15 May 2018 CoTD Peter Kelso

Despite being president, Peter Kelso has retained his burning desire to cook for the Society and he did so this week with the assistance of Martin McMurray. Martin still comes to lunches despite having his coat go missing after he left it on the back of his chair some weeks ago. He is a man who doesn’t hold a grudge.

Canapés. An interesting start with canapés today with a selection of a small chickpea “meatballs” which had been deep-fried or possibly pan-fried. An interesting texture in the mouth and confirmation of wonderful number of options chickpeas can be employed for. It was unusual and tasty. The other canapé was smoked eel on crackers with wasabi and other toppings.

Aperitif wine. A choice of two wines today, the first being a Girardin St Vincent 2012, a Burgundian Chardonnay. This entry-level Burgundy seemed to display a non-Chablis style and indeed it was. Not complex but some minerality and enjoyable. The other wine was a Delatite Deadman’s Creek Gewürztraminer 2012. I thought it was an excellent fruity wine but many disagreed

Main Course. Peter continued the theme of a little bit of spice with a pork curry with yellow (turmeric, I believe) rice and a homemade chutney. Not too hot and I though it was a ripper. The pork was slow cooked tender with all in balance.

The Wines.

• Framingham Select Riesling 2016 (screwcap, 8.5%)
• By Farr Shiraz 2011 (cork, 13.5%)
• Seresin Pinot Noir 2010 (screwcap, 14%)
• Ceretto Nebbiolo D’Alba 2010 (cork, 14%)

Did these wines cause some adverse comment or what? The Riesling was New Zealand Spatlese style and would have weighed in with at least 30 g of residual sugar. A sweeter style had been requested by our Chef of the Day and he got it. It is fair to say that most people disliked the wine, but I thought it was a terrific Spatlese style and whilst it maybe a little bit too sweet (given it was only 8.5% alcohol) a great wine and style to try. The other was a By Farr Shiraz 2011 which did not appear to be showing its best on the day given the profile and price of the wines from this maker. It seemed a little flat and closed.

I like having a strong comparison between two wines and we had that here. The Seresin Pinot from New Zealand was a good wine in its style. A little too sweet in the style of Australia and New Zealand but a fairly serious Pinot for these parts. The other wine from Piedmont a was a Nebbiolo from the fantastic 2010 vintage and was much liked. Fuller in colour than many Nebbiolo’s (it may have had a touch of the Barbera) but it was dry, elegant and long. My wine of the day by mile.

Cheese and coffee. Our Cheesemaster James Healey was present for his last lunch before 5 of 6 weeks holidaying in Europe and he took us back to Australia with Woombye Truffle Triple Cream Brie. Most of us had never seen before. Surprisingly for most of us it was from the Sunshine Coast hinterland and this new dairy producer is doing a good job. A few of us agree that truffle should have no place in cheesemaking but given that the truffle it was in a single layer in the cheese one could avoid it. It was a luscious cheese and it is good to see Australia doing so well.

Coffee today from Spencer was an Ethiopian bean djimmi which is new for us I think. High quality, aromatic and fresh.

Cheese was served with walnuts, black grapes and pears. Simple and delicious.

8 May 2018 - CoTD Nigel Burton

On a beautiful autumn day 40+ members attended lunch created by Nigel Burton with canapés by Hilton Chapman.

First canapé was smoked salmon with a horse radish cream and finger lime pearls from Hilton’s garden. The acid from the lime went perfectly with the cream and salmon.

This was followed by pork, chicken liver terrine with cranberry and a home-made tomato relish with tomatoes sourced from Ricardo’s at Port Macquarie.

Terrine had great flavour combination and members asked Hilton about the tomato topping matching with wines given the high acidity.

Canapé wines were sparkling Shiraz 2011 by Seppelts and an Italian Fiano. He had requested the Shiraz as he believes this is one if the best wine matches with tomatoes. The room was divided on sparkling Shiraz some liking the style others not so. Fiano was a dry wine a good match for both canapé.

Our main course today was a ‘Zarzuela' Spanish fish stew soup very well executed with all ingredients perfectly cooked adding to the robustness of the soup that had flavours of fennel and saffron with smokiness from paprika.

Nigel cooked the ling, mullet, mussels, clams and tiger prawns in batches to ensure that the flesh was firm. Flavour was also enhanced by green, yellow and red peppers and chorizo.

Main course wines today were a 2012 Rias Baixas Albariño and a Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa both most agreed a very good match to the course. The Albariño showed fruit and acid balancing the dryness of the sherry.

Our cheese course most picked was Merco 'Manchego aged 12 months, a sheep cheese from La Mancha region of Spain. It was firm, dry, rich and creamy served with gin soaked strawberries and a quince paste provided by Hal Epstein.

