8 November 2022 CoTD Scott Witt

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

It was a welcome return to the kitchen for our chef of the day Scott Witt who prepared a French-inspired lunch.

Canapes 

First up was baccala mantecato with fennel oil.

This is a riff on classic Venetian Cicchetti (bar snack), it makes a perfect salty and creamy starter albeit quite acidic.

Cannellini beans, marinated white anchovies, garlic cloves, lemon juice, EVOO, and greek yoghurt are blended then piped into shortcrust pastry cups then topped with fennel seed oil and fennel fronds.

This was followed up with some ’nduja’ (Sicilian spreadable salami) on pumpernickel topped with pickled cucumber and onion and then adding some sweetness fig and balsamic chutney. The salami had a fiery kick which was softened by the other toppings.

Nick Reynolds prepared his very popular 30 layers Patatas Brava.

Potatoes are first sliced thinly with a mandoline then stacked in baking trays. They are then baked while pressed with weights, then vacuum sealed under pressure. For service, they are cut into bite-sized squares and finally deep-fried. The flavours of the dish are savoury, and a little bit smokey and hot from the paprika in the sauce and garlic from the aioli.

My favoured canapé on the day.

Main course

Scott’s main was a duck stew, basically a 'cassoulet-light' featuring duck breast and haricot tarbais beans imported from France. The skin of the tarbais bean is known for its fineness.

Scott added garlic carrots and peas to his dish. The beans dissolved and were integrated into the meal, this didn’t alter the overall taste of the dish. The vegetables were cooked to the right level of doneness. Rich, unctuous and full flavoured.

Scott used duck breasts for the meal perfectly cooked, tender and pink.

A gremolata of parsley and lemon finished with Panko bread crumbs topped the dish.

Some comments suggested a little more seasoning added to the dish.

There were many favourable comments on the dish and the large portion size with one dissenter ..as Paul pointed out robust discussion on food wine is actively encouraged.

Chilly raised the white flag on our table unable to finish.

Bread today was white sourdough from Humble Bakery a new shop at 16 Loftus st Circular Quay.

Cheese

James Healey our Cheesemaster presented a cloth-bound cheddar asking the room to guess the origin ..… no one picked it it was from Wisconsin USA. It was semi-hard cow’s milk cheese ‘Pleasant Ridge Reserve’ from the Uplands Cheese Company.

Pleasant Ridge Reserve is made in the tradition of alpine cheeses by Uplands Cheese, a family-run dairy and cheese-making facility located on ‘Pleasant Ridge’ in southwestern Wisconsin.

The cheese is only made between May and October, while the cows are grazing on fresh pastures. The grass-fed milk produces flavour complexity in cheese that can’t be replicated when cows are eating machine-harvested feed.

The flavours of Pleasant Ridge Reserve are reminiscent of another alpine classic – Beaufort, with hints of caramel and salt, together with complex layers of grass and flora.

Wine

The white wine served with the pass-arounds was from Austria, featuring the name Braitenpuechttorff Gemischter Satz.  I have never seen such a creature before.  More letters than the alphabet. Just hope I am not called upon to pronounce the name. I think it was a blend of several grape varieties, but the label was totally unhelpful in establishing its component parts, vintage 2017. Having said that, the wine was in fact quite enjoyable, a well-balanced combination of fruit and acid leading to a mouth-filling but dry finish. It went very well with the food on offer.

The first red wine was a Craiglee Shiraz 2014  from the Sunbury district of Victoria.  The vineyard was originally planted in the 1860s but eventually fell into disuse until the mid-1970s when it was revitalised by the current owner Patrick Carmody. The vineyard has since produced some excellent Shiraz and is highly regarded by many. I cannot recall having a Craiglee wine at any of our lunches.  In any event, this wine was very enjoyable, if not outstanding. At 13.5%, some nice spicy oak was noticeable. A deep purple hue, with sufficient acid to carry it through for a few more years of good drinking.

The second red was a Shaw + Smith Shiraz from the Adelaide Hills, 2014 vintage at 14%. Quite distinguishable from the previous wine. Much lighter in structure and with a tad more delicate flavour. I must confess that I was a little underwhelmed with this wine, perhaps expecting something better. That’s the burden you carry I guess when a winemaker has a very solid reputation for quality wines, and every now and then up pops a wine that just falls a little short of expectations. I think the wine was fading a little, not helped by its light structure, and it had no lingering aftertaste, just disappearing off the palate. Sorry, was hoping for better.

