Gold medal lunch 21 October 2014

In

What has become an annual event, member and winemaker Bruce Tyrrell gave a record crowd of 65 a look at 5 reds and 5 whites from the Hunter, all gold medal winners at the last Hunter Wine Show. So we'll start by thanking Bruce very much for his generosity, and for the experience he gave us.

Actually, the generosity extended to a brace of 3 Tyrrell wines as aperitifs: 2012 Belford chardonnay, 2013 Brookdale semillon and 2013 HVD & The Hill pinot noir. All young and fresh in the lighter style, and well matched with some tasty entrees from Denis Redfern and Dennis Cooper in the kitchen: taramasalata topped with salmon roe on cucumber slices, pesto with a piece of sun-dried tomato on crackers and a chopped chicken and dried porcini mushroom mix in little tartlet cases.

The flight of 5 reds followed with a traditional main course of roast ribeye beef, Yorkshire pudding and a dark onion sauce with potato wedges roasted in duck fat and well done green beans to accompany. A few doneness difficulties with the individual puddings, but undoubtedly a meal fit for the wines, and a terrific feat from first time chef Denis Redfern to get 65 plates out in good condition and on time. The wines, all 2013, were: Briar Ridge Signature Release Stockhausen shiraz; Brokenwood Verona Vineyard shiraz; Tyrrells Vat 9 shiraz; First Creek shiraz; and De Iuliis LDR Vineyard shiraz touriga (the last with 15% touriga, a Portuguese grape which gave the wine a touch of sweetness). As you would expect, the quality was high and uniform, but popular preferences were for the Brokenwood and the Vat 9, both full wines with upfront fruit but enough tannins to give them balance and a long life ahead.

In a bold move from the Wine Master, the 5 medal-winning whites were served with cheese, a young, firm but mild and sweet Wensleydale cows' milk from North Yorkshire, whose characteristics were ideal for the delicate grassy acid of the Hunter semillons, all from 2014. They were: Audrey Wilkinson The Ridge; Briar Ridge Single Vineyard Dairy Hill; First Creek Reserve; Thomas Braemore; and Tyrrells Vat 1. The year produced in the main softer more forward wines, the Vat 1 in particular more approachable in infancy than usual. But it was difficult to pick an order, with each wine having its supporters. A plate of mixed red and green grapes went well with both cheese and wines.

The coffee was Harrar from Ethiopia and showed typical full mouth flavour with lingering acidity, a fitting conclusion to a memorable lunch.

Bruce spoke briefly to the wines, all of which were available for order on the day except for the Brokenwood. Everyone, including Bruce, hopes that this showcase of the Society's closest wine area will be with us next year, and thereafter.

Lunch 14 October 2014

It was a warm welcome to the kitchen for Bill Alexiou-Hucker, nephew of the late Chris Alexiou who is well known to most members and the inspiration for the annual Chris Alexiou Trophy for Best Seafood dish. Bill, assisted by Neil Galbraith, produced a terrific Greek-influenced meal featuring seafood, starting with a series of wonderful canapes: freshly made taramasalata with a shaving of smoked mullet roe (botarga) on cucumber rounds; home- made tapenade on toasts with crumbled boiled egg; keftedes, or balls, made on rice, dill and fetta; and warm dolmades with a rich yoghurt, garlic and mint dipping sauce. All were pretty well matched with a 2005 Wine Society Tasmanian Riesling, broad but still fresh and nervy, and of course a Lustau manzanilla sherry.

Seafood came to the fore again with the main course, medium sized octopus cleaned and dressed before being slow braised in white wine with herbs and served on Greek pilaf rice, or pilafi, sprinkled with lemon juice and with burnt butter added at the end, together with nicely crunchy beans enlivened with a chorizo crumble. The octopus was soft and moist with subtle flavours allowed to come through by the simple braise: a worthy contender for the Chris Alexiou trophy.

With the food, the Wine Master managed to pull out a 2012 Thalassites white from Santorini, made on assyrtiko grapes and showing high acid but interesting floral/herbal notes which actually went better with the food than the 2000 Tyrrells Vat 1 semillon served with it, also still freshly acid, with typical semillon grass and lemon still developing but inclined to be overpowered.

We were spared a Greek cheese, enjoying instead an aged Gouda from Holland, well developed with good texture and rich nutty sweet flavours on the palate . A green leaf salad with rocket and toasted walnut pieces in a mild vinaigrette was a good accompaniment, as were a couple of reds, the first a 2012 Gaia wine from Nemea in Greece, made from Agiorgitiko grapes and showing cabernet-like berry characters, although still too young and a bit hard (though it improved in the glass). No such problems with a 2002 Chapel Hill cabernet from McLaren Vale and Coonawarra: a rich forward nose with plenty of Oz fruit character and a good balance of tannins.

