The final COTY cook-off lunch was presented by Nick Reynolds. Unfortunately, the CV panic has hit and booking number dropped where we only had 31 members and guests show up. I must say if you feel unwell or not comfortable attending then you should stay home until things settle down. Nick prepared the food and he was ably assisted by James Hill. The theme today was “Duck 3 Ways”.

Canapé

There were two canapés served today. The highlight canape was fresh cucumber peeled, cut and a centre piece scooped out to allow a terrifically prepared Gazpacho ball to be placed on the cucumber. What looked simple and colourful was full of flavour that exploded in your mouth when you bit into it. The Society has had Gazpacho soup in the past but when you add a little gelatine and place them in ice cube rounds, you have something special.

The other canapé was duck pate and cornichons served on toasted bread rounds. The flavour was very good however there was a slight processing malfunction in the kitchen and it came out runnier than one would like and the colour was more on the grey side. They were all enjoyed and eaten.

Main Course

The main came to the table wonderfully presented and having a good blend of colours and elements. The three duck components were confit duck Maryland (sous vide), a duck spring roll and a whole duck egg. The duck Maryland was well cooked, tender and it fell off the bone (not crispy). It was served on top of lentils cooked in red wine and chicken stock and the sauce was added to finish. We should not forget there were a couple of finely cubed vegetables added for colour and texture. The duck spring roll had great flavour from different elements used, however, it lost the crispness as the main came to the table 20 minutes behind schedule (let's blame the lentils ?). Finally, the 64-degree duck egg (sous vide) sat on a green folly of mixed leaves which was sprayed with balsamic vinegar for bitterness. The egg provided the fattiness to match the vinegar when the yolk was broken.

A great way to finish the COTY cook-off series.

Wine

Today’s luncheon wines were either curate’s eggs or roller coaster rides. Given the current state of the stock market, perhaps the latter should apply.

The whites served with the canapés were both Australian and proved again what a joy Australian white wines are. The 2015 Crawford River Riesling from Henty in Western Victoria was in excellent condition. It still showed pure lime, Riesling fruit with none of the toasty development that might be associated with a Riesling of 5 years age. A touch of sugar balanced the high acidity common to this region. The 2014 Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon likewise impressed with its purity and youth. Showing classic Hunter citrus characters with a hint of complexing aromas, its acidity matched the fullness of flavour.

The outstanding duck main course was paired with a white and a red. The white, a 2014 Chenin Blanc from Sebastien Brunet in Vouvray was closed under cork. As a starter, the corks were short and wet through. On pouring the wine was a deep golden colour, and the nose carried an impression of this development. Made in the ‘modern’ yet traditional style it first showed aromas of natural (wild yeast) fermentation, followed by some apricot, botrytis notes. The former was found unpleasant by most, many suggesting it was corked. This character often expresses itself as flinty matchstick, but in this case, it was over the top, moving towards bilgey.

The roller coaster continued with the second wine. Pinot Noir is a favourite wine to serve with duck, and today we had a 2015 Bernard Huber from Malterdinger in Baden, Germany. It’s rare to find a Pinot from Germany, but this area, at the foothills of the Black Forest mountains, in this warm southwestern region of Germany, has been growing this variety for over 700 years since the Cistercian monks brought it from Burgundy. It was well made with lively cherry fruit notes, although the tannins were a little green. Unfortunately, the use of oak could at best be described as over-enthusiastic with strong, pencil shavings aromas and flavours. There was no doubting the quality of the oak, just its intensity.

With one of our favourite cheeses (Beaufort), I managed to split the room. A 2013 David Reynaud Crozes Hermitage had a bright red colour with the recognisable spice and white pepper typical of cool-climate Syrah. The palate was quite rich for 13.0% alcohol with hard tannins (not unusual) and slightly ripe, jammy fruit flavours. In this warm year, it lacked the elegance one might expect from the Northern Rhône.

A counterpoint to the French wine was a memorable Barossa Shiraz. Sixteen years has yielded many changes to the 2004 Torbreck “Strewth” Sturie. Over time the ripe fruit and new oak aromas have evolved towards those of a rancio tawny port. These sweet fruit characters were again present on the palate with tannins still quite tough. An example of the traditional Barossa style, it was enjoyed by many of the members. It may well prove an early vaccine against the little C.