Food review by James Hill and wine reviews by Richard Gibson and Chilly Hargrave

Chef of the Day this week was Matt Holmes assisted by Nick Reynolds. The room was full today with members coming along to celebrate the 103rd birthday of our popular member Wal Edwards.

Canapés

Japanese was the theme of today's lunch we started with south coast Sydney Rock Oysters served with a Japanese dressing of ginger, mirin, soy, sake and topped with some caviar roe and spring onion. Then Yakitori chicken thighs cooked by Nick on a Konro or Robata, they were perfectly cooked succulent and moist.

Both a great start to our lunch and the perfect match for our canapé wine Tyrrell’s Belford Semillon from 2017 and 2014. The 2017 was showing some sulphur a good example of young Hunter Semillon, the 14 was preferred on the day with good complexity, more fruit and filled out beautifully.

Main Course

With temperatures expected in the high 30s, the lunch today was perfect. It was salmon marinated in home-made miso with a sauce of soy, sesame, lime land ginger. It was accompanied by soba buckwheat noodles, seasonal mango and watercress. The salmon was cooked ‘a point’ and flavours perfectly integrated with peppery watercress, sweet mango, noodles and the fish.

Many members commented on the originality and quality of the dish. A guest of Bill Alexiou, Mark Jensen, who is the executive chef and owner of Red Lantern restaurant gave a glowing commentary on all food presented today. Definitely a Chef of the Year nominee.

Cheese

James Healey presented the cheese today, a ‘Perenzin Capra Ubriaco al Traminer’. Ubriaco translates to drunken, a common group name for cheeses cured in wine and fermented grape must. It is a cheese-making process inspired by the centuries-old custom of hiding cheese to conceal them from raiders in time of war or the masters' accounting ledger.

The Ubriaco al Traminer is a goat milk cheese of semihard consistency that is uniformly textured. It is steeped in Traminer grape great marc for 10 days imparting a floral wine-like flavour with grape residues clinging to its characteristically dark rind.

Coffee

Spencer Ferrier continued his coffee tour of the world with a PNG blue which was derived from the Jamaica blue mountain coffee. It had a lightness in flavour and a ‘dreamy taste’ to quote Spencer. He also brought along some lemongrass tea for Wal.

Wine review 1

Our canapé wine was the Tyrrell’s Belford Semillon 2017 served first followed by 2014. Given the numbers in the room, our Winemaster took the opportunity to present some bin-ends as well.

Main course

Domaine Sebastian Brunet Vouvray 2014: Brooding nose, complex, broad palate, good balance and a hint of residual sugar in the finish.

Fraser Gallop Chardonnay Margaret River 2014:  Balanced wine, typical nose, some oak, good length and acid. Somewhat lighter than the Vouvray could benefit from cellaring another five years.

Cheese

The Yard Shiraz Acacia Vineyard Franklin River W.A. 2014: Quite linear, high acid Shiraz with some length.

Vinden Estate Basket Press Shiraz Hunter Valley 2010:  Oaky start to finish which diminished the fruit, acid showing.

Wine review 2

Apéritif wines were an interesting comparison of two Tyrrell’s Belford Sémillons. The 2017 tasted first was still austere and closed with obvious sulphur dioxide. We won’t see that again for a few years. On the other hand, the 2014 was starting to open up and show a little bottle development. It will perhaps be at its best over the next couple of years.

With the main course, we matched a Chenin Blanc and a Chardonnay. The first was a 2014 Sébastien Brunet Vouvray Sec Arpent. Showing a lot of complexity from natural ferment and ageing on lees it had a depth and mouthfeel that worked well with the salmon. As a contrast, the 2014 Fraser Gallop Parterre Margaret River Chardonnay was still bright and in its youth. A little mono-dimensional, it might lack the structure to develop over time.

The cheese wines were both from the 2010 vintages but from opposite sides of the continent. The Cherubino ‘The Yard’ Shiraz was rich in texture and flavour with a slight hardness on the finish. The Vincent Estate Basket Press Shiraz showed ripe fruit characters that belied its low alcohol (13.5%). It showed softness with fleshy fruit but starting to tire.

At the end of the lunch celebrated Wal’s achievement in turning 103 and as 50 plus year member of our Society. Our toast was the traditional rum supplied by Wal, Bundaberg Inner Circle Cask Strength Rum with 75% alc.vol.

Wal thanked everyone for being there and reminded us of his philosophy on life ‘don’t whinge, live with what you’ve got and if you have a heart and have a mate you’ve made it.

Remember love, joy, peace, goodness, patience, kindness and self-control.