A very good sourdough accompanied the meal.

Cheese wines were Gabaxo 2013 Rioja and Glandore 2011 Tempranillo from the Hunter Valley.

Both the Tempranillos were a good match for the cheese with the local version preferred on the day.

A perfect end to the lunch was the Bali Gold mountain coffee provided by Spencer Ferrier and a 1980 Lindemans port provided by Neil Galbraith to celebrate his birthday.

1 May 2018 - CoTD Graham Gardner

It is always pleasing to see a member cooking for the first time in his own right. Today we had Graham Gardner as chef of the day assisted by Nick Reynolds. Graham has assisted before and felt confident enough to give it a go with the tremendous help that we now have with the team in the kitchen.

Canapés. I like a pair of canapés that provide not only an alternative, but a stark contrast and today we had that. Ceviche was served with chopped tomato, coriander, and chilli on sashimi grade salmon. This was served with lemon juice on a spoon, making it very easy to consume and that we did well. Who doesn’t like a good piece of fried chorizo? We had that with guacamole on toasted bread. A great drinking canapé!

Aperitif wine. The main aperitif wine today was Denmar Estate Chardonnay 2010. This was backed up with some Coldstream Hills Chardonnay and a Delatite Deadman’s Road Gewürztraminer. We were thirsty. The Denmar was still drinking well at 8 years of age and had been an absolute bargain into our cellars. It was a rich Australian style that does not suit everybody but nonetheless style good to have from time to time.

Main Course. Graham took us to South America today with a spiced beef dish with tomatoes, onions, chilli, various spices, et cetera. The beef had been pressure cooked and cooked in the not too spicy sauce and served with mashed and baby carrots. A great effort. Graham.

The Wines.

• Massolino Barbera 2016 (cork, 14.5%)
• JL Chave Cotes du Rhone 2009 (cork, 14.5%)
• De Bortoli Shiraz Viognier (Yarra) (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Bowen Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 (screwcap, 13.5%)

Two European wines to go with the main course today. The Barbera from the 2016 vintage was rich, young, fruity, soft and refreshing. It would have had minimal oak treatment and just shows how enjoyable young wines can be when properly done. On the other hand, the maker has form for his wines ageing very well. The Rhone wine was approximately 50% each of Shiraz and Grenache and had some spice. There may have been bottle variation with brettanomyces evident on some bottles, but it did not cause a problem with the bottle at my table.

The cheese wines were a real comparison. The De Bortoli whilst not unpleasant, tended to be somewhat richer with I suspect a touch too much Viognier in the blend. There was also some bottle variation with one particularly obnoxious bottle. The Bowen 2005 was just okay. It looks a little tired and most bottles were pass their best.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey bought us back to Australia today with a pasteurised sheep cheese from Robertson in New South Wales. Made by the Pecora Dairy it was inspired by a Pyreanean classic. It is at the semi hard style. Up to 3 months of ageing has developed flavours of grass nuts and caramel from a creamy but still firm texture. A first for most of us and equally most of us would have liked a little more flavour in a cheese.

Coffee by Spencer today was an old favourite, Colombian, and apparently it was a fresh batch and as usual presented superbly.

With the cheese, Graham had provided us with some honey roasted walnuts which he explained was a bit of a challenge.

There was some 40 members and guests at the lunch today to acknowledge Graham’s first effort in the kitchen. He explained some nerves leading up to the event which most of us can relate to. He was presented with a WFS apron by the President.

An excellent lunch and we hope to see Graham back in the kitchen soon and enjoying his new role with the Society responsible for membership.

24 April 2018 - CoTD James Tinslay

In the kitchen this week was James Tinslay (that would be me) being ably assisted by David Madson and Keith Steele. This is this of course was a wine luncheon with the usual protocols of keeping the spice and heat level down, which we did.

Canapés. Two canapés were served on the day. David’s contribution was olive based concoctions on pieces of toast. One is canapes was based on black olive on the other on green olive and the visual effect was excellent. The other canapé care of Keith were Skippy (kangaroo) sausage rolls which were a real treat and succulent, given the pork fat that had been added to the very lean kangaroo. Both excellent starters. Thank you both.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wine today was a 2005 Tyrrell HVD Semillon. This was in excellent condition with enough acid to deal with the fat content of the sausage rolls. The mandatory Sherry was also available.

Main Course. Because I feel that we don’t have enough chicken at lunches, today’s dish was indeed chicken. Some 15 chickens had been deboned and spatchcocked and marinated for three days in a blend of allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, garlic et cetera et cetera. They were then charred on the hot plate and then slowly cooked in the oven. The chicken was served on crunchy pan-fried asparagus in balsamic, duck fat roast potatoes and a Marie Rose sauce. Comments were complimentary but of course the main deal was the wines.

