18 July 2017 - CoTD Gary Linnane

Lunch today saw Gary Linnane in the kitchen assisted by James Hill. It was good to see good numbers at lunch after a very successful chef of the year dinner the previous Saturday evening.

Canapés. In no particular order, we started off with rabbit terrine (sourced from Victor Churchill) on Iggy’s bread. The rabbit terrine was nothing short of fantastic with its flavour and the high fat content, making tasty but not potentially healthy to enjoy. Then came rollmops on pumpernickel. Not tasted by myself but I understand they were much enjoyed with the rollmops source from Cutler and Co in Melbourne. An excellent start.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wine was a Ronco Sot Lis Rivis Pinot Grigio from the Sot Lis Rivis region of Italy. It is an aromatic wine of relatively high alcohol, aged in used oak barrels. It’s full nature also makes it suitable for food but it must be said that some spoke against the wine. However, many liked it.

Main course. The tomato-based osso buco was excellent. Served on the bone it was beautifully succulent and was served on mash with gremolata and Dutch carrots. Many enjoyed the richness of the bone marrow, which was keenly removed. Once again Gary went to Elizabeth David for this recipe and he noted that the high-quality veal that she would have used is almost impossible to acquire today. The main was much enjoyed.

The wines.

• Poggio al Tesora Mediterra 2010 (cork, 14%)
• Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre 2011 (cork, 13.5%)
• Tintilla Sangiovese 2014 (screwcap, 14.0%)
• Scorpo Chardonnay 2012 (screwcap, 13.5%)

A pair of Italian wines to start. The Tuscan wine from Bolgheri was an IGT being a blend of Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet. Rich at 7 years old but an excellent wine with good length and very evidently not Sangiovese based. The Allegrini wine was a typical Valpolicella but also an IGT. The fruit richness of the Corvina put the wine clearly in its home region. Surprisingly there was a degree of similarity between the two with the former having more new world richness and tannins.

A red and a white with the cheese. The Sangiovese was clearly a long way from home. It had some elegance, but at 2014 was too young and it was rich in the Australian style, none of the savoury characteristics that you would expect from a Tuscan wine. The Scorpo was a lovely wine. It had a very solid grip and had a richness that one would expect was borrowed from Burgundy. Many thought it was the better match with the cheese.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese presented by James Healey today was a Rouzaire de Meaux, a pasteurised cow’s milk fromage from you Ile de France. The packaging and presentation was stunning and you can see it in the photographs above. Interestingly the cheese is pasteurised for the Australian and US market, but it did not detract which had a beautiful sweet smell and was velvety on the palate. It would have been interesting to have tasted unpasteurised version.

The coffee from Spencer Ferrier was a commercial presentation but sourced from the White Horse Company in Sutherland just south of Sydney. The blend is El Troje and hails from Columbia. Spencer tried this coffee at the café and found it to be slightly weak but the dosing today meant that we had a stronger flavour that was enjoyed across our table.

The President, Keith Steele, in closing the lunch confirmed to those who had not been present on Saturday evening that the Chef of The Year was a joint award to Steve Liebeskind and Graham Fear and the Alexiou seafood chef of the year was, wait for it, Steve Liebeskind. He congratulated them both and closed the lunch.

11 July 2017 - CoTD Paul Gibson

It has been a good few months since the Society has seen a virgin Chef of the Day. Today the Paul Gibson stepped into the role with the guidance and assistance of Steve Liebeskind.

Canapés. We began the afternoon with two canapés, the first being smoked salmon on blinis topped with some finely chopped dill. This was followed by some beautifully rare roast beef on a dry biscuit with horseradish cream and topped with a leaf. The roast beef was not cooked by sous vide but rather conventionally cooked to the desired temperature for the degree of rareness required.

Aperitif wine. The accompanying wine was Salomon Undhof Kogl Riesling 2011. This Austrian wine had a clean, textured palate feel, was bone dry and with an essence of apples and pears. A beautiful aperitif wine.