The feast concluded with a medium roast Honduran coffee, quite fruity in the mouth with refreshing acidity which gave it length.

Mixed lunch 7 October 2014

It was welcome to Garry Linnane as first time chef of the day at the mixed lunch on 7 October following the Labour Day long weekend. He kicked off with some quality canapes, chief among them tasty Ortiz white anchovies over devilled eggs on toast rounds, together with a duck rillettes, and a rabbit terrine, both with fruit relish and on the same rounds, which were good if a bit chewy. The usual panoply of aperitifs accompanied these, especially a 2009 Bloodwood chardonnay from Orange with nice developed fruit balanced by gentle acidity. Also seen were the Brut des Flandres Belgian beer and a Manzanilla sherry, bone dry and salty, from Lustau. A novel touch was a presentation by Spencer Ferrier of cold-drip coffee, free of caffeine we were told but not of soft but clear coffee flavour.

For his main course, Garry went to Northern Italy, with a hearty peasant dish of pan-fried cotechino sausage on a bed of well-cooked lentils and a cold pesto of parsley and rocket. There were some real down-to-earth flavours in each of the components, although the refreshing bitterness of the pesto would have been improved by serving it warmed. Our obliging wine master helped the authenticity by providing a couple of thematic wines: a 2010 LaZona Barbera from King Valley in Victoria, and a 2010 Ceretto Nebbiolo d'Alba from Piedmont. Opinion favoured the Aussie number, with good strong fruit and a modest 13% alcohol; but the Italian showed the typical dry herbal character of the area, with some sour cherry notes starting to emerge and its best ahead of it: 14% alcohol was in balance.

We stayed in Italy for the archetypal cheese, a terrific aged (18-24 month) Parmigiano-Reggiano from Cavero in Parma. We all know what a good parmesan should taste like, and this delivered the goods. Some almonds and dried fruit were a simple but effective accompaniment. As for wines, Coonawarra was the venue, with a 2008 Bowen cabernet and a Zema cabernet from 1998. The age of the latter showed in a more developed elegant palate with fine tannins; but the Bowen, a whopping 15% alcohol, was a wonderful Oz blockbuster, with big ripe fruit and warm tannins perfectly integrated to support a palate which handled the alcohol superbly.

The coffee round was misnamed, comprising a succession of hot chocolate, rich but sweet and painstakingly made by Spencer from Lindt buds; tea from Assam, austere but smooth and refreshing; and, finally, a Colombian coffee showing typically smooth, US-approved, palate and a quite short finish. A taste of 2008 Ch Filhot from Sauternes, still young and with refreshing acid under the sweet fruit, was overwhelmed by the company; not so a great Courvoisier cognac from birthday boy James Healey, beautifully golden and with never-ending spirit length.

It was another successful demonstration to our guests of the Society's strength in both wine and food.

Wine tasting 30 September 2014

This was Paul Irwin's first time in the kitchen, and the pity is that it wasn't sooner, with some great food to match a lineup of local and foreign pinots. We were kept in suspense by the wine master until the death knell, but the wines on display were finally unveiled as:

2010 Tapanappa from the Fleurieu Peninsula in SA

2010 Port Phillip from the Mornington Peninsula in Vic

2009 Craggy Range from Bannockburn in the North Island of NZ

2009 Remoissenet Gevrey-Chambertin Villages

2006 Holyman from the Tamar Valley in Tas

2005 Lupe-Cholet Beaune 1er cru Les Brassades

Not a bad wine among them (if you disregard the corked Lupe-Cholet on some tables). The preference was for the younger French, with the NZ and the 1er cru also popular, although the latter, even the good glasses, was starting to fade a little. The Mornington showed future promise, while the Tas had good fruit and the SA was a little forward and simple. But clear evidence that the New World is catching up to the Old with this contrary grape.

We started with a few aperitifs, chiefly the 2001 Richmond Grove Riesling with good developed toast characters but still fresh. Also a 2006 Gartelman Benjamin semillon from the Hunter, sweet and soft, and a few bottles of a Brut de Flandres sparkler, as well as the reliable Lustau amontillado.