The Wines.

• William Fevre Fourchaume 1er Chablis 2012
• Curley Flat Chardonnay 2012
• Cos Pithos 2011 (Nero d’Avola and Frappato from Sicily)
• Tyrrell Old Patch Shiraz 2007
• Rosemount Mountain Blue 2006
• Duval Grenache 2015

Being a bit side-tracked with the kitchen, there was insufficient time to give these wines a good look over. However, the Chablis had it all over the Curley Flat of the same year given the minerality of the former.

The Sicilian wine sees no wood and was fresh and drinking beautifully. The Duvall Grenache from 2015 shows how Australian Grenache need not be too sweet (as some were in days gone by) and it was extraordinarily elegant and drinkable.

The match between the Old Patch and the Rosemount Shiraz was fascinating. I had expected Tyrrells to be a bit more forthright in character, but it was very elegant and floral in the style of the old Hunter River Burgundy. The Mountain Blue was what you expected, a well-made wine and at 12 years of age still very drinkable.

Cheese and coffee. James Hill had ceded to my request with an aged Comte cheese from Will Studd, a favourite of mine. It was made from unpasteurised milk and matured in damp underground cellars high in the mountainous region that borders France and Switzerland. A real treat.

For the aforementioned reasons I have no record of the coffee of the day except recalling that I enjoyed sitting down and drinking it after cooking.

Thanks to Keith and David for their kind assistance.

17 April 2018 - CoTD Paul Thorne

Paul Thorne was on the burners this week with an undeclared meal simply telling us we would get something Italian. Paul usually prefaces his cooking by warning those who attend to bring their statins with them for their lipid-lowering benefits. He didn’t disappoint. Assisting Paul assembling canapés were Gary Linnane and Nick Reynolds.

Canapés. Paul’s canapé preparers worked on the ingredients that he had bought to make us to starters. First off on a blini base was horseradish cream with rare beef topping. A lovely mouthful. The beef, as you can see from the photograph, was wonderfully pink and I’m assuming that sous vide was involved. The second starter was a take on Italian an bocconcini salad served on crisp toasted baguette. The topping was a basil pesto with mirin. Two very different starters, both good.

Aperitif wine. Jumping back into Europe this month, we were served a Fiano, Ciropicariello Irpinia from Campania in Italy from the 2014 vintage. Fiano is becoming increasingly popular in Australia as we seek out lighter alternatives to the all too dominant, but still brilliant, Chardonnay. As a nation we still ignoring Semillon and Riesling. Go figure. Whilst this example of Fiano may have been better a year ago, it still has the minerality, and light stone fruit that make the grape so perfectly attractive as an aperitif wine. A balcony in southern Italy in Campania in summer with a glass of chilled Fiano…. what else could you possibly want?

Main Course. Paul was back with one of my favourite dishes, pork neck, slow cooked. So versatile and in this case, Paul had cooked the meat for 4 hours with bacon and other healthy and magic flavouring potions. It was served on a carrot and sweet potato mash which was wonderfully rich. Paul admitted (with pride) that there were bucket loads of butter, egg yolks and parmesan giving it the flavour that we all like. It was topped off with black pudding and some of us were lucky enough to get some of the leftover black pudding, which was passed around the tables. There was also fruit chutney made from cranberry with PX and Cointreau thrown in the mix. Paul was a little disappointed that the pork neck had dried out a little in the kitchen after it was cut into medallion’s reasonably early prior to the meal. However, the meal was wonderful.

The Wines.

• Giovanni Rosso Langhe 2010 (cork, 14.5%)
• Huntington Cabernet 2008 (screwcap, 13.8%)
• Vasse Felix Filius Cab Merlot 2013 (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Angullong Fossil Hill Sangiovese 2009 (screwcap, 14.5%)

A wonderful pair of wines with the main. The Piedmont wine was labelled Nebbiolo but given the colour it is likely that there was some Barbera in the blend. Whatever, it was a great 8-year-old predominantly Nebbiolo wine with the sort of tannin structure and elegance that I like so much about Piedmont. The Mudgee wine from Huntington was also outstanding. Whilst Huntington have somewhat of a following in the society, it is fair to say that not all the wines are top-quality. This wine was, and it was the favourite of many in the room. At 10 years of age it was soft, it was elegant, and the fruit had the mouthfeel equivalent to sitting in a wonderfully comfortable armchair.