Main course. In a move away from pork and beef. Paul served us pan fried barramundi. The skin was beautifully crisp was some crunchy bacon crumbs adding to the texture. The meal was based on a Paul Bocuse recipe and it came with a lemon sauce on kumara mash served with peas. It was a great success drawing much praise from members.

The wines.

• Tyrrells HVD Semillon 2005 (screwcap, 11.5%)
• Wairau River Reserve Pinot Noir 2010 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Clonakilla Hilltops Shiraz 2010 (screwcap, 14.0%)
• Rosemount Balmoral Syrah (cleanskin from cellar door) 2007 (screwcap)

The lighter two wines were served first to go with the seafood main. The 05 Semillon was of a richer style, drinking well but with a big future. Sulphur was detected on the nose by all commentators. No doubt a by-product of the screwcap, but the sulphur did blow off. The New Zealand Pinot was elegant, not overly sweet but lacked a little complexity.

The next two wines vied for the wine of the day. The Hilltops Shiraz was a bright wine and super clean. The fresh, clean and relatively robust palate had overtones of blackberry which could match a rich meal. The Rosemount wine was a much richer wine with a little stewed fruit element on the nose. Not inelegant and very typical of the style you would expect from a Balmoral of a lesser year.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey stuck to Australia this week serving a Pyengana clothbound cheddar. Pyengana from Tasmania is a favourite of members and it is often in short supply given its popularity throughout Australia. This example appeared to have a longer cellaring age and whilst not crumbly, was moving in that way. Beautiful rich, sweet aroma following through to the palate. Paul Gibson provided almonds and walnuts to accompany the cheese.

Spencer Ferrier was back to a non-commercial style this week with Cibao Altura from the Dominican Republic. The Republic apparently makes less than 1% of the world coffee crop and is described as a well presented, flavoursome, and a light coffee, Spencer explained that it does well in the plunger but lacks some supporting flavours for espresso.

The President, Keith Steele, complimented the standard of the meal when presenting the official Society apron to our latest Chef of the Day. Well done Paul.

4 July 2017 - CoTD Roger Straiton

The 4^th of July being American Independence Day, the theme was food eaten in America on this day with chef of the day Roger Straiton assisted by our very own American, Scott Witt.

Canapés. Yep we started off with little boys/wieners/saveloys/whatever with mustard. General consensus was that the colouring was probably carcinogenic and that there may have been some meat in there somewhere. A fine American tradition. Next up were some crabcakes which were very tasty and certainly full of crabmeat.

Aperitif wine. A cracking start to the lunch with William Fevre Chablis 2012. Dry and with a degree of minerality, it cut through any oiliness with the canapés.

Main course. Continuing on the Independence Day theme, Roger and Scott prepared chicken fried steak a new experience for most in the room. Substantial pieces of prime rib eye fillet were battered in a pepper and paprika mix and pan-fried. This was served with mashed potato, peas and a white gravy. Very flavoursome, even though some people kept unkindly referring to it as Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The wines.

• Heidi Schrock Blaufrankisch 2012 (cork, 13.5%)
• Chateau Belloy (Canon-Fronsac, predominately Merlot) 2010 (cork, 14.5%)
• Seghesio Zinfandel (Sonoma) 2011 (cork, 14.8%)
• Bowen Cabernet 2002 (cork, 13.5%)

This week we had all wines under cork and encouragingly there was no significant bottle variation. The Austrian Burgenland Blaufrankisch was as expected soft and aromatic with a pure fruit finish. The right bank Bordeaux was drinking very well with a typical European tannin structure. The 2^nd set of wine with the cheese were a substantial step up in terms of size. The Zen came from old vines and was lush, spicy but relatively elegant. It was not a particular favourite in the room. The Bowen at 15 years of age with a large wine from a substantial year. It was drinking very well and was deemed to be a very good Australian Cabernet

Cheese and coffee. To nobody’s surprise, our Cheesemaster, James Healey, joined in the spirit of 4^th of July and served us the Cabot clothbound cheddar from Vermont in the New England area of the US of A. We have enjoyed this cheese previously and once again it was a beautifully balanced cheese fruity and of a sweeter style with a degree of maturation evident.

