Food review by Mark Bradford and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

A special Oktoberfest lunch today, inspired by Hal Epstein, the departure from the usual routine being applauded by the gents on the day.  Lederhosen was not obligatory, and none were worn. The ever-reliable former present James Hill was in the Küche performing his magic.

Canapés

We commenced with freshly baked pretzels and rye bread from the “German Bakery” Laugenring in the MetCentre at Wynyard Station, a good way to wash down our German beer.

Hal provided canapes aplenty, covering a variety of German-style sausages both grilled and boiled, available locally.  In Hal’s words, “Curry Wurst seems to be a developed German vogue favoured in Berlin: bratwurst with a piquant sauce, basically tomato sauce with a bit of chilli added.  Today, currywurst is often sold as a take-out or take-away food, Schnellimbisse (snack stands), at diners or ‘greasy spoons’, on children's menus in restaurants, or as a street food and usually served with chips or bread rolls (Brötchen).  It is popular all over Germany but especially in the metropolitan areas of Berlin, Hamburg and the Ruhr Area. Considerable variation, both in the type of sausage used and the ingredients of the sauce, occurs between these areas”.

Next was Liverwurst pâté and sauerkraut on “Fritz” biscuits. Wurst…Hal insisted on the lunchers getting the “wurst” pronunciation somewhat near “richtig” or correct, i.e. something like “Vurst”!

And then the best of the Wurst did the rounds. Bratwurst (pork) grilled with curry ketchup. Nurnburger (pork) grilled with mild German mustard. Kransky (pork) boiled with sweet Bavarian mustard. Weisswurst (veal and pork) boiled with curry ketchup. Treasurer Steve Libeskind asked why we prepare fancy appetisers when we can be filled with Wurst.  A brisk walk to Circular Quay and back would have been welcomed before commencing the main. Hal provided a useful addition with carefully hand-printed labels for each dish on the hand-around plates.

Main

James cooked us braised pork neck with brandy mash, cabbage and sauerkraut.

The seasoned rolled whole neck pork was cooked with brown sugar and wholegrain mustard flamed with brandy.  It was then simmered in parsley, sage and chicken stock for two hours at 150 C, then removed from the simmering sauce and cooked for 40 minutes at 170 C.  It was then rested for an hour while the sauce was reduced by half and prunes were added.  The sauce was served over the pork.
It was accompanied with confit garlic mashed potatoes (45 minutes in vegetable oil), sauerkraut and choux flamande – red cabbage cooked for 75 minutes in water, cider vinegar, butter, brown sugar and Granny Smith apples.

A great meal applauded by the members and guests on the day.

Cheese

The Cheese Master had difficulty sourcing a suitable German cheese, so he opted for a Firstkönig mountain cheese selected by KäseSwiss and thought to be a first for the Society.  It is named after the Churfirsten mountain range that dominates the Toggenburg region in the northeast of Switzerland and appears on the label that crowns the cheese wheel.  The cheese was thought to be a good match for the two Rieslings today; a rarity to experience two white wines with the cheese course.

Reto Güntensberg combines his family’s expertise in Appenzeller production at Butschwil Dairy with traditional cheese cultures to bring a modern approach to Swiss cheesemaking.  Unlike Appenzeller, this bergkäse – or mountain cheese – is made from whole unpasteurised milk.  Over the three months of maturation, the wheel is lightly washed in brine to encourage the development of a bacterial rind.  When fully mature, an amber-coloured rind surrounds a dense paste that yields a creamy and herbaceous flavour and delicate spicy finish.

James accompanied the cheese with seasonal berries – strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.  A good selection and well-liked.

Wine

Today the German festivities of Octoberfest landed at the REX for the enjoyment of WFS members, and enjoy we did. German wine and beer together with a superb roast pork neck presented by one of our top chefs, James Hill. See the food report for details.

We kicked off with a delightful German Beer Geheimnis, very enjoyable as a lead into our first German white a 2017 Wittmann Trocken Rhinehessen Riesling 12%. Now at 7 years of bottle age, this wine was drinking beautifully. Great aroma, medium texture, pale yellow with excellent balance between fruit and acid. Typically, Mosel style, mouth filling, but with a clean, clear crisp finish. A perfect wine for the delicious pass arounds. I hope we have some more of this.  

We began the luncheon wines with a Daniel Bouland Corcelette Morgon 2021. 13%. This sadly was not an enjoyable wine, a bad bottle I suspect, as I have at home several bottles of this wine and they are drinking very well. I found the wine initially acceptable, but as I drank on, the wine began to show some unpleasant features. Unbalanced, flabby and maybe some cork taint. This made for considerable disappointment as normally a high quality Morgon such as this is much in demand due to its velvety smooth, yet powerful Gamay flavours. Normally a serious wine. A pity.

The second red was a Freycinet Pinot from Tasmania 2020 14%. A delightful wine with a medium pinot structure with abundant fruit. Hints of raspberry and cherry were there. A nice balance between oak, some fine tannin and acid produced a wine of silky texture with a lingering finish. Plenty of time ahead. Great wine with the pork.

The two cheese wines were both excellent. First a Egon Muller Scharzhof Mosel Riesling 2013 10.5%. A wonderful aroma of quality fruit in true Mosel tradition. Pale green colour, ripe and intense with hints of apple and lime. Probably drinking at its peak, but with plenty of good years ahead. A top quality Mosel Riesling with a delightful finish, alluring and very Moorish. The final wine of the day was another Riesling, the famous Dr Loosen Mosel Kabinett 2017, 8%. Again, a wonderful example of top quality German Riesling, nobody else can produce wines quite like these.  Makes you wonder why there has been such a dramatic fall off in sales of German wines in Australia since the 1970s. These wines are quite special and deserve recognition for their unique qualities.  This wine was again filled with abundant citrus-flavoured fruits, great acid/fruit balance with a crisp non cloying finish. Of the two I slightly preferred the 2013 Ergon Muller, but there was nothing in it.

Either of these two wines would be the perfect companion in your luncheon basket to some ripe peaches, on a sunny afternoon beside a stream with a Fraulein of your heart’s desire. Bliss, but don’t forget the Aerogard!!