The cheese wines were certainly a contrast. The Margaret River Bordeaux blend at 5 years of age was drinking beautifully and a credit to the team at Vasse Felix for their entry-level wine exhibiting such a standard. Soft, approachable and drinkable. The Angullong Mudgee wine was a little past its best, not surprising with a 9-year-old Sangiovese. Drinkable but boring. It does beg the question, can we grow Sangiovese everywhere in Australia?

Cheese and coffee. The James Healey cheese had everybody stumped for its origin. In line with the meal, it was from Italy, from the Veneto region. By name, Perenzin Montasio, made form cow’s milk. A strong flavoured cheese it clearly had some age as it was grainy and crumbly. A number of us were thinking of a high-quality aged cheddar.

Spencer repeated the success of last week with his Mexican peaberry beans and once again I was astounded by the turnaround in quality from the same bean served a month or two ago.

With the cheese, Paul had made an iceberg, radicchio etc salad which aided and abetted the fromage.

The 43 members at lunch thoroughly enjoyed the efforts of both Pauls on food and wine.

3 April 2018 - CoTD Paul Ferman

One of the best numbers for a mixed lunch in some time over 40 turning up for our Winemaster, Paul Ferman, in the kitchen assisted on canapés by Gary Linnane. The atmosphere in the room during aperitifs made it obvious that we were in for an enjoyable lunch.

Canapés. If there is one thing that is a certainty with Paul is that will have soup. So, Paul served us a vegetable soup made up of far too many ingredients to list but showing in the taste of potato and cream, apparently Dutch cream. It looked a treat as you can see from the photograph above. Next, we also had one of Paul’s favourite dishes, a terrine made from pork, chicken, chicken liver and a range of herbs. Paul had made this two weeks ago so the flavour had integrated beautifully. It was served on Burke Street Bakery baguette with a base of tomato with herb influence.

Aperitif wine. For mixed lunches, our Winemaster likes to start off with some rose Champagne and we did that today with the Aubert et Fils NV Rose. An entry-level Champagne with a touch of sweetness but still, the genuine article.

Main Course. Paul served us braised chicken which was mainly the tastier part of the bird, the leg. Paul’s dishes are nothing but complex. So, there was a host of vegetables making up the plate, including roast potatoes and three types and colours of carrot. The presentation was excellent as was the combination of textures and tastes.

The Wines.

• Yves Cuilleron Sybel Rose 2013 (cork, 12.5%)
• Fontodi Chianti Classico 2011 (cork, 14.5%)
• Metrat et Fils Chiroubles “Cote Rotie” 2012 (cork, 12.5%)
• Leflaive Macon Verze 2015 (cork, 14%)

Beginning at the beginning we enjoyed the Cuilleron Northern Rhône Syrah Rose, a maker of great prominence for his Condrieu wines amongst others. It was dry, flavoursome, and a very workable 12.5% but better still a good match for the chicken. For many, the Fontodi was the wine of the lunch with flavoursome and mouth filling Sangiovese fruit and at 7 years of age, drinking wonderfully at its peak.

With cheese we again enjoyed a red and a white wine. The Beaujolais we have had on previous occasions and it is a very pretty Chiroubles from 2012. Those who scowl at drinking Beaujolais should have a hard look at the individual Crus which are now readily available. They are nothing like the rubbish of Beaujolais Nouveau that we had to deal with 20 or more years ago. The Chardonnay from Macon was up there in terms of favouritism at the lunch. There is Macon and there is Macon and this one had beautiful burgundy overtones with a light touch of oak and importantly, restraint. I could drink buckets of it.

Cheese and coffee.  Gary Linnane was presenting the cheese this week and it was a cracker. It was a truffle D’Affinois from Guilloteau from Rhone-Alpes. The truffle flavour was noticeable but not so noticeable that it adversely affected the beautiful silky and creamy flavour of this wonderful cheese. Our cheese guys always make sure that the cheese is removed from refrigeration hours before serving so that we get it at the correct room temperature.

Spencer in absentia, was playing with blends this week and gave us a blend of 80% Colombian with 20% New Guinea Pearl. The intent was to bulk up the flavour of the elegant Colombian with the more flavoursome New Guinea Pearl. Whilst I’m a fan of Colombian as a relatively neutral coffee, the addition of the Pearl was something that we should try again in the future.

An excellent mixed lunch with a spirit that underlies the values of the Society.

10 April - CoTD Bill Alexiou Hucker

It being the week after Greek Easter we had an enthusiastic Bill Alexiou-Hucker in the kitchen for a Greek feast shortly after he was elected the Society’s Foodmaster for the coming year. Bill’s sturdy assistants Peter Manners and Peter Squires (otherwise known as the Canapé Masters) were assisting Bill with this complex feast.