We had a commercial coffee week with Spencer Ferrier providing Illy coffee, a brand he believes is the best available commercial coffee. We have enjoyed this before and Spencer advise beans from our normal supply and more commercial coffees.

A few hundred Americans flags were destroyed in the cooking and eating of this lunch.

Wine Lunch 27 July 2017 - CoTD James Tinslay

[Only two photographs this week as the Number 1 photo man, James Hill, was away and the backup was CoTD]

For this June wine lunch James Tinslay was on the pans assisted by David Madson.

Canapés. Two canapés were served. Firstly pork/beef meatballs roasted and provided with a spicy paprika/cumin/chilli dipping sauce. The second was Chinese style barbecued pork, water chestnut and spring onion on a crisp cracker.

Aperitif wine. The main aperitif wine today was the Elderton Riesling 2009. A fine Riesling at its peak, but will probably stay there for many years. We also enjoyed a couple of bottles of Richmond Grove Riesling 2006, as well as a Lustau Manzanilla sherry.

Main course. The main today was slow cooked pork neck stuffed with a spiced Italian porkmince, pistachio nuts and sage. The 13 kg of pork neck had been slow cooked for about 6 hours and hence was quite succulent. This was served on a kumara mash with a sauce made from the 24 pears and onions used in the slow roast. This is accompanied by crisp broccoli. As this writer was the chef of the day, I can only say it appeared well received.

The wines. Paul Ferman’s selections for the day were based on a theme of single grape varieties to show off the differences. Only the Pinot Noir was served masked.

• Orlando St Hugo 2004
• Argiano Brunello di Montalcino (Sangiovese) 2007
• Prunotto Barolo (Nebbiolo) 2008
• Yannick Amirault La Source (Cabernet Franc) 2010
• Freycinet Pinot Noir 2011
• By Farr Shiraz 2011

Taking the wines as to groups, the first was fascinating. The St Hugo was a big hit with its lovely rich but not extracted fruit. Member Phil Laffer who was present at the lunch was the winemaker responsible for this wine at the time. The next two were classic Italian styles at the very top of the tree but poles apart in just about every aspect. The Brunello was drinking beautifully with light tight tannins and may go on for many years. The Barolo was a forward modern style with the rusty meniscus that you would expect from Nebbiolo. A great trio.

For the next set, the Cabernet Franc seemed a little unsettled with a metallic taste. The Tasmanian Pinot Noir was of a lighter strawberry fruit style but well-made if a little simple. However, a good Australian lighter Pinot. The By Farr Shiraz divided the room. It was elegant and the perfume of the 5% Viognier showed through very strongly. It seemed a little bit prematurely aged and the Viognier may have been overplayed.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey had selected a Perenzin Formajo Ciock al Vino Rosso from Veneto. The young cheese is kept in fermenting grape must for 10 days which imparts a mildly spicy wine-like flavour to this semi-hard cheese. Some of the grape skins are retained on the rind creating a striking visual element on the plate. Much enjoyed and a first for most.

Spencer Ferrier in absentia provided us Papua New Guinea peaberry. It. It was of a sweeter style but full-bodied. Peaberry is the round single seed produced in the coffee fruit occurring in less than 5% of the harvest. Again, this coffee was made with a little extra dosing which was much liked.

We had some 45 people for this wine lunch and the chef of the day thanked his assistant David as well as the kitchen staff led by Pete for their attentive and robust assistance.