The canapes produced by Paul's partner Rachel worked well, a minced salmon, mayo and dill paste on bread rounds and cute tasty little cakes of crab with chopped prawns and polenta deep fried. But these were just a foretaste of the terrific main, rare and tender rounds of mystery meat under a great jus with simple carrots and small corn ears, sliced vertically and crunchy, to accompany. It was, as one would expect with pinot, duck breast, but not as we know it. Skinned breasts were "glued" together with a protein coagulant then rolled into wrapped rounds before being cooked sous vide, sliced and served with a jus made from the rest of the bird, enlivened with pierces of crisp fried and salted skin from the breasts. The presentation on the plate was excellent, but the flavour was there as well, and as for the match with the wine..........

Cheese was a Fourme D'Ambert, a blue mould Cows' milk cheese from the Rhone Alpes Auvergne district of France. Lovely to look at, but this edition lacked the texture and blue mould richness usually evident in this cheese, whilst still being pleasant eating. A good green salad featuring baby spinach and rocket with a mild vinaigrette was a nicely tart accompaniment.

Coffee took us back to Ethiopia, with a Yurgachef medium roast bean which produced a strong, rich brew with evident citrus acidity giving it a lingering finish. Ideally drunk with a fine port, such as the Para and a Chambers 2003 vintage (depending on table) turned on by birthday boy Frank Liebeskind.

Lunch 23 September 2014

Members and guests assembled for Graham Fear's 3rd rendition of his fish pie, and were not disappointed. Assisted again by friend Keith Tanaka, and by Steve Liebeskind, it just keeps getting better.

But first, let's talk about the canapes, setting a new high standard. There were finely just done scallops with a piece of morcilla, or black pudding, with chopped iceberg lettuce under, served on spoons; lovely white anchovies with red and yellow capsicum strips and mayo with a hint of chili on crostini; and crisp and crunchy spring rolls, loaded with barramundi, hollandaise and chopped shallot before being deep fried. All were good, different and very moreish. The aperitif wine, 1998 Tyrrells Stevens semillon under cork, showed inevitable bottle variation, but most was fresh, with toasty notes starting to develop. There was also a Lustau Amontillado, predictably rich and nutty.

In a labour of love, Graham had cooked individual pies in ramekins, with a pastry lid. Underneath, monkfish pieces and prawns swam in a rich cream sauce thickened with arrowroot and specked with parsley and blanched shallots. Smooth, fishy and satisfying, there was a bit of glug in the underside of the pastry, but who was complaining. There were also some nicely diced potatoes fried in duck fat served on the side, for those who had not OD'd on the canapes and the pie.

The accompanying wines were, controversially, both red shiraz at Graham's request. Both from 2007, there was a Cliff Edge from Langi Ghiran in Victoria and a Wynns Coonawarra. Both good wines, the Cliff Edge got the vote as the better match with the food, showing softer cool climate tannins with quality fruit.

The cheese continued the quality: a non-pasteurised Comte cows' milk number from the Jura in France, produced in large wheels and showing rich long caramel-like sweetness with nuts in as well. A good green salad with sliced pears had the tangy note of some wasabi mayo to lift it; while Clonakilla Hilltops shiraz and The Yard Frankland River shiraz, both 2010, showed young and still developing qualities, the Clonakilla drinking better at this stage.

And to finish, there was coffee made with medium roast Ethiopian Harrar beans, from the source of modern coffee, with a dry, vinous character which lingered on the back palate.

Lunch 16 September 2014

A few weeks ago, it was father and son in the kitchen: this week, it was brothers, as Steve and Frank Liebeskind joined forces to produce a great lunch.

First off was Frank on canapes, with a well- made terrine made on pork touched up with Chinese sausage and topped by Frank's own pineapple chutney on brown rice crackers. Even better were some nicely done slices of pork neck under a spicy Asian dressing with green bits of coriander and shallots on a terrific freshly made pork bun piece with softness that caressed the mouth. Steve challenged with an Asian-inspired soup in a cup, made on carrot, pumpkin and onion with coconut milk, stock and just a hint of chili. Across all this was a 2006 Delatite Riesling from upland Victoria, still young under stelvin caps with a bright floral nose and a long soft palate which matched the food well.

Then it was the duck: truly lovely breasts from Game Farm, well handled, tender and moist on the plate. Seared with a crust of cinnamon and star anise, they came to the table drenched in a reduction sauce heavy on orange and zest and a little (totally inoffensive) hit of chili, sweet to balance a slightly acidic side of chopped red cabbage, a luscious field mushroom baked and some steamed bok choy for greens. Great colour combination on the plate, not to mention the flavours. To go with it, a 1999 Lindemans sparkling shiraz which, despite Ray Kidd's entreaty that it should have been served as an aperitif, actually matched the exotic sweetness of the dish, especially once the carbonation dropped; and a 2009 Guigal Cotes du Rhone, good in its own terms but a bit hard and thin for the intensity of the food.

