Food Notes by Nick Reynolds and wine notes by Richard Gibson

Steve Sparkes is one of our newest members, joining only after the initial CoVid-19 restrictions were eased.

He has helped three times in the kitchen already and today was his first outing as Chef of the Day.

Steve’s wife, Marina, is of Italian descent and Steve has a very strong interest in this type of cuisine. Today he demonstrated that he supports this interest with a very strong cooking ability.

Food

Steve prepared two Italian dishes for us today.

The first dish, which was served as an entrée, was Quail Tortellini in Brodo adapted from a Recipe by Lucio Galletto from Lucio’s in Paddington. Steve first cooked the quail in chicken broth and then shredded the meat. He then combined the meat with parmesan, English spinach, and a dusting of grated nutmeg. The Tortellini were hand-made with very thin pasta. The bones from the quail were returned to the chicken stock with the addition of more brown chicken stock. Steve created the base broth from this, which he then froze. This was then thawed in the refrigerator and strained through fine cloth to clarify to an almost consommé clarity. Today in serving, he added finely sliced brown mushrooms to the bowls, which were cooked by the addition of the hot broth, as well as four tortellini per serve, baby herb leaves, and some parmesan cheese. The Brodo was extremely flavoursome and so full of gelatine that it was lip-smacking while the tortellini was extremely flavoursome in their fine pasta parcels.

The second dish that Steve prepared for us was a variant on a recipe from the London-based Italian restaurant, River Café for Ossobuco alla Milanese. Steve specially ordered thick-cut Ossobuco for the dish, which were filling and substantial, particularly after the rich broth entrée. The Ossobuco was slow-cooked in the morning and combined with the normal tomato sauce enriched by onion, celery, tomato and parsley. The traditional accompaniment for Ossobuco Milanese is Risotto Milanese, which is saffron-infused. Being a purist, Steve wasn’t prepared to compromise the Risotto by cooking it at the venue. He therefore pre-cooked it and then let it cool in rounds. This is the Northern Italian method of using leftover risotto (the southerners tend to make Arancini). He fried the risotto cakes at the Royal Exchange and served them along with the Ossobuco, and a green bean and snap pea with hazelnuts vegetable dish from Yotam Ottolenghi. The dish was topped with the traditional parsley and garlic gremolata as well as enough sauce to moisten the meat.

Comments were extremely favourable about the food, with some saying that it was restaurant quality (or better). One particular comment was that it wasn’t overwhelmed by tomato as can sometimes be the case with Ossobuco. The flavours were extremely well balanced.

The Cheese of the Day, which was chosen by James Healey and presented by Mark Bradford, was a 6-month old cloth-bound Pyengana Cheddar, which was one of the cheeses that Steve suggested. His preference for this cheese was that it is Tasmanian, which is where he was brought up. The cheese presented very well today and was accompanied by a dressed mixed-leaf salad and a slice of a homemade date/fig/walnut/pistachio loaf that Steve made especially for today.

The coffee today was once again from Ona Marrickville. It was a seasonal blend from their Springtime Picnic range. The coffee combined flavours of sweet orange, caramelised citrus peel, floral honey with baked stone fruit that combined in a blend called Orange Marmalade.

The President presented Steve with his WFSNSW apron, which is given to people when they are Chef of the Day for the first time. With the quality of what was presented today, we hope we don’t have to wait too long before he cooks again.

Wine

The lunch theme was Northern Italian.

The Tortellini di Qaglia in Brodo was served with two Aussie chardonnays.

The family-owned 2018 Murdoch Hill Tilbury Chardonnay comes from a single vineyard in the Adelaide Hills (Piccadilly sub-region).  Michael Downer, the winemaker is one of the most exciting young winemakers in the Hills and uses a minimalist approach in his winemaking using whole bunch (handpicked) fermentation with wild yeast, partial malolactic fermentation followed by ageing in old French oak casks.

The nose displayed struck flint characters, lime and stone fruit and hints of minerality. 

On the palate a rich, peachy, acid-driven balance was found with the lees treatment adding to the complexity – overall it was an attractive, balanced, fleshy and lively wine which matched the tortellini very well.

The 2010 Montgomery Mulberry Block MR chardonnay comes from 20+-year-old vines in Albany WA and is barrel fermented and aged for 9 months in French oak. It displays a stone fruit and lemony nose, with reductive/struck match characters. On the palate, we saw a full-bodied, complex wine showing some flintiness and even a bit of spice with good length (and plenty of acidity).  The wine also complemented the tortellini and broth but the room was divided on which was the better wine. On balance it was probably the younger more acid-driven Murdoch Hill with the Montgomery perhaps beginning to show its age.