20 June 2017 - CoTD Gary Patterson

We had Gary (Patto) Patterson in the kitchen today assisted by Graham Gardiner. Gary is clearly a believer in providing super fresh food for the society and as such, turned up with many raw ingredients, with the bulk of the work to be done at Rex. It was a learning experience for Graham in second time assisting.

Canapés. We had two canapés both based on puff pastry. Both were made freshly just before being placed in the oven. The first was feta cheese, parmesan with spinach and the other was based on feta cheese triangles. Both of them much loved with only crumbs left. The pastry was beautifully cooked and finished with egg white to get the desired baked look.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wine was Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet 2013. Muscadet is a wine on the up and up throughout the wine world. It is made from Melon de Bourgogne and is fresh, dry but still fruity. Typically, it divides consumers and today was no different. I thought a beaut wine to cut through the oil of the pastry.

Main course. On the main being tabled the first thing that stood out with the variety of colour on the plate. Red “lolly” tomatoes, yellow squash, mushroom and yellow rice. The main event, roasted pork loin, was served on potato mash with a beautifully crisp and consistent pork crackling. The pork was correctly pink in the middle and besides comments about the squash being a little undercooked this was a very good main.

The wines. In the absence of our Winemaster James Tinslay presented the wines.

• Allegrini La Grola Veronese 2010 (cork, 13.5%)
• Blue Pyrenees Estate Cabernet 2009 (screwcap, 14%)
• Gibson The Dirtman Shiraz 2012 (cork, 14.5%)
• Tyrells Rufus Stone Heathcote Shiraz 2002 (cork, 14.9%)

I love contrasting wines styles and as we have become to expect this was another. The Allegrini being an IGT was of Valpolicella style wine except a blend of Corvina and Syrah. Rich but dry and the appellation showed through. The Blue Pyrenees wine had fruity up front Cabernet evident and drying tannins but was a little one-dimensional in terms of fading length and just upfront fruit.

Of the second group Gibson Shiraz was clearly the winner in my opinion. Despite being Barossa it was elegant and at 5 years of age had a wonderful intensity of fruit without being over sweet. The Heathcote wine on the other hand had stewed older style Australian fruit and was not that enjoyable. This view was shared by most throughout the room.

Cheese and coffee. The Taleggio cheese served by James Healey was a cracker. It came from Mauri in Lombardi and was of course pasteurised cow’s milk. Apparently, the ageing of these cheeses is a skill which leads to a mild and delicate melting, creamy cheese which is very aromatic. Some may say stinky.

Spencer Ferrier made good his threat from the week before by adding some Apko Gayo (just 10%) with the Colombian Guayata that was served the previous week. Like adding Viognier with Shiraz, the Apko Gayo influenced the base coffee remarkably. As Spencer was absent a show of hands was asked for those who had been there both weeks and certainly Spencer’s effort to blend the beans was a success.

Gary finished the lunch by thanking Graham for his perseverance with the “let’s prepare everything from scratch” approach and not forgetting Pete the REX chef who saved Gary’s bacon by noticing many kilograms of potatoes languishing in the corner all but forgotten just prior to service.

An enjoyable lunch.

13 June 2017 - CoTD Paul Thorne

Today saw Paul Thorne return to the kitchen, threatening us in his website description about the onslaught of cholesterol and the need for ambulances after the lunch. He was assisted by Gary Linnane on canapés.

Canapés. We were provided with two seafood based canapés, the first being fresh anchovy on toast with goats curd to which a little wasabi had been added. The next was sashimi grade salmon with goats curd. Both canapés were spoken about fondly particularly the quality of both the anchovy and the salmon.

Aperitif wine. To begin the wines, we were treated with a Richmond Grove Reserve Watervale Riesling 2006. Under screwcap it was remarkably fresh for a 10 year plus wine with some bottles still displaying a little bit of spritz. Some disliked that characteristic but the wine was in remarkable condition and has more time in front of it. The acid/aromatic fruit balance was delicious and one could only describe the fruit as polished with a long finish.

