The presidential aura continued in the kitchen with VP Peter Kelso after Keith Steele the previous week. Peter was assisted by Martin McMurray. Our Winemaster of the day was Nigel Burton.

Canapés. The first canapé of the day was a taramasalata topped with smoked mullet roe on a pastry base. Next up was an olive tapenade topped with baby capers on a toasted bread base. Despite a modest crowd on the day the plates were emptied.

Aperitif wine. Nigel selected the Lindeman’s Bin 0555 Semillon 2005. This apparently came to our cellar directly from the vineyard in both labelled and cleanskin bottles. It became clear that the two wines were not identical and the Winemaster at the time of purchase, Greg Chugg, confirmed that the cleanskin was in fact the reserve version. Many members tried both wines side-by-side which was an interesting experience with the reserve getting the thumbs up for being the superior wine.

Main course. Not being a wine luncheon, Peter Kelso decided to rip into a bit of flavour and he did so with style. Pork neck was served on skewers (referred to as sticks on the day) which had been subject to a long marinade made up of five-spice, brown sugar, honey and apparently, the odd bottle of rum in keeping with the winter context. The result was a beautifully sweet and spicy characteristic. A lovely change to have very positive flavours, though not so good if you are the Winemaster. The meat was served on well prepared (loose) rice with bok choy on the side.

The wines. In a reversal from last week’s main wine service where all wines were under screwcap, today they were under cork and as Nigel pointed out none the worse for it. They were

• Hugel Riesling (Alsace) 2013 (cork, 12.5%)
• BVE Ebenezer Shiraz 2005 (cork, 14.5%)
• Penfolds Bin 389 2002 (cork, 14.5%)
• Burton McLaren Vale Shiraz 2002 (cork, 14%)

Given the flavour in the main course it was interesting to see the differences of opinion about whether the Riesling or the Shiraz best suited the main. The former with residual sugar of only 3.8% was effectively bone dry. Showing a beautiful floral nose it was typical Alsace and some felt the better match with the pork. Others, however, preferred the Barossa Shiraz at 12 years of age at it had the typical Aussie sweetness, though not extracted and in a medium bodied format.

The Bin 389 and the Burton were a contrast in styles. The 389 at just over 50% Cabernet would have contributed to that difference. The 389 still had significant tannins, excellent fruit and will continue to improve in the typical history of that label. The Burton was softer, drinking beautifully now with a long finish. Some bottles were a little low on fruit intensity on the nose but not on the palate. At its peak.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese presented by Gary Linnane today had every speaker guessing and incorrect. It turned out to be Maffra cloth-aged cheddar from Gippsland. It is typically age for up to 2 years in cloth to form a thin crust and in this case, no punters ventured to pick it as an Australian cheese. Much enjoyed.

Spencer Ferrier’s choice this week was the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe bean. A regular on our list Spencer dosed this coffee a little higher than normal and I think it was better for it. Floral and lemon overtones are the key flavours. To this highly ranked coffee.

Included above is a picture taken from the REX wall of Gary Patterson’s ancestor or Gary dressed up for fancy dress.