Lunch 10 February 2015

The excitement of the 1st week back must have proved too much for some members. For a disappointing attendance of only 30 was on hand to experience a taste of Portugal from chef Peter Kelso, capably assisted by Martin McMurray.

Seafood started things off, with baccalao, or reconstituted dried salted cod, made into a paste similar to the French brandade, and served on toasted bread squares topped with a few tiny balls of citrus from finger limes, a native Australian fruit. Also on hand were toast strips topped with a simple sweet pepper paste and a white anchovy, tangy and salty. Washing these down was a 2010 chardonnay from Pemberton in WA, which won unanimous applause for its intense tropical fruit flavours, balanced by fresh acid and a touch of spritz. The lucky few also saw a very dry manzanilla sherry from Lustau, perfect with the salt of the canapes.

For mains, the kitchen produced a healthy helping of chicken. Superior thigh fillets were quickly seared then baked in a bed of red onion, tomato, mustard and wine, naturally with a hit of port for sweetness and a splash of brandy for the hell of it. Plain pasta accompanied it, together with some halved and baked zucchini, in top condition at the moment. Accompanying were a brace of European reds, a 2010 La Giola Veronese from Italy, and a 2009 Dao Alvaro Castro from Portugal itself. Both with modest alcohol levels, the Italian showed as more Australian in style, soft with forward sweet fruit; whilst the Portuguese was a more savoury and complex wine with drying tannins which complemented the food rather better than the other.

We stayed on the Iberian Peninsula for the cheese, an Ossau Iraty semi-hard sheep's milk number from the Basque area of SW France with a history going back more than 4000 years. At least 90 day's old, it showed a supple oily texture with a nutty flavour reminiscent of olive oil, and was in terrific condition. A simple green salad on iceberg lettuce and torn nasturtium leaves was dressed with a dressing made on balsamic vinegar infused with figs and, to accord, some pieces of fresh fig, now nearing the end of its season. In the wine department, it was back home with a 2004 Bethany Barossa shiraz (13.5%), dark and fruity with good clean tannins and plenty of life left; and a Zema Coonawarra cabernet from the same year (14%), showing strong minty Coonawarra fruit and a long way to go, if lacking in the complexity of top wines from this region.

The lunch concluded with a BunCoffee organic blend, made in Byron Bay but from beans grown in South America. It was a dark roast with mouth-filling flavour of bitter chocolate, but a bit short on the finish.

1st lunch 3 February 2015

Like pent-up headwaters, the members flooded into the 1st lunch for 2015, around 50 of them. They may have come for the occasion, but they found a great meal and cheese, and some interesting wines from Paul Ferman.

In the kitchen, James Hill produced the goods, starting with canapes actually made by long-term member James Muir putting in a welcome reappearance. Little rounds of pecorino pastry enfolded a mix of chopped mussels and clams in a tangy green tomato sauce, topped with baby octopus and herbs; whilst a mousseline of flathead and anchovies was coated in seasoned flour and served in deep fried balls. They were washed down by a variety of aperitifs, notably a 2008 Stoney Rise riesling from Tasmania with good, slightly developed fruit, a creditable fino Innocente sherry and a brace of bottles including a fresh semillon cleanskin, probably from Lindemans.

A hot climate deserves a good curry, and we got one in the form of a Goan fish curry, made on ocean trout with the usual onions, garlic and ginger, plus a heap of spices and turmeric, in a coconut gravy. Rich and spicy but not too hot, it was served with lime slices, basmati rice cakes and wilted silverbeet with ginger and garam masala, and side dishes of onion and tomato sambal, cucumber yoghurt and an intense lime pickle. Plenty of flavour and colour on the plate and a great way to start the year. An eclectic pair of wines accompanied it: a 2011 Salomon gruner veltliner from Austria, and a 2011 Cos Pithos Rosso nero d'avola from Sicily. The former was pleasant but overwhelmed by the food; the latter light but dry and herby, a better match if not the best example of this little known but growing more popular variety.