Canapés. Of canapés, there were two. First off, cucumber with taramasalata (home-made of course) with brown olives topping. A pleasant and sharp start to the day well matched with the aperitif wine. The second canapé is one of my favourites, meatballs, or keftedes, which were made with pork and beef with bread crumbs then dusted in flour and deep fried. These are always stunning and there was certainly none left for sale.

Aperitif wine. Given that the AGM was held there was a quite a bit of wine with the main aperitif wine being the Coldstream Hills Chardonnay 2013. Most bottles were drinking well, and many drinkers were highly complimentary. However, there was some bottle variation showing with a range of lighter to dark hues despite the screwcap.

Main Course. When we sat down for the meal we were each presented with a red chicken’s egg. The challenge was to hit the egg with your neighbours and not crack the shell. There was some concern expressed that Bill had not hard-boiled these eggs, but that rumour proved to be false. The immediate past President, Keith Steele, seem so happy with his new role that he managed to defeat everybody else on the table by some method that probably broke the rules of engagement.

The main course itself was of course based on lamb. A picture speaks a thousand words, so I will leave most of it to the picture above. However, the lamb shoulder had been cut into circles and was accompanied by spanakopita liberally lathered with butter before and during baking. It was stuffed with pine nuts and sultanas and was a meal in itself. The lamb was topped with aubergine which had been chargrilled. There were various vegetables on the plate as well. There were some comments made that the lamb could have been a little more moist and Bill agreed with this when discussing the dish later in the day. A great hearty meal with some feeling the quantity was probably a little much. We know however that complaints are more frequent at the other end of the scale.

The Wines.

• Heidi Schrock Klum Blaufrankisch (Austria) 2012 (cork, 13.5%)
• Devil’s Lair Cab blend 2007 (cork)
• Duval Plexus 2015 (screwcap, 14.5%)
• Alvaro Castro Dao Tinto 2011 (Portugal) (cork, 13%)

The first pairing of the Devil’s Lair and the Blaufrankisch was interesting. A number of those present picked up on the “Cabernetish” nature of the latter wine which despite the ribbing it often gets from members can be an excellent Austrian wine. The Austrian wine was somewhat softer, even at its younger age, than the Devil’s Lair, which was a very good entry-level style Bordeaux type blend from Margaret River. Both were suitable matches for the lamb.

John Duvall is rightly somewhat of an icon in Australia after being Penfolds chief winemaker. Some Barossa blends such as Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre are about was enjoyable to me as drinking sump well, on a good day. The Plexus wine still had luscious fruit, but the gentle tannins and touch of oak make it very approachable at its young age under the guise of a Barossa wine. Only 250 cases made.

The Portuguese wine was educational and a very good drink. Alvaro Castro is an acknowledged superior winemaker from the Dao region and the grapes used are pretty much unknown in Australia except for Touriga Nacional which is the base wine of Port but is also grown from some of the enterprising winemakers in McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills. The wine had excellent lighter but ripe fruit with great elegance.

Cheese and coffee.  Cheese this week from James Healey was easily identifiable from its looks, which has Barolo leaves encapsulating the cheese. It was Ocelli Testun di Barolo, the cheese we have enjoyed on a number of occasions. It is a mixture of goat and cow milks and has a winey flavour due to the leaves. It has a unique and amazing flavour profile

Spencer served Mexican peaberry beans today and they attracted favourable comment. A month or so ago he served the same beans, but whatever reason they seemed a bit acid and light. Today they shone.

With the coffee and cheese Bill had made Greek biscuits and serve these with dates and walnuts stuffed dates. A great finish.

May Greek food prosper.

27 March 2018 - CoTD Nick Reynolds

A great turnout of over 50 people greeted our Foodmaster’s, Nick Reynolds, return to the kitchen for this wine lunch and probably his last gig as Foodmaster. Assisting Nick was the potential Foodmaster in waiting Bill Alexiou-Hucker.

Canapés. We had two canapés and the photographs above do more credit to the servings than mere words. The hot canapé which Nick had been studiously evasive about and which led to many incorrect press guesses, was pickled young ginger, wrapped in Serrano ham and deep-fried. The guesses were wild, mine included. The cold canapé was blinis with sour cream, salmon, chives, dill topped with salmon roe. Both were delightfully successful.

Aperitif wine. The aperitif wines served at this wine lunch was a 2001 Steingarten Riesling. Whilst the wine was under screwcap, there was some bottle variation but only one poor bottle. Two of the screwcaps had leaked but surprisingly, these were very drinkable. The Steingarten was in wonderful condition at 17 years of age with a developed Riesling character well balanced by the more than lingering acid that had survived the years. A beautiful wine

Main Course. The main was advertised as pepper steak and veg and in a way, it was. Nick’s evasive smile when asked before the meal about the meat was answered during the wrap-up when he declared that he had used chuck steak sous vide for some 24 hours before being seared. In retrospect, it was easy to tell by the shape of the meat between the fat that it was indeed chuck steak. It worked.

