Food review by James Hill and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Food

Our chef of the day was Julian Parmegiani, second time in the kitchen, assisted by Rob Guthrie.

Canapés

Our president, Stephen O’Halloran, prepared the first canapé, goat’s cheese with piquillo peppers on an oven-baked baguette.

Good to see Norbert Wynzenbeek assisting with canapés today.

Chicken scrolls stuffed with prunes, then warmed lamb croquettes with a dipping sauce of plum sauce, fresh coriander, and light soy sauce. The croquette was made with lamb mince, egg, onions, carrots, fresh (homegrown) coriander, onion juice, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and breadcrumbs.

Main

Our main today was lamb shanks with a cauliflower purée and a salad composée.

The lamb shanks were braised with a soffritto, tomato paste, tomatoes, chicken stock, and lots of wine!

The meat fell off the bone, tender and moist, lovely, rich flavour of lamb, some suggesting it may have been hogget. A little delay in serving today. Julian wanted the sauce reduced to give a well-bodied consistency, which was perfect.

The cauliflower purée was made with garlic, butter, crème fraîche, and Parmesan cheese. The salad was composed with cos lettuce, asparagus, red pepper, sugar snaps, and green peas with a citrus dressing. It was a good contrast to the richness of the shank and purée.

A perfect meal on a cold, rainy day, much appreciated and commented on by members attending.

Thanks team!

Hogget refers to a sheep between one and two years old. It's a meat classification between lamb and mutton, with a flavour profile that is richer than lamb but milder than mutton. Hogget is known for its well-developed flavour and tenderness.

Bread was a sourdough rye from Organic Bread Bar Paddington.

Cheese

Our cheese master, Mark Bradford, presented a ‘buffalo glera’, a hard buffalo milk cheese from Italy, which we believe is the first time we’ve seen this cheese. A tasty and interesting cheese.

An ubriacatura or drunken cheese, this semi-hard buffalo milk cheese is a tribute to the region. Latteria Perenzin is located at the foot of the Prosecco hills in Veneto, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Glera grape is the predominant variety that must be used in the production of DOCG Prosecco.

Local buffalo milk sourced from the Veneto region is used to make this natural rinded pressed curd cheese, which is matured in the underground cellars for around five months.

Organic Glera marc, the residual solids after the grapes have been pressed, sourced from the nearby Perlage Winery, is then applied to the rind of the cheese. The thin rind allows the Glera marc to infuse the rich, dense paste with mellow wine aromas, bringing hints of cellar, wood, and grappa.

Accompanying the cheese were bowls of biscuits, dates, apricots, walnuts and strawberries.

Wine

Yet another wet and miserable Tuesday afternoon, when will it end?  Anyhow, those who braved the rain and cold were rewarded with a fine meal and a couple of excellent wines to lift flagging spirits. Julian Parmegiani, with assistance from Rob Guthrie, produced some delicious lamb shanks with an unusual side dish, which was also well received. See full food report. 

The canape wine was a truly excellent Pikes Merle Riesling from the Clare Valley. 2017 at 12% This wine is made by Pikes in only exceptional years, as 2017 has proven to be with Clare Rieslings. This wine was clean and fresh, pale yellow, with an abundance of quality fruit. Green apple, lime, and lemon zest are flavours that greet the first sip. Perfect balance of fruit and persistent acids delivering a near perfect, lingering finish. This wine is Pikes flagship white wine, and it certainly deserves that tag. Many years of great drinking ahead. 

Wine 1 was also a beauty, the Tua Rita Rosso dei Notri 2016 @ 14.5 %. A lovely Italian red wine indeed. A Sangiovese blend from Tuscany, this wine ticks all the boxes in what one would look for in a red to accompany a robust meal of lamb shanks. Whilst the wine was medium weight, it was powerful yet balanced and packed in tons of dark fruit flavours off set by some tannin and oak. Acid was still sufficient to give a clean finish with lingering flavours. A top wine, my pick for the day. 

Wine 2 was the Vasse Felix Cabernet 2010 from Margaret River, WA @ 14.5 %. Vass Felix was the first vineyard planted in the Margaret River region in 1967 by Dr Tom Cullity. A genuine trailblazer. The vineyard is now part of the Holmes a Court group.  The bird featured on the label is a falcon imported by Dr Cullity to scare away another bird, the Silvereye, which was damaging the crop.  Over the years, Vass Felix has been at the forefront of Margaret River wines with their Chardonnay and, of course, Cabernet. The past is sadly where this wine belongs, in my view. Now at 15 yo, the wine, or at least this bottle of wine, had seen better days. Still drinkable, but a shadow of its former glorious self, maybe 10 years ago. The acid had fallen away, leading to a tired, flat wine. Very sad to see it just didn't have the legs to last the distance. 

Final wine enjoyed by all was the 2021 Bruno Rocca Barbera d'Alba @ 15 % from the Piedmont region of Italy. A medium-bodied wine rippling with flavour from dark quality fruit, spice and good natural acidity. Oak and tannins blending in well. Still a few years short of its ideal drinking window, I found the wine enjoyable to drink now, with a promise of improvement over time.  A lighter, fruitier style than a Sangiovese or Nebbiolo, but very popular in Italy.