30 August 2022 CoTD Nigel Burton

Food notes by the COTD and canape chefs and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Nigel Burton was the main course chef today. He was assisted by former Foodmaster Greg Sproule and long-term, but newly returned to Australia, member Greg Brunner.

Greg Brunner offered a version of a southern French classic Pissaladière.  Puff pastry was spread with onions cooked with thyme over low heat for an hour and a half until sweet and caramelised.  This was topped with black olives, anchovies, and grilled red capsicum. His second canape was a Hungarian cheese spread, Körözött, on toasted baguette.  A mixture of buffalo and cow’s milk ricotta was mixed with a little Greek yoghurt to create a creamy spread.  To this was added just a little Dijon mustard and the main flavourings of Hungarian paprika and caraway seeds. This was topped with chopped Hungarian apple paprika (capsicum).

Greg also sourced the bread, which came as impressive rings provided by Raffael’s bakery in Haberfield. When the order was placed a request was made for “very crusty” and the baker did not disappoint.

Greg Sproule presented three different canapés: Pickled Beetroot with Goats Cheese and Walnut; Date macerated in Chardonnay with Dulcetta- Blue Cheese; and Pastry Case stuffed with Mushrooms, Onion, Creme Fraiche and Prosciutto

As usual with a wine lunch, the food was tailored to enhance rather than detract from the wines. Although with a Penfolds wine tasting, the food would have to have some power to overwhelm the wines.

Nigel chose to cook within a Hungarian theme, repeating a prior glory when he won Goulash of the Year under John Rourke’s presidency (it was the only Goulash that year, so he was a shoe-in to win). 

Today he made this classic east European dish which can be made using meat, veal, chicken, or pork.  Nigel chose shoulder blade steak to which he added the usual ingredients of red and green pepper, garlic onion, sour cream, ground and sweet paprika, and plenty of mushrooms.  This was slow-cooked for 5 hours.  To be different and consistent with being deconstructed each of these ingredients was placed along the plate making a unique presentation. One of our members, who has Hungarian ancestry, commented that he immediately reconstructed it when it was placed in front of him! Another commented that the colours of the accompaniment matched the colours of the Hungarian flag.

Also on the plate was homemade spaetzle, with its traditional pinch of nutmeg. A Thermomix recipe replicated 12 times!  Finally squeezed through a colander, immersed in boiling water, then ice water and finally browned off to provide both substance and crunch.

The dish was deliberately toned down from a heat perspective to ensure that it did not overpower the wines.  Some members expressed a personal preference for more paprika and on reflection, the wines were big enough to have coped.

The salad was again Hungarian in origin being cucumber, onion oil and vinegar left to marinate for 48 hours in the fridge.

Our Cheesemaster, James Healey, presented Maffra Cloth-Ashed Cow’s Milk Cheddar which was in great condition. Nigel accompanied this with a salad that was again Hungarian in origin comprising cucumber, onion oil and vinegar left to marinate for 48 hours in the fridge.

We were treated today with a  sensational lineup of Penfolds RWT Shiraz and St Henri  Shiraz, from various vintages ranging from 2001 to 2009.    The aperitif wines were a Black Label  Penfolds Chardonnay and a  Teppanata Chardonnay, both from the Adelaide Hills Region, and both from the 2017  Vintage.  The wines were poles apart.  Penfolds has made great strides in recent years with the development of high-quality Whites such as the Bin A  series of Chardonnay which is a terrific wine, however sadly, the wine served today was a long way removed from that class. Over oaked with a blousy finish, the wine was not attractive at all.  I have not previously seen a Penfolds white in a black bottle.  I have now been warned and will avoid it. 

The second Chardonnay was the Tapanappa from Brian Croser immediately brought back memories of his yellow label Petaluma Chardy from the 70’s and 80’s. Taut, structured and tight, a very different wine from the Penfolds.  Plenty of flavour, but restrained. Excellent.

Moving now onto the main course and cheese wines, we were thrilled to have three RWT’s, two St Henri and one Bin 389.  Penfolds in my view seem to have adopted the attitude of “give me a lot of money and I will deliver a great wine “. Sadly they omit to say when that wine will be “Great“.  In the case of the RWT serious greatness acquaints with the 12th of never in my view.  My first tasting of RWT years ago revealed a wine that needed to be tasted again in 20 years.   Massive fruit, sweet oak and tooth-pulling tannins were the order of the day.  In my opinion, nothing much had changed with the wines served today, especially the 09.  