The quality extended into the cheese, a Holy Goat La Luna chevre from Victoria: a supreme version of the style with a chalky sour but creamy paste ripening into rich sticky soft paste from the surface in. Some better wines to match: a 2007 Tyrrells Vat 9 shiraz, still young but with Hunter fruit and new wood starting to integrate; and a 2007 Barwang 842 Tumbarumba chardonnay, a fine example of cool climate wine of this variety with some developed notes. A salad of James' signature thinly sliced and pickled with red onion cucumber completed the picture.

Spencer Ferrier provided not only a Devon Estate medium roast coffee from SW India, but also an Indian Chai tea which blended well with the food if not the wine. And a fine old Lindemans vintage port was on hand to celebrate a couple of birthdays, not least Paul Ferman and treasurer Mike Staniland, age in each case withheld.

Welcome back, one and all.

Last lunch 9 December 2014

It was the last lunch for 2014, and members (and a few guests) came from far and wide: 62 in all. They were treated to some great food, a mixed bag of wines and festive camaraderie.

The event kicked off with good flavoursome canapes: a terrific terrine from James Hill made on pork and chicken with plenty of larding, served with a piece of cornichon on Iggy's sourdough; and some colourful roasted red and yellow capsicum served with an intense white anchovy on the same, from Graham Fear. All were washed down by a mix of aperitif wines: 2002 Rothbury Black Label Semillon with inevitable bottle variation; a 2012  Riesling from Clare, matched with, and out pointing, a 2008 Stoney Rise Riesling from Tamar in Tasmania; and a couple of our favourite Lustau sherries, the amontillado and the manzanilla.

An entrée appeared when we sat down: a nostalgic prawn cocktail, complete with shredded iceberg lettuce and a creamy tomato and Worcestershire sauce dressing. Somehow the Wine Master, Paul Ferman, had found time to prepare it, but not to find a more compatible wine than the main course reds to accompany it.

Then came the main course from Food Master Nick Reynolds: a traditional Xmas ham and turkey, but not as you know it. The ham had been hand- smoked in hickory by Nick, and was delightfully moist and smoky; while the turkey had been cooked, of course, sous vide with buttermilk, and came to the table soft and juicy. A degree of blandness was well overcome by a tasty cranberry chutney, and the plate was completed by some duck fat-fried potatoes and a helping of green beans. With it were a 2009 Les Courtilles Cotes du Rhone, acceptable but uninspiring, and a 1999 Lindemans Hunter River sparkling red, smooth and sweet of fruit but surprisingly fresh for its age.

Once again Cheese Master Ross MacDonald intrigued and delighted with his offering. Guesses at the cheese varied from local to NZ to Europe to England, but we were still too far south, the cheddar coming from the Isle of Mull in the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Strong and salty, with a nicely crumbly texture, it went extremely well with the Iggy's sourdough, and with some plain roasted almonds.

As to the wines, they were a contrast in local styles: a 2011 Shiraz by Farr showed spice from a touch of viognier and a lighter savoury berry character; whist a 2002 Chapel Hill cabernet from McLaren Vale and Coonawarra was in the bigger fruitier Oz style, but with complex characters indicating its age and the quality of the vintage.

The Coffee Master, Spencer Ferrier, chose to end the year with a look back at the classic Illy pre-ground blend: plenty of flavour with a definite hit of caramel beans, but a bit flat at the end. It went down well, however, with a nicely developed "vintage character" port from the home of that style, Portugal.

And so we bade farewell to the Society for 2014, with many fond memories, and the anticipation of 2015, to sustain us through the season of good will and excess.

Mixed lunch 2 December 2014

It was the last mixed lunch, and the penultimate lunch, of the year, and it was a triumph, with a gratifying 65 members and guests on hand to enjoy the meal from Roger Straiton and Ian Witter, with the feminine influence of Annie Straiton and Chris Witter much in evidence.