The main course was served with two Nebbiolos, one Australian and one Italian, Nebbiolo being a prominent varietal in both Piemonte and Lombardy.  Both were excellent matches with the beautifully cooked and flavoursome osso buco and risotto.

The 2014 Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo (under stelvin; 14% alc) is effectively an entry-level “declassified” Barolo, the fruit coming from younger Serralunga vines, the fruit from which will in time go into the Barolo commune wine. Smaller amounts of older vine fruit were also blended in to give the wine some more structure.  The wine was aged in large Slavonian oak barrels (like all Barolos) for 18 months (Barolos are aged for 24 months)  and undergoes circa 10 days maceration.

On the nose, the wine exhibited immediate fragrant floral characters and shows finesse. Upon opening up it revealed classic Langhe Nebbiolo aromas, displaying forest floor, wild berries and a spicy note. On the palate, we saw classic savoury, chalky minerality characters and Nebbiolo “tar”, balance and good length. Overall we experienced a delicious and refined wine from a good vintage which is drinking very well now and was perfectly paired with the osso buco and risotto.

The 2013 SC Pannell Adelaide Hills Nebbiolo (14% alc) has achieved a certain “cult” status as Pannell is one of the few new world producers that can turn Nebbiolo fruit into a wine that highlights the varietal characters of Nebbiolo and is sufficiently structured. The wine is made in the traditional Barolo style utilising open vat fermentation, extended maceration and pressing to achieve the required tannin profile. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation (in stainless steel) and is aged for circa 14 months in a mix of small old Hungarian oak barrels and large vats.

The nose displays perfumed cherry and blackcurrant characters (but perhaps lacks the roses and violets of Lange wines).  On the palate the wine was medium-bodied , showing an attractive balance of fruit, smooth tannins and acid albeit that the fruit is now fading a little resulting in the wine being a little ‘short’ – indicating the wine is perhaps past its best although still good drinking and well matched to the food.

The cheese course saw an elegant Cote de Rhone (14% alc) paired with a less forgiving  Barossa shiraz.

The Cote de Rhone is an entry-level wine from the famous Rhone producer Guigal but punches above its weight displaying all the characters seen in Guigal’s more highly feted wines.  The fruit was grown on 35-year-old vines and is a blend of Shiraz (49%), Grenache (48%) and Mouvedre (3%) made in the traditional style with temp controlled fermentation, long maceration experiencing an extended time on lees and is aged for 18 months in oak. 

The colour is dense ruby red/purple and the wine displayed red berries, spice and even lavender notes on the nose.  The palate was round and well balanced with smooth tannins and fruit (which is, however, beginning to fade somewhat).  On opening, a hint of oxidation was detected in one bottle but this blew off over time.  In summary, a very enjoyable elegant wine displaying finesse and balance which is perhaps drinking past its peak but was well matched to the Pyngana Cheddar.

The final wine was, appropriately, served last. Glaetzer has developed an enviable reputation for producing bold wines expressing the bigger style of Barossa Shiraz and the 2006 Bishop (14.4% alc) certainly delivered this in spades. 

The fruit comes from vines with average 60 years of age, and is fermented in open vats, experiences extended maceration and is aged for circa 15 months in new and old barrels (circa 70% French and 30% American).  The colour is dense and black (with some garnet on the edges). The nose displays forward black cherry and blackcurrant characters, cedar and spice - however, some “green”/capsicum notes were evident.

The palate was rich and opulent with explosive vanilla and blackberry flavours and very ripe big tannins.

This wine was not to everyone’s liking presenting as high alcohol, bold full-bodied plummy wine that is not yet in balance (and some members queried whether it would ever be in balance). It was more than a match to the Tasmanian cheddar.

Also served following lunch was a delicious aged NV Cuvee Brut Champagne from the house of Jacquart, which was generously donated by John Rourke and was probably the best match to the cheese.  The Cuvee is a blend of predominantly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from multiple vintages.  The Chardonnay gave the wine its freshness and delicate aromas whilst the Pinot added a nuanced level of structure all balanced nicely by a few years of cellar ageing.

Overall the wines were very enjoyable with smart pairings presented for each course which highlighted the differences between the wine styles.  Moreover, the wines displayed the benefits of the movement over recent years towards less interventionist winemaking techniques and adoption of organic principles.