It was back to the West with the cheese, a young but still delicious Pont- L'Eveque washed rind from Normandy, with so far soft rind but a lingering nutty and stinky character which deepens with age. A mixed green salad featuring pomegranate seeds and baked chili walnuts was sweetly dressed with a white balsamic mix, all very interesting with a choice of SA shiraz's from 2002: Burton McLaren Vale and Saltrams Pepperjack Barossa. Nigel Burton was on hand to receive the accolades, the eponymous wine being rich, smooth and a delight to drink next to a slightly tannic and hard, though stylish, Barossa past its best.

A rich cup of medium roast Brazilian coffee topped off a top lunch, with woody chocolate characters on the palate and a bracing but rather short finish

Lunch 9 September 2014

Memories were racked and opinions divided, but the consensus was that Gareth Evans and Ted Davis had turned on the first tapas lunch at the Society in living memory.

We entered the ring with a superb bacalao (salted cod) fried ball with aeoli dressing; crunchy on top, melted salt fish mash with potato inside. Equally authentic, a baked baby mushroom stuffed with tomato spice and chopped chorizo. Both well matched by a 2011 Red Robin Clare riesling with quality fruit and plenty of floral nose, ending with good acid but a bit lacking on the finish; one for current drinking.

And so to the main event of a series of tapas dishes, featuring:

Casseroled rabbit in a white wine and grape sauce, a bit dry but great flavour and who can criticise the depletion of this species which this dish helped along;

A crunchy peasant toasted bread dish featuring a terrific black pudding of soft texture and rich but mild flavour;

More beans in a tomato ( fresh) sauce with sautéed tripe, soft and elastic but with surprising flavour;

White beans in a cream sauce with chunks of full but mild pork and garlic sausage and braised fennel to add more flavour; and

Pan fried okra, soft but chewy with loads of soft gummy flavour.

It was a no bull meal (ouch!) but a total win for the toreadors. The food was matched with a 2007 Rioja (tempranillo) from Valdespino, nice nose and dry tannins with fruit to balance the spread of flavours; and a Valdespino Deliciosa manzanilla sherry from (where else?), a brilliant example of the style with a nose that went on forever with iodine sea characters and a fine dry palate which went well with the rabbit and the white beans.

A pasa doble with the cheese, an aged manchego sheep's milk cheese with typical slightly oily texture but a great nutty flavour and a clean cutting finish; well matched by a simple green salad of iceberg lettuce and a tart but not intrusive vinaigrette. We went OTT with the wines from the Barossa: a huge, sweet ripe and unsubtle 2004 Elderton Ashmead shiraz (14.5%) and a big but more balanced and elegant Saltram Mamre Brook shiraz, also Barossa and also 2004.

To finish, we enjoyed a repeat of last week's coffee; a medium roast bean from Panama, full in the mouth but long and pleasantly citrus on the finish. Top coffee, sadly out of stock for the time being.

Lunch 2 Sptember 2014

For the first lunch of spring, Bruce Thomas and son Ben gave us a spring pie. Aptly named, as we will see.

Before the main event, some predictably good canapes were provided: a chicken liver pate seared with eschalots and plenty of butter, served on crisp toasts; and Bruce's signature cured salmon, matured in cling wrap to reduce the amount of salt required with beetroot, giving a bright red and earthy quality to the product, on sour cream on the same toasts. The chief aperitif wine was a 1998 Tyrrells Stevens semillon, bottled under cork and showing inevitable bottle variation, but in the main still fresh and the best showing sweet toasty notes. There was also Lustau sherry, two in fact: a fino and an amontillado – both great examples of their styles.

The spring pie, the pastry made on Bruce's adaptation of a Maggie Beer recipe with butter and sour cream to "lengthen" the result, was terrific, the pastry done (under trying conditions) sufficiently well; but the filling, based on the proverbial spring lamb, redeemed all. It was organic saltbush lamb from Mildura, slow cooked with aromatic vegetables and herbs, and wonderfully sweet yet meaty. With some slightly al dente green beans, the first of the local green asparagus and a simple mash with shallots, it was positively energising. And it was quite well matched by a couple of Coonawarra cabernets: 2009 Wynns black label and 2008 Bowen Estate. Opinion was divided, both on taste on the day and longevity, so your scribe can only give his preference – the Wynns, still a bit hard but more complex than the Bowen on the day.

