Wine Master Paul Ferman selected the wines for the monthly tasting before he departed for foreign climes, so was not there to receive the accolades which flowed from a great collection of SA reds from 2004. In order of appearance, they were: Penfolds Bin 407 cabernet; Grant Burge Shadrach cabernet; Majella Coonawarra cabernet; Orlando St Hugo Coonawarra cabernet ; and 2 masked wines (same State and year) which were revealed as: Burton McLaren Vale shiraz; and Penfolds Bin 389 cabernet-shiraz. It was a terrific lineup, and not a dud among them, leading to a diversity of preferences, although the 389, a dark monster with years ahead of it, seemed to find unanimous favour. Otherwise, the bigger fruit wines, particularly the St Hugo and the Shadrach, were preferred to the more elegant 407, Majella and Burton, but all agreed the whole range was the best seen at a tasting for some time.

The quality of the wines was enhanced by some spicy, but not too much so, food from Paul Thorne, with Keith Steele on canapes. These took the form of a very good homemade terrine with a dab of quince paste on thin baguette toasts, and little cups of a tasty but still zingy tomato-based Moroccan soup. With them came a single aperitif, the 2003 Richmond Grove Watervale riesling, showing some maturity but still youthful zest, a slight spritz and plenty of fruit. The Moroccan theme continued into the main course of lamb shoulder, slow cooked in a broth of Mid-Eastern spices but no heat and served fall-apart but still moist with accompanying hand-around plates of quinoa with pine nuts, chopped dates and other goodies, and a warm salad of red capsicum and tomato with sliced red onion. There were strong flavours to match the strength of the wines, and the bigger ones went better with the food.

It was back home for the cheese, a very young, snow white and creamy Meredith chevre from Victoria, mild and lactic with a sourness that went well with fresh figs, dates and fresh walnuts in a sugar glaze in the Moroccan fashion; but not quite so well with the tasting wines, although it was better with the aperitif riesling for those who managed to save a bit.

The memorable meal concluded with a not-so-memorable coffee, a single estate from Panama obviously grown with the US market in mind, soft, pleasant and inoffensive.