Main course. Paul served a great looking dish with the Cotechino sausage topped with black pudding and served on a lentil base. Even the photograph below in low resolution makes a dish look desirable. No doubt between the sausage and the black pudding, we consumed our fair share of fat, but whilst eating it there was no hint of the dangers. The lentil base was a meal in itself with carrots, celery and a ham hock stock. Apparently, this meal is a traditional New Year’s Eve dish in Italy. An excellent main.

The wines. Roger Straiton was asked to present the wines in the absence of the Winemaster. A range of styles were presented attracting a range of comments. The wines were:

• Argiano Rosso di Montalcino 2009 (cork, 14%)
• Balnaves Shiraz 2008 (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Ocean Eight Vevre Chardonnay (cork, 12.5%)
• Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 (cork, 14%)

For the main course the pairing of a Sangiovese from Montalcino with a Coonawarra Shiraz of about the same age was interesting. The Montalcino was an elegant wine as it should be as the little brother of Brunello di Montalcino certainly lighter than the Shiraz but both pairing well with the main. Both were spoken well of with the Italian wine probably just pipping the popularity stakes.

Once again, we had a white wine with the cheese to accompany the Wynns Black Label. The Chardonnay was elegant but certainly of the buttery Australian style, a very good wine. The Cabernet which is very well known amongst members was typical of the style, rich and not yet drying with all of the velvety rich blackcurrant fruit that we expect of this line. The best wine with the cheese? Well, it was much of a 50-50 bet but it’s nice to see the continuation of experimenting with white wine with cheese.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey was back to lunches this week and presented the Gorgonzola Piccante from producer Mauri which has more age than the standard version and was piquant, firm and touching on crumbly. There were some attempts to pick the cheese but without success.

Coffee this week by Spencer Ferrier was from the region of Boyaca in Columbia – Farm Guayata, an Arabica bean. Spencer praised the good balance but thought it could be improved by mixing in an Indonesian coffee of the style Apko Gayo that would provide a slightly heavier body.

Paul Thorne spoke to the relative ease of non-stress cooking with preparation and some experience with the help of Pete the chef and his kitchen staff. This was aimed at encouraging more participation by members as chef of the day or assisting chef of the day.

A very good lunch.

6 June 2016 - Peter Kelso

The presidential aura continued in the kitchen with VP Peter Kelso after Keith Steele the previous week. Peter was assisted by Martin McMurray. Our Winemaster of the day was Nigel Burton.

Canapés. The first canapé of the day was a taramasalata topped with smoked mullet roe on a pastry base. Next up was an olive tapenade topped with baby capers on a toasted bread base. Despite a modest crowd on the day the plates were emptied.

Aperitif wine. Nigel selected the Lindeman’s Bin 0555 Semillon 2005. This apparently came to our cellar directly from the vineyard in both labelled and cleanskin bottles. It became clear that the two wines were not identical and the Winemaster at the time of purchase, Greg Chugg, confirmed that the cleanskin was in fact the reserve version. Many members tried both wines side-by-side which was an interesting experience with the reserve getting the thumbs up for being the superior wine.

Main course. Not being a wine luncheon, Peter Kelso decided to rip into a bit of flavour and he did so with style. Pork neck was served on skewers (referred to as sticks on the day) which had been subject to a long marinade made up of five-spice, brown sugar, honey and apparently, the odd bottle of rum in keeping with the winter context. The result was a beautifully sweet and spicy characteristic. A lovely change to have very positive flavours, though not so good if you are the Winemaster. The meat was served on well prepared (loose) rice with bok choy on the side.