The RWT (Red Winemaking Trial) got underway in the 1990s with the first vintage being released in 1997.  The concept was to have 100% top quality Barossa Shiraz from various vineyards, 20 to 100 years old, picked at optimum ripeness then matured in new French oak for  12 to 15 months.  The result is the RWT series which we were fortunate to enjoy today, an 09, an 05 and an 01.

For the sake of comparison in this ultra high-class Penfolds range, we were also able to enjoy two St Henri from 09 and 01 and finally a Bin 389 from 05.  Talk about being indulged!

I do not intend to analyse all of these wines separately but will give my overall assessment.  My preference was for the St Henri, both vintages. Elegant, and well-balanced fruit/oak combination.  Restrained tannin influence.

St Henri has a small percentage of Cabernet, which I think distinguishes it from the RWT. Matured in large old oak, it does not have the overpowering influence of the small new oak used to mature the RWT. My pick was the 01, a beautiful wine.  The quality of St Henri has waxed and waned over recent years, however, this wine was a beauty. After the two St  Henri, the 05 Bin 389 was my next favourite. Everyone loves 389, Australia’s most cellared wine, after Grange.

My pick of the RWT’s was the 01, a rich intense wine with still huge concentrated fruit and sweet oak.  A delight, if you like this style!

Overall a wonderful array of Penfolds near finest. We were privileged. Incidentally, none of these wines showed any sign of ageing, all good for another 10+ years.  My only hope is that I live long enough to see the 09 RWT blossom into something resembling a mature, smooth and balanced wine that is flavoursome with minimal tannin.

Wines Served: 2017 Penfolds Cellar Reserve Chardonnay, 2009 Penfolds RWT, 2009 Penfolds St Henri, 2005 Penfolds St Henri, 2005 Penfolds Bin 389, 2001 Penfolds RWT, 2001 Penfolds St Henri

23 August 2022 CoTD Hal Epstein

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

Hal Epstein was in the kitchen today answering a call to arms from our Food Master as he needed a ‘volunteer’ as chef of the day.

Canapés

I like it when Hal cooks he usually issues us a challenge to identify a secret ingredient or product. Today it was the salami unusual in that it was a duck salami with juniper berries served on seeded bread.

Next up was rollmops (pickled herring with onion) served on spoons with radish and watercress.

To round the canapés off we had some pork crackling, a commercial pack from Station meats. Tasty and moreish.

Good comments on the canapés.

Main

Hal set the scene with his description of lunch.  

“Spring will be with us shortly.

Imagine being in a Swiss Alps Café overlooking the flowering meadows below.

You might choose this traditional dish which would be on most menus,

the always enjoyable Cordon Bleu schnitzel and to wash it down with a glass of fresh young white or red.”

It was a true Aussie bleu cordon schnitzel and yes bleu it was.

Rose pink on the inside and made with two pieces of meat, the secret here is to have a low melt cheese to meld the schnitzel together. The filling was Emmental cheese and ham.

It worked although Hal thought the meat could have been thinned out a bit more. Some of the servings were a little cool and our ever-obliging chef offered to warm them up.

There were a lot of comments on the meal with a good history of schnitzel provided by our expert on hand Josef Condrau who opened comments today.

This was accompanied by a perfectly executed red cabbage with apple/butter/cider vinegar per Stephanie Alexander and potatoes.

Many asked about how the potatoes were cooked. Something we have not seen before, these were chat potatoes simmered to tender in highly brined water and let dry - salted skin is the attraction. 

Well done, Hal.

Cheese

Our cheese master James Healey presented an Emmental cheese as requested by our chef. It was ‘Chabert Emmental De Savoie’

A hard cheese cow's milk from Savoie in France.

Made from partially skimmed Alpine cows’ milk these huge cheeses are possibly the largest in the world. Made with a natural, oiled rind and large walnut-sized holes interspersed through the body of the pale yellow paste. The whole cheese is matured for a minimum of 12 months and cheese is made during the summer months when the cows graze the rich pastures of the high alpage. The flavour is buttery with a distinct sweet fruity flavour and smooth chewy texture.

The bread was from Organic Bread Bar, baguettes, seeded stick and five seed loaf.

When Paul Irwin cooked earlier in the month many comments were made regarding the quality of the bread. It can be ordered at Bar Mammoni, in the Hinchcliffe House complex. They bake every day and they’re happy to take orders. Just ring the day before.

Wine

The report on today’s lunch wines will be quite brief as there was not much disagreement around the room on any of the six wines on display. Unusual. The opening white was the delicious Tyrrells Belford Semillon 2017. Hardly a critical comment was heard. Balanced, great flavour, lots of time ahead. At five years from vintage, fresh and crisp. Potentially a classic in the making. Review in five years. Perfect with the canapes.

