The COTY award is given to the best main course, and sometimes this is a pity when the overall effect of the meal is especially good. This was the case last Tuesday, when Bill Alexiou-Hucker presented a Greek feast from go to whoa for the 3rd of the cook offs for the 2014 awards. We started with 3 canapes: some quality tapenade topping a slice of egg on a crouton; terrific homemade taramasalata on croutons, made even fishier with the addition of a sliver of dried mullet roe, or bottaga, on top; and a refreshing tzatziki (yoghurt with garlic, mint and lemon) on cucumber slices. All nicely balanced by a 2006 Wine Society Tasmanian riesling, mature and complex with fruit to complement the firm acid.

Bill repeated his braised octopus for the main course, with a rich tomato and red wine sauce which may have been a bit powerful for the accompanying whites but which was terrific in its own right. There was medium octopus as well as some babies in the mix, along with (slightly gluggy)risotto-style rice and some shoots of baby asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. To accompany it, a Greek white, the 2014 Thalassitis assyrtiko from Santorini, with forward nose redolent of dried herbs, cleansing acid and a good match with the food; and a local hero, the 2007 Tyrrells Vat 47 chardonnay, showing signs of maturity with buttery fruit balanced by clean acid. A better wine than the Greek, but maybe not as good a food match.

The feast continued, with a typical Greek salad made on pieces of red, yellow and green capsicum, spanish onion and (Greek, of course) fetta with olive oil. This was followed by a sweet dish of grilled haloumi cheese, made in Cyprus from sheep and goats' milk, topped by a lightly heated fresh fig sprinkled with honey. Accompanying this mixed bunch were a big, soft shiraz/merlot blend 2009 Dom Gerovassiliou from Elanomi in Greece, half a bottle of 2000 Stepping Stone Coonawarra cabernet, interesting but at the end of its life, and 1/2bottles of a Samos vin doux from that island, made on muscat grapes and softly sweet but lacking a bit of firmness. It went well with the fig and haloumi, and also with authentic Greek (aka Turkish) coffee, made thick and strong on the spot by the visiting barista from Aesop restaurant in the city with, of course, a piece of Turkish (aka Greek) Delight.

Well done, Bill, especially with around 52 members and guests there to support the Greek cause.