The steak with pepper sauce (made up of juices, chicken stock, tomato paste, Merlot and pepper) was served with smashed potato and onions, with garlic and thyme. The main was a great surprise for many.

The Wines.

• Tyrrells 4 Acres 2005 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Lindemans Stevens 2005 (cleanskin) (cork)
• Rosemount Balmoral 2004 (cork, 14%)
• Seppelts St Peters 2006 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Torbreck The Struie 2004 (cork, 13.5%)
• Murdock Shiraz 2004 (cork, 14.5%)

A wine lunch at first sight for those who like their reds large, Australian and Shiraz. But looks can be deceiving.

The first set of three saw the Tyrrells wine leading off and it did cause some discussion. It was a lighter elegant wine with marked perfume, not unlike Nerello Mascalese or Pinot Noir. It was also a little sweet for some. Next came the Stevens 2005, which was a beautifully elegant Hunter Valley ‘Burgundy’ style. The third of the trio, the Balmoral 2004, was a huge wine but with little of the extracted fruit that those wines sometimes have. It was elegant and well received.

Next was the St Peter’s 2006, running in at only 13.5% alcohol. The wine was rich but not inelegant, but it did not fit into the top echelon of the wines from this label. Next up was the Torbreck 2004, which had its lovers and haters. There was definite bottle variation with the one I tried being extracted, dull and boring. Our table didn’t like it. Finally, the Murdock Shiraz 2004. This label was not known to most of us and again it was a rich Barossa style wand few who found it in the top league of wines at the lunch today.

Cheese and coffee. Cheese by James Healey today was a Neal’s Yard Montgomery’s Cheddar from Somerset. It was of the big wheel variety weighing in at 24 kg. Most had a pretty good idea of what the cheese was although many picked it for a high-quality Australian cheddar. It was drier than many cheddars and hence Pyengana was suggested a few times. Again, a wonderful cheese.

We had a holiday from coffee today, but Spencer’s coffee will return next week.

20 March 2018 - CoTD David Madson

We waltzed into the final cook-off with the fifth and final contestant being David Madson assisted by Peter Fitzpatrick and James Tinslay. Again, good numbers with 47 in attendance. Notes are a bit scarce this week as your reporter was assisting and a certain vagueness crept in.

Canapés. One hot and one cold canapé to start the lunch. The hot canapé was a palmier pastry often referred to as elephant’s years. In this case the puff pastry was rolled around crispy bacon and sun-dried tomatoes on a base of Philadelphia cheese (with other bits and pieces), and then baked after being smothered in butter. All 140 disappeared. The cold canapé on crisp bread was a base of avocado topped with chopped fresh prawns with cream fraiche crowned with vinegar “pearls” which David “discovered” for us in 2017. In this case they were tangerine flavoured and very much enjoyed and a first for many.

Aperitif wine. It has been a while since an aperitif wine attracted reasonably consistent dislike but that is what happened with the Giesen Riesling 2012. It appeared to be made in the Germanic style slightly off-dry but with insufficient acid to carry it across the line. Our Winemaster, Paul Ferman, railed against the comments pointing out that he had at least 100 dozen left for people to get to know the wine better.

Main Course. David was recreating the pork belly and watermelon dish that saw him get to the cook-offs. In May last year the review was “pork belly and watermelon salad with the salad component using ingredients such as rice wine vinegar, Thai chilli, kaffir lime leaves, ginger and palm sugar”. The recipe was same, but the dish had been refined/changed somewhat resulting in a range of comments. The pork itself was excellent being double fried but some found the salad too strong in terms of pickling strength and the higher level of acid. Others found the meal just worked well. There was some variation in the plating much of it to do with yours truly and the use of the sauce between the first plating in the last. Just cooked and seasoned green beans accompanied the meat. Once again, the meal was something outside of most attendee’s norm and as such should be applauded.

The Wines.

• Glandore Single Site DPJ Chardonnay (HV) 2017 (screwcap, 13.5%)
• Laurent Gauthier Morgon 2013 (cork, 12.5%)
• Timo Mayer Pinot Noir (Yarra) 2012 (cork, 13%)
• Orlando St Hugo 2001 (cork, 14%)

The main was served with a Hunter Valley Chardonnay and a Morgon Beaujolais. David generously donated the Glandore wine from his vineyard. The young Glandore wine was in fine form with just a light touch of oak and many thought that the acid in the wine worked well with the main. Morgon is one of the more substantial Beaujolais styles and it was drinking well with elegant fruit and mouth filling Gamay characters. Once again, the wine showed what Gamay in Beaujolais is capable of.