The next wine on the list was served with the main course of veal. The wine was a German Riesling, a Kabinett from Dr Mayer.  Very nice wine indeed, good mix of fruit/acid, medium-bodied, nice wine with food. A bit more thickness on the palate than our Rieslings. Enjoyable. The next wine was from a close neighbour, a Pittnaeur from Austria. The label was of no assistance whatsoever in identifying the grape variety, other than being a red wine, so the experts in the room eventually came up with a suspect, Blaufränkisch a popular Austrian red, much favoured by the local Viennese. The wine was greeted with lukewarm enthusiasm by our group, drinkable, but forgettable. Perhaps a remnant of Paul Ferman’s efforts to expand our horizons.

Wine No 4 was indeed a “sweet little thing “, the literal English translation of the grape Dolcetto. Those at my table regarded it as being an excellent accompaniment to the veal. the producer Paulo Scavino produces some excellent reliable Italian wines and this wine was most enjoyable. Medium body, five years of age, nice fruit, a little thicker than the same grape we see here occasionally. A great wine to glug down with a pizza.

The cheese wines were the Lindemans 2010 Bin 1003 from the Hunter, and a Majella Coonawarra Cabernet hailing from 2004.  In reverse order, dealing with the Majella first, it nearly leapt out of the glass with huge Cabernet flavours and aroma. POW! No mistaking this was Cabernet. After the initial bravado and with ten minutes or so in the glass, the wine began to fall away into a stewed fruit cocktail of various flavours and a blousy flabby finish, no elegance here.

The final wine for review was the Lindemans. Generally regarded at my table as being an excellent Hunter Shiraz. Drinking at 10 yo, the wine had plenty of time left and was a vibrant deep red colour, with an excellent clean finish. Very drinkable. Would very much like to see the wine again in 5 years.

Wines Served: 2017 Tyrell’s Belford Single Vineyard Hunter Semillon, 2016 Dr Mayer Remstal Kabinett Trocken, 2014 Pittnaeur Pannobile Blend, 2010 Lindemans Bin 1003 Shiraz, 2004 Majella Cabernet Sauvignon

16 August 2022 CoTD Paul Irwin

Food review by Steve Liebeskind and wine review by Nick Reynolds

Paul Irwin produced a lunch worthy of a COTY nomination for 20 members. It was disappointing to have a small roll up but that allowed for a more personal lunch for those who attended.

The theme today was Middle Eastern utilising some recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi.

Canapes

There were two starters today.

Firstly, Paul went off-theme with tuna seared on a spoon. The tuna was lightly seared in long rectangular pieces rolled in sesame seeds, and sliced with a raw middle. Topped with shallots and a sauce with citrus (orange juice), soy and smoked capsicum oil. The canape looked great and the flavour is what you would like and expect to pair with the aged Riesling served today.

Second, on theme, we had cauliflower fritters. The cauliflower pieces were combined with cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, parsley, garlic, flour and egg. This mixture was divided into pieces and fried. The fritter was served with a dip of yoghurt with lime juice and zest, then garnished with chives and parsley. The fritter did lose some of its crispness but the flavour was terrific. The spices came through however what little heat (minimal) there was, was cut by the dip. The lemon juice and zest enhanced the flavour of the fritter and the texture and feature of cauliflower were on the front foot.

Main

Members were presented with an attractive plate of colour and quality produce.

Atlantic salmon was seared to crisp the skin and then baked in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes. The salmon sat on a bed of Israeli/pearly couscous which had been cooked and tossed in olive oil and chopped herbs. On top of the salmon was a good serving of capsicum and hazelnut salsa.  To finish the plate there were broccoli pieces blanched with slivered almonds, sliced garlic, sautéed serrano peppers with lemon juice and zest. A dash of salt lifted the citrus flavour.

The salmon came to the table in perfect condition. The skin was crispy, the meat was cooked through and remained pink whilst retaining moisture and flaked with a fork. The capsicum complemented the salmon and added a wonderful dimension to the protein. We haven’t seen Israeli couscous for a while and it worked so well. The pearls were soft and well seasoned and complemented the salmon and capsicum.

Not to be forgotten was the outstanding soughdough bread that had a wonderful flavour and char on the crust. While the bread was lighter than Iggy’s it certainly was right up there for enjoyment.

In summary, the members were very complimentary of the lunch and felt fortunate to have attended.

Cheese

Today we had a D’Affinois Bleu a cow's cheese that came in a 2 kg round. Jean-Claude Guilloteau created a method of ultra-filtration that occurs before the cheese-making process. The process utilises pasteurised milk being passed through a series of membranes to extract protein and water. The outcome is a wonderfully silky and creamy texture to the mouth. The blue is light and subtle and today's cheese was in perfect condition. To complement the cheese we had rocket with pear slices with a dressing of honey, vinegar and olive oil.