The cheese wines, (an excellent Californian cheddar indeed) were the Lindemans Ben Ean vineyard Shiraz Bin 1400 from 2014, and the David Thomas Kiss Shiraz from the same year and district. Dealing with the Lindemans first, here was a wine that ticked all the boxes. Great year, one of the oldest and most respected vineyards in the Hunter and a sound winemaking team. Drinking now as an 8 yo and beginning to hit its straps. Elegant, great balance although at 14.5%. The fine tannins and soft fruits carried it through. Slight cherry/blackberry aromas and a dash of leather came together seamlessly to produce a terrific wine.

The final wine was the Thomas Kiss Shiraz 2014.  A celebrated winemaker, David Thomas has produced in recent years award-winning Semillons and Shiraz. This was a lovely Shiraz, 14.2% with an abundance of well-integrated fruit and tannin.  A delight to drink, notwithstanding some over-generous oak influence.

These last two wines were a perfect end to the lunch, with subtle lingering finishes.

25 October 2022 CoTD James HIll

Food review by James Hill

It was all hands on deck filling an urgent need for a CoTD for our monthly wine tasting. It was good to welcome our Cellarmaster Chilly Hargrave back to the fold after a long research and education tour of Italy and France.

Canapés

First up, ajvar served on spoons. Unfortunately, due to a kitchen mishap, our shortcrust pastry shells were burnt. They meant have added some texture to the canapé. One comment on the quality was that there is better quality served in jars…well spotted ...it was out of a jar!

Ajvar is a condiment made principally from capsicum and eggplants. The relish became a popular side dish throughout Yugoslavia after World War II and is popular in Southeast Europe.

Next up Gary Linnane provided some delicious caramelised red onion tarts topped with goat’s cheese. They were sweet with the goat’s cheese adding flavour and texture. They left a long lingering taste on the palate.

Nick Reynolds prepared some pintxos. Known for his innovation Nick didn’t let us down today. They used haloumi and chorizo that were baked in the oven and then served with pickled and pressed watermelon.

Looked good, and tasted even better with the sweetness of the watermelon enhanced by the spice of the chorizo.

Lastly, Peter Kelso served some herring sour cream on rye topped with a garnish of dill.

This was a sweeter style of herring and it had good texture with integrated favours and was very moreish.

Some in the room said this was the preferred canapé of the day

Main course

Our main course today was a celebration of spring.

A hearty meal of braised lamb shanks cooked in the kitchen for three hours. The braise consisted of red wine, stock, garlic, onion, carrot, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme and long red chillies.

Once the cooking was complete and the shanks ready, the braising liquid was strained and the liquid reduced to make an unctuous, rich, full-flavoured sauce. The shank was served on a mound of creamy mash.

It was accompanied by a spring salad of zucchini, peas green asparagus and dressed with mint, lemon juice and zest and EVOO.

The acidity of the salad was perfect to follow the richness of the lamb dish.

Comments suggested it may have been better-suited match to Cabernet tasting rather than Pinot.

Most agreed it was a good course for a wine tasting.

Our kitchen brigade was thanked for their assistance in getting the meal prepared.

Bread today was Iggys ‘super long’ white sourdough with Italian butter.

Cheese

Selected by our Cheesemaster James Healey we had Comte.

A semi-hard milk cheese from the Franche-Comte region of France.

Today we had a perfect example of this cheese served at the right temperature and quality.

Made from unpasteurised milk, its quality and flavour characteristics vary between producers, and most examples are sold simply on the basis of age. This is no guarantee of quality. Every batch is different and influenced by when the cheese was made, and where and how it was ripened. This cheese was matured in the damp underground cellars of Marcel Petite at Fort Saint Antoine high in the mountains that border France and Switzerland in the Franche-Comte. It wears the prestigious red ‘crown’ of quality on the basis of its rich concentrated nutty texture, elegant caramel sweetness, and lingering kaleidoscope of flavours rather than on how long it was aged.

Simply accompanied by some sliced pear and walnuts.

We do need to invest in some new cheese knives.

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