The wines. In a reversal from last week’s main wine service where all wines were under screwcap, today they were under cork and as Nigel pointed out none the worse for it. They were

• Hugel Riesling (Alsace) 2013 (cork, 12.5%)
• BVE Ebenezer Shiraz 2005 (cork, 14.5%)
• Penfolds Bin 389 2002 (cork, 14.5%)
• Burton McLaren Vale Shiraz 2002 (cork, 14%)

Given the flavour in the main course it was interesting to see the differences of opinion about whether the Riesling or the Shiraz best suited the main. The former with residual sugar of only 3.8% was effectively bone dry. Showing a beautiful floral nose it was typical Alsace and some felt the better match with the pork. Others, however, preferred the Barossa Shiraz at 12 years of age at it had the typical Aussie sweetness, though not extracted and in a medium bodied format.

The Bin 389 and the Burton were a contrast in styles. The 389 at just over 50% Cabernet would have contributed to that difference. The 389 still had significant tannins, excellent fruit and will continue to improve in the typical history of that label. The Burton was softer, drinking beautifully now with a long finish. Some bottles were a little low on fruit intensity on the nose but not on the palate. At its peak.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese presented by Gary Linnane today had every speaker guessing and incorrect. It turned out to be Maffra cloth-aged cheddar from Gippsland. It is typically age for up to 2 years in cloth to form a thin crust and in this case, no punters ventured to pick it as an Australian cheese. Much enjoyed.

Spencer Ferrier’s choice this week was the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe bean. A regular on our list Spencer dosed this coffee a little higher than normal and I think it was better for it. Floral and lemon overtones are the key flavours. To this highly ranked coffee.

Included above is a picture taken from the REX wall of Gary Patterson’s ancestor or Gary dressed up for fancy dress.

30 May 2017 - CoTD Keith Steele

Our President, Keith Steele, was in the kitchen this week for our May wine lunch and was assisted by Graham Gardner. Graham is learning the ropes and we hope to see him again in the kitchen soon. Our Winemaster of the day was Hilton Chapman.

Canapés. Once again, our providers of the day treated us to three canapés. Graham had made full butter puff pastry with mushrooms and chives to start us off. This was followed by a chiken liver pate on toasted rounds and mushroon and fennell tarts. All tasty.

Aperitif wine. Hilton selected a young Semillon from the 2014 vintage from Brokenwood. As expected of a wine from this esteemed maker it was clean with bright fruit, under screwcap. This wine will improve for some time and whilst a little simple just now it will be fascinating to watch its development.

Main course. Keith chose slow cooked beef cheeks as his protein of the day. The texture was wonderful and could be simply cut with a fork. He had spent a lot of time removing little pieces of fat, sinew and silverskin and that gave the meat a particularly soft texture. Cooked for 5 hours with a gallon or so of PX sherry, Bordeaux red and vegetables the sauce was a treat. The cheeks were served on a cauliflower mash with sugar snap peas done in such a way on some plates (see photograph below) that reminded some of the Opera House.

The wines. Hilton’s selections today were interesting in that they were all under screwcap and there were none from South Australia. They were

• Best’s Bin 1 Shiraz 2012 (screwcap)
• Best’s Bin 0 Shiraz 2010 (screwcap)
• De Bortoli Shiraz Viognier 2007 (screwcap)
• Seppelts St Peters Shiraz 2007 (screwcap)
• Cape Mentelle Shiraz 2007 (screwcap)
• Tyrrells Old Patch Shiraz 2007 (screwcap)

The Best’s wines were a contrast between younger fruit and the complexity of older vines and more effort. The Bin 1 whilst entry-level was spicy and is excellent value for money. The Bin 0 with a few more years age had more complexity and length whilst also showing the spicy overtones. Some commentators found that the Bin 0 was little overripe and stewed but that was not shared amongst all.

The following four wines were in order from Yarra Valley, Grampians, Margaret River and the Hunter Valley. Not surprisingly there was a definite change of style moving between the wines. The De Bortoli was showing its age and seemed forward and should be drunk now. The St Peters was still showing significant oak but it was well balanced by its stylish fruit as befits a Seppelts flagship wine. The Cape Mentelle attracted differing comments and whilst the wine was elegant with a particularly long finish it was starting to show some age and many agreed that it needed drinking over the next year or two. The Tyrrells Old Patch had typical sweeter Hunter Valley fruit which was beautifully round in the mouth. At 10 years of age it needs more time to show its best.