Wine

We started off with 2012 Pewsey Vale Riesling. Although it retained its classic Bickford’s lime cordial taste, the wine was starting to verge into a honeyed and aged expression of Riesling. Some thought it may be the petrol/kerosene notes thought to be generated as a by-product of sunburnt grapes common in Australia. However, this characteristic is also common in aged German Rieslings so it was probably varietal related. Whichever it was, the wine was well balanced, aromatic, and well received.

With ten members at each table, we had three wines with the main Salmon dish. The first was a 2017 Tapanappa Picadilly Valley Chardonnay made by Brian Croser. The wine is fermented with a proprietal yeast blend and was aged in one-third new oak with the remainder second and third fill. It sat on lees for around nine months before bottling. Stone fruit and marzipan dominated the palate and the wine was well balanced and mouth filling. Some commented that it was a big Chardonnay but there was no evidence of excessive malolactic fermentation, instead the wine had the cheesy note that comes from lees. The second main course wine was a 2014 Christian Clerget Bourgogne Rouge. This vintage in Burgundy started out with some pretty severe hail and finished with sufficient heat for an unusual breakout of vinegar flies (Drosophila Suzukii), which can cause fruit rot. The selection of fruit reduced this issue and today’s wine was supported on purchase by Ray Healey as a very good example of regional Burgundian wine. Today, eight years after its production, while the structure was still good the fruit had fallen away. Each of the two tables had a second bottle of Australian Pinot Noir, one made in 2012 and the other from 2015. A number of members preferred the more fruit expression of Australian Pinot Noir, others the structure of the French. Perhaps the ideal would have been somewhere in the middle? As usual, there was some disagreement as to which wine best matched the main course, with the Chardonnay probably winning out.

The cheese was served with two red wines. The first was a 2008 Hardy’s Clare Valley HRB D646 Shiraz, which is a blend of McLaren Vale and Clare Valley fruit. The former can be excessively alcoholic and fruity, while the latter is more a cool climate product with sophistication and fine structure. In this case, the blending worked extremely well with the final product being well balanced with good fine tannin structure, underlying sweet black fruit, as well as some chocolate notes. I look forward to seeing this wine again. The second was a 2017 Paolo Scavino Dolcetto d’Alba. In Piemonte, the order of planting sees the best vineyards devoted to Nebbiolo, the next best to Barbera, and the remaining to Dolcetto and other grapes. Dolcetto translates to “little sweet one,” which when combined with its status on the pecking order of grape plantings means that it is typically a simple fruity wine that doesn’t see any form of oak. That being said, Paolo Scavino is a higher-tier maker; moreover, today’s wine comes from 50 year old vines, which makes it unusual in a number of respects. The wine came to the table as a combination of the light sweet fruit with a backbone of tannin from the grape. Balanced and with a decent length, it was appreciated by many in the room but not as much appreciated by those with a personal preference for more Australian-style lighter wines.

Wines Served: 2012 Pewsey Vale Eden Vale Riesling, 2017 Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay, 2014 Christian Clerget Bourgogne Rouge, 2008 Hardy’s Clare Valley HRB D646 Shiraz, 2017 Paolo Scavino Dolcetto d’Alba

9 August 2022 CoTD Nick Reynolds

Food review by Matthew Holmes

Canapés

Today the canapés were prepared by Matt Holmes and designed to set the scene for Nick Reynold’s Moroccan lamb dish. First out was homemade hummus on a home-baked tortilla base. The hummus was topped with roasted pine nuts and pomegranate seeds, garnished with paprika and parsley. The pomegranate added a lovely sweetness and a textural crunch as you bit into their seeds. The hummus was made with hulled tahini to prevent any bitterness.

Next and out of the oven, organic dates stuffed with feta cheese, wrapped in prosciutto with parsley garnish. A hidden ingredient came in the form of a pistachio nut that replaced the date pip, the pistachio added texture and more complexity to the flavour. Both canapés received a favourable response from the members.

Main course

For the main course, Nick produced Moroccan lamb shanks served on steamed cauliflower purée with diced carrots and celery. The lamb shanks were dusted with Moroccan spices then cooked sous vide for 48 hours at 64C and then held at 55C for 24 hours. The steamed cauliflower purée was made with sheep’s yoghurt, salt and sumac.