The cheese wines were a bit like chalk and cheese (no pun intended) with a young Yarra Pinot Noir up against a 17-year-old Coonawarra Cabernet from Orlando. The Timo Mayer Pinot whilst clearly an Australian Pinot Noir style, was a little lacking in character, but at six years of age it may well hit its straps later. The St Hugo showed significant bottle variation and was becoming a little tired even when one got the opportunity to try a better bottle.

Cheese and coffee. This week, James left the well-trodden path by serving us Berry's Creek Riverine Blue buffalo cheese from Gippsland. White in colour with a very slight blue, it was wonderfully creamy and a cracker of a cheese.

Spencer provided us with Colombian coffee today for the first time in a while. He described it as chocolatey and first class. A few members commented on how delightful it drank.

So, the cookoffs are over, the school sheets are in and will find out our winner in due course.

13 March 2018 - CoTD James Hill

Nearing the end of the Chef of the Year cookoff’s, we had James Hill once again cooking for members and guests. A tremendous turnout today at just under 60 which stretched our providers capacity and food but certainly not their spirits or goodwill. James was assisted by Bill Alexie-Hucker and Matthew Holmes and they were accused of doing a wonderful job under the pressure of such numbers.

The write-up today is a little different (and longer) as Tony Scott kindly provided all eight wines that he had directly imported. The tasting notes below in italic print are from the notes that were provided by Tony and distributed to every table.

Tony was invited by the President to give us a short presentation on each of the wines and the depth of his knowledge was very clear. Thank you Tony.

Canapés. We were treated to three canapés, all substantially different. The first two were Ajvar, a Turkish condiment of red peppers and eggplant on Iggy’s bread and then smoked eggplant with yoghurt and mint on spoons. Most of us could eat Iggy’s bread on its own but the red pepper condiment with its touch of heat with a great match for the first aperitif wine. The mixture of the yogurt and eggplant was a simple but delicious taste looking wonderful on the spoons.

The third was foie gras which was donated by Paul Ferman and was up the at the very upper end of the quality chain. Paul advanced around the room with Sauternes in hand in front of the trays with the George Bruck foie gras to ensure that most attending got the opportunity to taste the classic flavour combination. Thanks to Paul for the donation, which may have otherwise seriously blown the budget lunch.

A wonderful selection of canapés to start the day. The Foodmaster pointed out that we were forbidden on judging James’s performance today on the canapés and we must concentrate on the main.

Aperitif wine. Two interesting and very different wines were served today. The Chenin Blanc from Loire started us off with the first two canapés. The third canapé was foie gras for which Tony had provided a Sauternes from the 2007 vintage. Whilst an entry-level Sauternes, at 11 years of age it was wonderfully drinkable and mature but may last many years. Tasting notes follow.

• 2015 Domaine du Closel, “La Jalousie” – Savennières AOC, Loire (100% Chenin Blanc 13.5%).

Appearance: Light gold with green tinges.

Nose: Clean, fairly subtle nose of pear and red-apple like Chenin fruit. Some white flowers – sure to develop in weight and richness with bottle age. Palate: A lovely Chenin Blanc. Medium bodied and slightly spicy with terrific acidity, very attractive mouth-feel and a long, spicy finish. Delicious but sure to improve with bottle age. Very much up to the quality expected of this revered appellation.

• 2007 Château Barbier (J. Medeville et Fils) – AC Sauternes, Bordeaux (90% Semillon, 10% Sauvignon Blanc 13%).

Appearance: Brilliant light to medium gold, green tinges. Nose: Clean, but quite reserved – subtle pineapple and botrytis honiedness is coaxed out.

Palate: A superb, quite mature Sauternes, fruity with pineapple and peachy flavours, good botrytis character, but lovely delicate acidity giving an impression of freshness and emphasising the wine’s quite extraordinary length. Beautifully balanced and while completely ready to enjoy now, this will happily cellar for at least another 5 years. A really fresh Sauternes – not the super-rich crème brûlée style at all.

Main Course. The main came to the table looking serious indeed. Seared duck breast with pomegranate molasses, duck jus, pickled radish, plums with leek and ginger baked in extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Accompanying this was a black dome-shaped object that had many of us scratching our heads. It was in fact a stuffed mushroom (portobello mushroom topped with mushroom pate and duck liver). Theories abounded about the ingredients and nobody near me was close to the mark.

The presentation of the main was generously commentated upon as were the flavours and textures that James had managed to get onto the plate.