With the cheese, provided by Deputy Master James Healey, opinions were not so divided; it was the Holy Goat La Luna semi-aged chevre from Victoria, one of Australia's best and most individual cheeses, with distinctive "bubble" rind and a smooth yet tangy and refreshing palate. It was well served by Bruce's own quince paste, and by the accompanying reds: a young 2010 Salomon shiraz from the Fleurieu Peninsula in SA and a 2000 Stephen John shiraz from the Clare. The younger wine showed promise with elegance in tannins to go with big fruit; but the Clare won the vote, an excellent mature balance of acid and tannins, soft and earthy.

The coffee was a triumph, a Tanzanian medium roast from Spencer Ferrier which, as Ray Healey pointed out, showed a silky balance of acid and tannins which went beautifully with the Stephen John Wine. It also showed elegance on the finish with dried herb characters replacing the more common surfeit of bitter chocolate.

A great start to spring!

Wine tasting 26 August 2014

A light 32 members were on hand for the monthly tasting; perhaps due to the President's Dinner the following evening. But those who attended were treated to an interesting presentation of wines, 5 Oz and 1 French, from the great year of 2002, with some pretty good and complementary food from Peter Black and new boy Denis Redfern.

The wines were served blind, with members asked to give their favourite(s) without too much analysis. Ray Healey provided the template, talking about the moods in which each of the wines would best be enjoyed. Opinions were mixed, with many favouring the last 3 wines, but No.3 also attracting support and none were rejected. Unveiled, they were: Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra shiraz; Majella Coonawarra cabernet; St Hugo Coonawarra cabernet; Rosemount Mountain Blue, shiraz/cabernet blend from Mudgee; Hardys Eileen Hardy Barossa shiraz; and Ch Dufort-Vivens, a 2nd growth predominantly cabernet wine from Margaux.

Preceding the tasting, we saw an attractive 2009 Bloodwood chardonnay from Orange, accompanied by a chicken, pork and chicken liver terrine with pistachios, terrific in visual appeal as well as flavour, and a superior duck liver pate with plenty of orange flavour to balance. The main course was osso bucco, good meat from Vic's cooked sous vide in parcels with aromatic vegetables, tomatoes and herbs, with the liquid refined and served as a jus over a bed of pureed cauliflower, accompanied by al dente broccoli. Rich but not intrusive flavours and lots of lovely marrow for those careless of their cholesterol

This insouciance continued into the cheese course with a triple cream Delice de Bourgogne, soft and mousse-like in texture but wonderfully rich and full-flavoured on the palate. An accompanying green salad of mizuna lettuce with vinaigrette dressing was a suitably tart contrast.

The coffee, unidentified, was rich in the mouth with a similar aftertaste, although finishing a little short

Luncheon August 19th

TThe cool and rainy weather didn't deter our members in attending lunch with Leigh Hall in the kitchen, Paul Ferman was on wines, Ross MacDonald on cheese and  Spencer Ferrier in charge of coffee.Canapes were toasted pesto, cashew and chevre  as well salmon,philly cheese with capers on an olive baguette. Accompanying them was the Richmond Grove Watervale Riesling 2001 drinking very well and fresh no bad bottles under stelvin . The Lustau sherry was also on offer this time a very dry example.

The main course was thickly sliced roast pork tenderloin stuffed with prunes,walnuts, onion, garlic and bacon which came to the table moist and tender under a very good veal stock . Also on the plate  green beans and a dried fruit side stuffing. The pork was served on a kumara potato mash with some caraway seed to further enhance the flavour.Great colour and robust flavours,COTY contender was the call from the appreciative audience. Served with it were a Lindemans Sparkling Shiraz 1999 the sparkling wine had a mixed reaction from members some suggesting it was not a good food match others saying a perfect match. It had a velvet spritz with mushroom palate. The second was a  Bress Shiraz from Heathcote Vic 2009  young with sweet fruit which will see improvement.

The cheese this week a  Bleu des Basques from Midi Pyreness a blue mould sheeps milk a good aged example nutty and salty.Simply served with dried figs, muscatels red raisons  and cashews. The accompanying wines a Macquariedale Reserve Shiraz 2006 Hunter Valley and 3 Drops Cabernets from Mt Barker 2005.The shiraz was solid, dark a little underdeveloped with a long end palate and the cabernet had a herbaceous nose, a good style of wine. The shiraz was the preferred wine match with the cheese.

The coffee was Monsooned Malabar from India the blend is heavy bodied pungent with a chocolatey aroma and not so acidic. The harvested and processed beans are exposed to the monsoon winds for a period of 3/4 months causing the beans to swell and lose the original acidity resulting in sweet and syrupy brew.