Hilton suggested that this may have been the first time that we have had an entire selection of wine under screwcap.

Cheese and coffee. Gary Linnane’s choice of cheese was Beaufort from Savoie, France. It is a firm, raw cow's milk cheese associated with the Gruyère family. One of the best cheeses of the year and is worth its not unsubstantial price.

Spencer Ferrier in absentia provided us Peru Gesha. It is one of the world’s most expensive coffees and is considered to produce a very aromatic and floral cup of coffee showing many fruit flavours although mild to light in style.

Keith thanked the some 48 people who attended this wine lunch with special thanks to Graham Gardner for his assistance.

23 May 2017 CoTD James Hill

The Society’s inveterate chef, James Hill, was back at it again this week assisted by Nick Reynolds and Gary Linnane on canape construction.                                                         

Canapés. Not to do things by halves, James served us three canapés. Firstly, a prawn bisque with chervil served in small cups. There was some spice present and the prawn flavours were quite intense. Next on the list was Bacalao (salt cod) on crusty bread with parsley. A beautifully salty dish. Finally steak tartare with quail’s egg served on an Asian style spoon. High-quality steak made this a very popular dish.                                                                 

Aperitif wine. Our Winemaster of the day left the beaten track by serving us a red and white as aperitif wines. They were the Soumah Yarra Chardonnay 2013 and Marina Coppi Barbera 2010 from Piedmont. The Chardonnay with a fine Australian version possibly lacking a little complexity but good none the less. The Barbera was from great vintage, had seen no wood and had a berry nose that followed through to the flavours in the mouth. A bigger wine but not heavy.

Main course. James’s choice for main course had quite a bit going on. The beautifully cooked duck breast came with a pomegranate molasses, quince and ginger glaze. On the side, duck liver stuffed mushroom and very pretty pink pickled radish finely sliced. Wonderful to the eye and the palate.

The wines. In the absence of the Winemaster our wine presenter of the day was Richard Gibson. His selections were:

• Seresin Leah Marlborough Pinot Noir 2010 (cork, 14.5%)
• Laurent Gauthier Grand Cras Morgon Beaujolais 2013 (cork, 13.4%)
• Chateau de Beaucastel Coudoulet Cotes du Rhone 2009 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• McWilliams Anne Semillon 2006 (screwcap, 13%)
• Lions de Suduiraut Sauternes 2009 (cork, 14%) – a personal contribution from Richard Gibson

The first two wines were in theory an interesting combination as many have been fooled by a Gamay versus Pinot Noir blind tasting. However, the Seresin, whilst having good fruit, was of a sweeter New Zealand style and would have been better with a little more stringency. The Morgon was more austere with finer fruit that was preferable with the duck. The range of flavours made the task a tricky one for Richard.

With the cheese, it has become more common of late to serve a white and a red wine that most are enjoying. The Rhône was elegant, balanced and had great savoury fruit. What’s not to like! The Anne Semillon has been somewhat of a regular recently and as before, this was a definite step up from the Elizabeth with brilliantly clear acid and some length but it lacked the complexity of the more aristocratic Lovedale.

The generous gift by Richard Gibson of the Sauternes was a wonderful way to finish the meal. A lighter Sauternes style with tropical fruit and that beautiful intense marmalade flavour just beginning to develop. Thank you, Richard.

Cheese and coffee. Grandorge Pont Leveque was the choice of our Cheesemaster of the day, Gary Linnane. This Normandy cheese is claimed to be the oldest Norman cheese still in production and is cow’s milk. It is creamy but still elastic and is a member favourite.

Spencer Ferrier in absentia provided a Peruvian coffee, Paraiso Perdido, which was dosed a little more than usual and it did it no harm. Sweet and caramel overtones.