We started with some inventive canapes from the Witter team: white anchovies over a tangy capsicum sauce on crostinis, and a magic mix of tart egg tomatoes, a bit of basil leaf and rich buffalo burrata (mozzarella around a mix of the same with cream) on a toothpick. They were well matched by an opening round of Salinger, a superior local sparkler, with various other bottles including a very dry Warramate rose made on malbec grapes.

Then Team Straiton came to the fore, with deboned lamb legs crusted with Moroccan spices and roasted, then carved pink and served with a tabouleh of couscous and chopped tomatoes, parsley and mint, shaped into a mini-Xmas pudding and coated with a "sauce" of yoghurt with mint. There was extra colour, and flavour, on the plate with a scattering of ruby-red pomegranate seeds, plus green in the form of baby peas and once-peeled broad beans. The colour on the plate was wonderful (and festive), but not at the cost of great flavour especially in the meat, although there were unavoidable differences in texture and doneness. The accompanying wines were from Spain and Italy: a 2008 Trapis monastrell (mourvedre/mataro) and a 2011 Allegrini valpolicella. The former was dark and intense but a bit hard and extracted; the second softer with good balance of fruit and tannins and better with the food.

We stayed overseas with the cheese, a slightly crumbly and quite salty semi-hard cheese which most placed in France or England, but which turned out to be a Cabot's cheddar from Vermont USA. A pretty good example of cheddar, matched with simple dates and walnuts, and with a 2002 Saltrams Mamre Brook shiraz from Barossa, and a 2008 Chardonnay from Den Mar in the Hunter. They were both interesting, the shiraz showing ripe fruit underlying an alcohol of 15%, but developing a slight volatility with age; the white still young but with some Hunter toast characters, more regional than varietal, and a better match for the cheese.

The coffee, supplied as usual by Forsyths through Spencer Ferrier, was a medium roast bean from Colombia, full and flavoursome, as was a Pedro Ximenes rich sherry, green/ brown and lingeringly sweet.

Wine tasting 25 November 2014

For the last wine tasting for 2014, Wine master Paul Ferman took us north with a mix of French and Italian, red and white. But first, it was back home for aperitifs, starting with a 2006 Delatite riesling from Victoria, sound and fresh but uninspiring against a 2001 Richmond Grove riesling from Watervale. There were also a few mixed bottles, including a terrific Lindemans HR Semillon which most didn't see, and the usual Lustau sherry, this time a manzanilla. All in keeping with some great seafood canapes from James Hill: Sydney rock oysters minimally treated with lemon juice and pepper, and an intriguing tartare of cubed raw ocean trout, avocado, sushi rice and grapes with salmon roe, served on porcelain spoons.

The tasting comprised 3 whites, all from France, and 3 reds, 2 Italian and 1 French. In order of presentation, the whites were: a 2010 Dom Ferde 1er cru Chablis, quite forward and slightly sweet; a 2010 Sancerre (sauvignon blanc) showing varietal grassy notes but intense flavour and acid to hold it; and a 2008 dry iesling from Alsace, still piercingly acidic with fine underlying fruit and a lingering finish. They, and the 2nd two in particular, were a better match with the food (but not the cheese) than the red group, which were in order: 2011 Cos Pippas, a lightish and slightly brambly wine from Sicily; a 2010 cabernet franc from Anjou, big nose and palate lacking complexity; and a 2009 Antonori chianti classic, big, soft tannins and the best of the 3. To accompany, an Indonesian/ Malayan style coconut chicken: organic thighs marinated overnight in ginger, lemongrass, coconut cream and a masala paste, then baked and served with jasmine rice cooked with ginger, and a cool salad of smashed cucumber with red onion, a hit of garlic and pickled ginger. Despite the Asian origins, the dish was only delicately spiced and was a good match for the wines, especially the whites.

The cheese had everyone floundering, with a semi-soft smooth texture, a light ivory colour and a strong caramel nutty taste. It was in fact a Midnight Moon goats' milk number from Holland, matured for at least 6 months and surprisingly well paired with simple ripe nectarine halves and with the tasting wines, where the reds came good.

