after its production, while the structure was still good the fruit had fallen away. Each of the two tables had a second bottle of Australian Pinot Noir, one made in 2012 and the other from 2015. A number of members preferred the more fruit expression of Australian Pinot Noir, others the structure of the French. Perhaps the ideal would have been somewhere in the middle? As usual, there was some disagreement as to which wine best matched the main course, with the Chardonnay probably winning out.

The cheese was served with two red wines. The first was a 2008 Hardy’s Clare Valley HRB D646 Shiraz, which is a blend of McLaren Vale and Clare Valley fruit. The former can be excessively alcoholic and fruity, while the latter is more a cool climate product with sophistication and fine structure. In this case, the blending worked extremely well with the final product being well balanced with good fine tannin structure, underlying sweet black fruit, as well as some chocolate notes. I look forward to seeing this wine again. The second was a 2017 Paolo Scavino Dolcetto d’Alba. In Piemonte, the order of planting sees the best vineyards devoted to Nebbiolo, the next best to Barbera, and the remaining to Dolcetto and other grapes. Dolcetto translates to “little sweet one,” which when combined with its status on the pecking order of grape plantings means that it is typically a simple fruity wine that doesn’t see any form of oak. That being said, Paolo Scavino is a higher-tier maker; moreover, today’s wine comes from 50 year old vines, which makes it unusual in a number of respects. The wine came to the table as a combination of the light sweet fruit with a backbone of tannin from the grape. Balanced and with a decent length, it was appreciated by many in the room but not as much appreciated by those with a personal preference for more Australian-style lighter wines.

Wines Served: 2012 Pewsey Vale Eden Vale Riesling, 2017 Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay, 2014 Christian Clerget Bourgogne Rouge, 2008 Hardy’s Clare Valley HRB D646 Shiraz, 2017 Paolo Scavino Dolcetto d’Alba