James Hill completed his description of the meal with one word, challenging. Again, Pete in the kitchen was a great help as were Nick and Gary.

16 May 2017 - CoTD Rudi Dietz of Stuyvesant’s House

This week in the kitchen we had the well-known Crows Nest based chef Rudy Dietz, from Stuyvesant’s House as our guest chef of the day. Member Grant Montgomery invited Rudi to cook for us and it was very successful. Grant was assisting Rudi on the day.

In 2016 we had a small number of guests chefs and is something that members should be thinking about so that we can have this happen a number of times during the year.

Canapés. Rudi started us off with “chicken balls” otherwise known as Dutch bitter balls made with chicken and veal and deep-fried. Crisp on the outside and moist in the middle with a mustard dip. Excellent.

Aperitif wine. Vasse Felix Chardonnay 2009 started us for the day along with La Goya and Lustau sherries both bone dry. The Vasse under screwcap was slightly reductive (which blew off) but opened-up to a fine, more austere style wine with some years ahead. As some say, a fine line of acid.

Soup. The function notice indicated that Rudi was to provide us with a goulash but many of us thought we are ran out the winners with a pea and grilled bacon soup served in a brioche with the top removed and placed back on top when it was filled. A wonderfully rich creamy soup. It was difficult to not eat all of the brioche but the mind managed to send a message to the stomach, reminding it of the main course yet to come.

Main course. We were waiting for the Schweinshaxe or pork knuckle slow cooked with port, caraway seed, garlic and onion. Again, it was excellent in being tender, flavoursome, and had no shortage of what members like, meat. On the plate, it came with sauerkraut with cloves, bay leaves, wine onions and speck, and spaetzli, a German specialty. The dish received much praise.

The wines. In the absence of the Winemaster our wine presenter of the day was Steve Liebeskind. His selections were:

• Tellurian Rose (Heathcote) 2013 (screwcap, 13.5%) – with the soup
• Goaty Hill Pinot Noir 2010 (Tamar) (screwcap, 13.4%) – with the main
• Tyrrells 4 Acres Shiraz 2007 (screwcap, 13.5%) – with the main
• Guigal Hermitage 2005 (cork, 13%) - with cheese

It is always good to mix thing up a bit from our norm so the Rose with soup worked a treat. Bone dry being a blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Nero d’Avola.

The red wines were an interesting bunch noting that the highest alcohol of the group was 13.5%. A pleasant change.

The Pinot Noir was a sweeter aromatic style with plum and cherry overtones. It was a smart wine and provided real contrast to the Tyrrells 4 Acres arguably the top and most expensive wine from Bruce Tyrrell. The latter wine was very impressive with soft red berry characters and whilst 10 years of age will improve with more time. Sweet fruit in the Australian wine style but not sugar sweet. Well balanced.

The Guigal Hermitage was an excellent comparison to a high-quality Hunter Valley Shiraz. The weight of the wines were similar, but the Rhône still very tight, savoury and tannic. What you may expect of a good Hermitage. It was also still a little closed and a 12 hour decant would have opened up the wine. At its peak, but not going downhill any time soon.

Cheese and coffee. Our Cheesemaster of the day Gary Linnane served us a French  Emmental de Savoie from Fromagerie Chabert which had more holes than Swiss cheese. The cheese is made 70 kg wheels so our portion did not touch the edges so to speak. Made with a natural, oiled rind and large walnut sized holes interspersed through the body of the pale yellow paste, its flavour is buttery with a distinct sweet fruity profile and smooth chewy texture. Bread also by Gary was a giant loaf from Sonoma and a quince paste from Rudi.

Spencer Ferrier in absentia provided us with the Arabica sub-species of Bourbon from El Salvador. The coffee was full flavoured, with a medium mouth-feel, soft acidity and a short finish.

Thank you Rudi and Grant.