The coffee came to us from Indonesia, organically grown Arabica beans from a commune in the Aceh region of Sumatra. Sometimes superb in quality and presentation, this particular batch showed some but not all of that quality, with a strong, slightly caramel palate followed by a persistent finish.

Lunch 18 November 2014

Nigel Burton was in the kitchen, ably assisted by son Oliver and Hilton Chapman on canapes, but Brent Savage wasn't. Advertised as an "assistant", Mr Savage's assistance turned out to be more inspirational than actual, but the large crowd of around 50 members and guests got their money's worth anyway.

Hilton produced some well-received starters: quality smoked salmon wrapped around equally smoky baba ganoush and secured with toothpicks; intriguing caramellised anchovies on the same baba ganoush, on crackers; and crunchy marinated raw skate with vegetables in a spicy Korean sauce on porcelain spoons. All well matched with a Tyrrells late bottled HVD Semillon, vintaged in 1999 but only bottled a couple of years ago. It showed some developed fruit with some sweetness, but remarkably fresh and attractive for its age. An ever-reliable Lustau manzanilla sherry also went the rounds.

The main course featured some long and lovingly cooked beef cheeks, prepared and poached in a broth of many stocks and flavours, with star anise coming through on the plate. A wonderfully unctuous onion marmalade lifted it well, although an attempt at smoked mashed potatoes was less successful, being over-worked and a bit pasty. No problems, though, with finely sliced and slightly pickled zucchini which completed the plate. Coming across all this were a couple of big McLaren Vale shiraz, a 2009 Olivers Tarango and a 2001 Burton kindly provided by the maker. The former showed plenty of fruit and flavour on both nose and palate but a bit unsubtle compared to the Burton, which had more elegance and depth on the palate, albeit a slight volatility on the finish.

The standard continued with the cheese course, featuring a red and stinky-rinded Jensen's Red from Tarago River in Gippsland Victoria. This was a washed rind cheese of the old school, with the intense colour and flavour of the rind opening to a soft sticky and nutty paste. It was beaut with a simple green salad with very little dressing but sweet fresh orange segments to provide a touch of acid, and two quite different reds: a great 2008 Vasse Felix Margaret River cabernet showing typical mint , elegance and youthful development with years ahead of it; and a 2001 Tatachilla Partners cabernet shiraz from various regions of SA, solid and straightforward but starting to show its age.

The coffee was from El Salvador in Central America, quite light in the US style but a good mouthfeel and some subdued citrus characters on the back palate to give it length.

And to conclude proceedings, all participated in the now traditional tot of birthday rum from Wal Edwards, 98 years young this year.

Lunch 11 November 2014

On Remembrance Day, it was fitting that Peter Manners, with a massive supporting cast of Bob Swinney, Peter Squires and Neil Galbraith, should give us something nostalgic for both canapé and main courses, the latter in the form of canard a l'orange. All this plus a superior duck soup preceding it to allow for the last attenders at the funeral of member Richard Davis to make the lunch.

The canapes were an obviously duck liver-based pate, sumptuously moist and flavoursome, on crackers, little squares of interleaved cream cheese and cured ham slices and an earthy duxelles of mushrooms, enlivened with offcuts of the ham, in mini- pastry cases. The accompanying wine was a 2013 Ata Rangi pinot gris from Marlborough NZ which, although quite sweet in the NZ style, had good crisp acid and a moderate pear drop influence , making it refreshing and a good aperitif.

After the soup came the duck, good tender breasts cooked well (if a little past rose pink), cut in two and served under a great burnt orange sauce with duck fat baked potato, crunchy green beans, a slice of lightly baked red capsicum and, topping it all, a peeled half valencia orange served cold. Full marks for colour on the plate, though opinion was divided on the contribution of the orange acidity to the balance of the meal and the wine match. Speaking of which, we saw a 2010 Seresin Leah pinot noir, again from Marlborough NZ, and from out of left field a 2012 Musar Jeune, the second label of Ch Musar from the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. The NZ wine showed identifiable "ducks guts" characters on the nose, but on the palate was soft and simple. The Lebanese wine, made from cinsault, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon, was a more complex and satisfying drop with a good fruit/acid/tannin balance and a longish finish.

