James Tinslay ably supported by David Madson attempted to convince the gods of weather that it really was winter with a dish so styled. It still reached 20C in Bridge St despite this.

Canape. We had two. Firstly, an olive tapenade with kale, anchovies an other bits topped with goat’s cheese and served on bread pieces. Then, beef meatballs with a spicy tomato based dipping sauce. Numbers at 31 were low but 120 meatballs and 90 of the tapenade dish went missing before the main.

Aperitif wine. The main aperitif wine was Bernard Fouquet Cuvee de Silex Vouvray. Surprisingly on the sweeter style which has a place but not with these canapes. A few individual bottles including a Tyrrells HVD Vat 4 Semillon 2003 were also served. Apparently for the lucky few who saw it, they thought it was fabulous.

Main course. A rich and spicy middle eastern themed lamb casserole made up the main. The lamb was shoulder lamb and had been slow cooked with masses of cumin, coriander, garlic and garam masala. Tomato was also dominant. The REX kitchen may have hints of a middle eastern market for a few days. Served on sweet potato mash with sugar snap peas it was a winter’s day dish but the gods of weather were not playing ball.

The wines.

$1·        Marina Coppi Catellania Colli Tortonesi Barbera (Piedmont) 2009

$1·        Calo Reserva Tempranillo 2007

$1·        Hardys HRB D646 Shiraz 2008 (McLaren and Clare)

$1·        De Bortoli Yarra Shiraz Viognier 2007

The Coppi Barbera, in retrospect, was the wine of the day. Its drying balance combined with some power on the middle palate made it a winner. The Calo was well known to many members and is a very good example of a true Spanish Tempranillo. Savoury and drinking very well.

The wines to match the cheese were of a big sweet Aussie style beloved by many. The Hardy’s needs more time but is a fine wine just too young. The De Bortoli divided opinions. Maybe the Viognier portion, small though it may be, added a sweetness that turned some off. Overall too sweet for many.

Cheese and coffee. James Hill again in his acting Cheesemaster role served a semi hard Venetian cheese, Perenzin Montasio, an unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese. The Montasio was almost crumbly at 15 months of age with a very thick dark rind. It stood up very well to the very big and rich reds of the final bracket.

Ferrier Spencer returned with the AA Kenya beans which he ensured were used correctly in the coffee’s preparation. The result was a medium bodied but rich and smooth. Enjoyable.