The Wines. We enjoyed six red wines over the main course and cheese, three from France and three from Spain. A wonderful collection. As usual there was no standout winner amongst the large number of comments. There was not a bad wine amongst the group and in the end it got down to personal preferences. The Bordeaux wines were the preferred of the first group whilst the Priorat was probably the most popular of the Spanish set. It was a big wine and young being 2015. It has a wonderful future. Tasting notes follow.

• 2015 Domaine Les Granges de la Perrière – C. Baudry/J-M. Dutour, Val de Loire - Chinon AOC (100% Cabernet Franc 12.5%)

Appearance: Beautiful ruby red of medium hue.

Nose: A classic Cabernet Franc nose – the leafiness is there but there is good ripe fruit too. Attractive.

Palate: A textbook Chinon. Really elegant as well as displaying beautifully ripe red fruits that are truly delicious in the rich strawberry/raspberry spectrum. Really classy tannins and characteristic acidity provide structure and balance and there is a graphite/’pencil shavings’ nuance adding complexity. The moderate (12.5%) alcohol completes the picture of a benchmark Loire red.

• 2015 Château de Haux – Côtes de Bordeaux AOC (30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 60% Merlot; 5% Cabernet Franc; 5% Malbec / 13.5%)

Appearance: Lovely bright ruby red – shines in the glass.

Nose: Very enticing – excellent depth of ripe fruit without any ‘green’ characters – reflecting the very ripe vintage that 2015 delivered.

Palate: A truly great de Haux. Medium to full bodied – perfectly ripe fruit with the hint of violet seen in great years. Lovely fine tannins in perfect balance and really outstanding length. Delicious already but this has, in the panel’s view, real potential to age as well for easily a decade or more.

• 2010 Château de Lussac - Lussac Saint-Émilion AOC, Bordeaux (80% Merlot; 20% Cabernet Franc 14.5%)

Appearance: Deep inky purple/black – almost opaque. Impressive and substantial looking.

Nose: Classic Right Bank nose – blackcurrant, tobacco and dark fruits. Lovely.

Palate: A big, impressive dry red with lots of everything. Rich Merlot fruit, nice complementary oak of quality, some alcoholic warmth (14.5%), substantial chewy tannins and terrific length. Reflects a great year. Already ready to enjoy with some substantial protein but has a long cellaring future ahead of it.

• 2015 Clos Figueras – Christopher Cannan Family - Font de la Figuera, Gratallops – Priorat DOQ (60% Grenache; 10% Carignan; 30% Cabernet/Syrah/Mourvèdre 15%)

Appearance: Very attractive deep ruby red.

Nose: Clean, still quite closed but hints of rich fruit emerging – plum and prune.

Palate: A lovely ripe-fruited Priorat. Already drinking very well but with the depth and structure to cellar to advantage. Less evident alcoholic ‘warmth’ than some vintages and all the better for it. A really balanced Priorat that should appeal to all its loyal fans.

• 2014 Bodegas Monteabellón – Ribera del Duero DO (100% Tempranillo 14%)

Appearance: Deep ruby/black, almost opaque.

Nose: Very closed but a hint of pepper/spice and deep fruit.

Palate: A deep flavoured, rich Tempranillo. Showing very young at this stage but with real depth and balance. Totally fruit (not oak) driven, some alcoholic warmth (but in balance) and, while it will go very well with rich meat dishes already, it has substantial potential to continue developing complexity with time in the cellar – easily 5 to 10 years for those who are patient.

• 2010 Bodegas Viña Herminia, DOQ Reserva – Rioja (85% Tempranillo 10% Garnacha 5% Graciano / 14%)

Tasting Notes – Club Aquitaine Tasting Panel: Appearance: Very deep ruby/black. Nose: Lovely, classically rich Tempranillo nose, with a eucalypt like complexity.

Palate: This is sensational – beautifully balanced, ripely fruity, with a gorgeous backdrop of very well integrated vanillin oak, medium to full-bodied, with delicious brambly fruit, some spice, complex, savoury and super long.

Cheese and coffee. The cheese from James Healey this week was a chevre from Jean Faup made in the Pyrenees in France. This was an unusual, semi hard cheese made by hand from 100% goats milk. It had a wonderful creamy texture and goaty/tangy/earthy flavour. A great cheese and the leftover portions were snapped up immediately.

Cheese was served with green figs which provided a first for some who are more used to the more standard figs that are currently out-of-season.

Coffee was from the absent Spencer Ferrier who again provided us with an example of Rwandan coffee, with notes indicating that coffee from that country is now regarded as some of the most high-class coffees available whilst still lacking the grace of the best Ethiopian and Kenyan AAA coffees.

The President, Keith Steele, closed the lunch and thanked the room for the abundance of comments and Tony Scott for his generosity in providing the selection of wine.