The cheese maintained the standard: a double cream Tarago Shadows of Blue from Gippsland Victoria which was soft in the brie style but with a light but full flavour from the Roquefort mould blue marbling. It still showed youthful lactic acidity, but will undoubtedly improve with age. With it were seedless green grapes and a selection of dried figs and apricots with cashews and, vinously, a 2009 blaufrankisch from Hahndorf Hill SA, soft and round with some dried herbs evident on the finish but not exciting; and a 1998 Piramimma Stocks Hill Shiraz from McLaren Vale, a good wine which has passed its best and showed volatile oxidative notes on the nose and palate.

With the coffee (unidentified), a tribute to late member Richard Davis with the traditional toast in green chartreuse concluded a lunch to remember

Melbourne Cup lunch 4 November 2014

Let it be recorded that around 50 once-a- year turf experts, members and guests, assembled at Rocket Restaurant at Chatswood to appraise, analyse, and dissect, but mainly to browse, sluice and enjoy themselves. An introductory fizz of St Auger champagne was served with some amuse bouche canapes, followed by a sit-down meal with an entrée of fresh rock oysters and charcuterie, a main course featuring a wonderfully done piece of rib-eye and a brie de Meaux cheese with fresh and dried fruits, finishing with coffee. It was BYO in keeping with tradition, and weird and wonderful bottles were seen. In between it all, sweeps were organised, hat competitions were conducted, the Thorne trumpet was heard and a race was run, won by a horse. The conviviality flowed with the wine, both continuing well after the race was run. A triumph for organiser Nigel Burton and for the good folks at Rocket, to all of whom thanks are extended.

Wine tasting 28 October 2014

It wasn't quite around the world in eighty days, but wines from three countries in one hour isn't bad. Our indefatigable Wine Master presented 3 Oz and 3 foreign wines, which turned out to be from France and Italy. For the palate-challenged, it was enough to look at them to tell the two groups apart, the European numbers 2, 4 and 5 being significantly paler in colour than the locals. And of course, the tastes told the same tale, with the Aussies big and fruity, the imports finer and more acidic. In order on the table, they were: 2006 Mountain Blue cabernet/shiraz from Mudgee; a 2009 Gigonda from the Rhone in France; 2006 Seppelts St Peters shiraz from Grampians in Victoria; a 2009 Chianti Classico from Italy; 2009 Ch Lanessan, a cru bourgeois form Bordeaux; and 2006 Orlando St Hugo cabernet from Coonawarra. The three locals won most plaudits, the 1st two in particular showing elegance with heft and all were close to each other in style than to any of the imports, despite differences in grape and area. The overseas wines will benefit from a bit more age, the Rhone and the Chianti proving the best of the bunch.

They were preceded by the usual mix of aperitifs, a 2011 Red Robin Riesling from Clare being no match for a 2005 Wilson Riesling from Polish Hill; whilst a brace of fino sherries in half bottles, including an Oz, were reliable. From the kitchen, Greg Sproule sent forth some tasty canapes, a soft tapenade sans anchovies on crispbread pieces and a zippy crab mayo and coriander mix on the same. He followed up with a good unobtrusive beef bourguignon made on chuck and topside steak with plenty of aromatic vegetables and herbs and a rich comforting sauce slightly thickened with flour. Fresh green asparagus and mashed potato were traditional, and welcome, accompaniments.

Cheese saw a St Agur, a blue mould cows' milk from the Auvergne in France. Served from a whole round, it was soft, luscious and showing a slightly bitter palate from the mould which cut the richness well. Crunchy almonds and fruit were a suitable match.

An unidentified Indian coffee was rich and not too bitter. It was lifted by a second helping of James Healey's birthday cognac from a few weeks earlier.

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.