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.