There was a decidedly cosmopolitan note to the tasting last Tuesday, with the Wine Master providing 2 whites from Oz and France and 4 reds from Italy, USA, Australia and France in a wholly masked lineup in which only the countries of origin were disclosed. Before that exercise, we were regaled with an eclectic array of aperitif wines including a 2013 Seppelts Jaluka chardonnay, a Warramate merlot rose, and a Tyrrells Stevens Semillon, as well as the omnipresent, and always welcome, Lustau sherry, this time the Oloroso. From the kitchen, chef of the day Bill Alexiou-Hucker, with a backing team of Peter Squires and Peter Manners, brought forth an assortment of canapes: a marvellous arancini rice ball made on 3 types of mushroom, some hand-made wheat tortillas containing a mild and slightly chili-boosted salmon ceviche, and refreshing cocktail sticks comprising fetta cheese, olive, mint and watermelon, a seemingly odd combination which actually worked very well together.

Then it was on to the tasting, with most identifying the whites as a SA riesling and a Vouvray chenin blanc from the Loire, but opinions divided on the grapes and ages of the reds. The unveiling, mercifully announced before comments were invited, was:

1995 Leonay Eden Valley Riesling, well-aged and with definite kerosene notes, but terrific fruit and length and a joy for lovers of the style;

1995 Bredif Vouvray, unexpectedly sweet although not identified as demi-sec, showing a pure honey nose and soft fruit characters, but no match for the food;

2011 Cos Classico from Sicily, a yummy food wine with good drying tannins and elegant fruit (a blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato grapes) and probably the best received as a food match;

2011 Zinfandel from Sonoma in California, deceptively soft (many thought it a merlot) and juicy, with good length but lacking individuality;

2002 St Hugo Coonawarra cabernet, a great example of an aged Coonawarra with rich perfumed nose and sweet but balanced fruit and tannins – for many, the best wine on the table;

2002 Ch Leoville Barton, a 2nd growth Bordeaux from St Julien which pleased some but disappointed many – form a lesser year with fruit dropping out, a bit flat and showing brett dirty characters.

All these helped to wash down a great meal from Bill & Co: medium octopus, braised on its own to extract the juices and soften it, then stewed in a sauce of tomato, white wine, garlic and chopped parsley until tender and soft, and served with simple thin-sliced boiled potatoes. A definite Mediterranean dish with plenty of real flavour and good with most, but not all, the wines.

Then the cheese, a real challenge for the salt-sensitive. It was a Pecorino Romano, a hard sheep’s milk cheese from around Rome, this one obviously quite young and crumbly, no doubt with some good lactic characters underneath but overwhelmed by the salt content. A plain green salad with a non-intrusive dressing accompanied it, along with the tasting wines.

Equanimity was restored with the coffee, a medium roast bean grown in Panama using the rare Ethiopian Gesha variety. It came to the table as soft but rich in the mouth with subtle citrus notes to keep it on the back palate. All hail to the absent Spencer Ferrier for sourcing it.