Garnishes included dehydrated and deep-fried chickpeas with Ras al Hanout spices, cinnamon-infused prunes, pine nuts and a gremolata-style relish of olive oil, parsley, garlic and preserved lemon. The sauce was a combination of porcini mushroom powder, beef stock, roasted chicken stock, red wine, port, pomegranate molasses, and duck jelly.

The dish was served with homemade Harissa paste made of fried and ground spices including Thai, ancho and pasilla chillies, cumin, coriander, sweet paprika, salt, caraway and garlic granules. The spices were made into a paste using olive oil and lemon juice. Once again, the king of sous vide was triumphant with the dish being well received by the members.

Cheese

The cheese today was from the French Basque Country. Chabrin is a natural rind, pressed cheese made in the traditions of the region using milk from a cooperative of farmers. Each wheel is aged in their cellars for three months giving the cheese a lovely mineral aroma. It is mildly goaty with sweet and nutty overtones and was enjoyed by all.

PS: the final image is of Matthew's hands whilst plating. His hands may be stained for days!

The main course and cheese wines were:

2010 Chateau Meyney

2010 Charteau Sociando-Mallet

2008 Lindemans Pyrus

2006 Yalumba Signature

The Bordeaux were in excellent condition and drinking at their peak and should hold for some time. The local wines were the source of some differences in liking fruit versus aged characteristics. I think the Bordeaux won the day but that is not a reflection on the two local wines.

2 August 2022 CoTD Peter Kelso

Food Notes: Nick Reynolds; Wine Notes (incorporated): Chilly Hargrave

Only 20 lucky members attended Peter Kelso’s lunch.

Why lucky?

Because it was one of the best-balanced, well-presented meals that we have had all year and the wines matched the main course to perfection.

Peter had prepared two canapés but due to an oven incineration incident, we missed the choux puffs.

The one we had was a simple, comforting egg and avocado dip on toast. These were accompanied by a 2014 Leo Buring Reserve Bin Riesling from Watervale. A wine that carried a certain richness and ripeness (12.5%) but was still in bright condition with delicious lime notes. 

While native ingredients are trendy today, it hasn’t always been the case. Kangaroo meat has been legal for human consumption only since 1980 in South Australia. In New South Wales, it could only be used as pet meat until 1993 and it was only as recently as 28 January 2021 until kangaroo could be harvested in Victoria for human consumption.

But, what’s that Skip? You’re delicious, healthy and nutritious as well?

Kangaroo meat is very high in protein and low in fat (around 2%). It can be overcooked extremely easily but today it was cooked to perfection. Kangaroo has a game-like flavour that is ideally accompanied by a sweet berry or similar accompaniment.

Peter Kelso marinated his kangaroo loin fillets in olive oil and juniper berries for 24 hours before searing them quickly in a pan. Instead of berry, he used a dollop of homemade quince jelly. Anyone who has made this knows that it is the equivalent of kitchen napalm spitting on the oven so Peter went well beyond the call of duty in creating this for us to eat today. The kangaroo was accompanied by diced and roasted root vegetables (beetroot, red onion and carrot) mixed with a spicing of smoked paprika, ground cumin and olive oil with brown lentils preserved lemon and parsley. It was served topped with a dressing of yoghurt lemon juice and garlic. The whole gave a sweet/sour combination that matched the protein perfectly. Our Winemaster, Chilly Hargrave outdid himself by matching this dish with two Aussie cool-climate Shiraz. The first was a 2012 Wynns Black Label Shiraz that showed spice and fruit notes that were a perfect fit to the main. The second wine, a 2010 Cherubino Acacia Frankland River Shiraz, was a more complex, savoury, and layered wine. At twelve years of age, it is still alive and now drinking at its best. 

While everyone easily identified the cheese as a washed rind variety, its origins stumped the room. James Healey presented a Jensen’s Red from the Tarago River Cheese Company. It came to the table in perfect condition and was accompanied (for nostalgia) by a salad with small bacon bits. The salad was a mix of bitter leaves: radicchio, endive and arugula. Peter dressed them with a vinaigrette based on walnut oil and sherry vinegar with a dash of Dijon mustard. With the cheese, we tasted an interesting match of 2 aromatic, tannic varieties. The 2016 Massolino Dolcetto d’Alba had a vibrant nose and colour with its varietal tannins softening, but perhaps the fruit is going with them. We returned to Wynns Black Label for the last wine, but this time the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s a Society (and Australian) favourite and this was true to form. As with the Shiraz, it showed obvious vanilla oak notes, but the fruit and tannin balance carried through. Not the best vintage in Coonawarra, but this wine is still shining.

26 July 2022 CoTD Paul Thorne

Food review by Steve Liebeskind and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

Today President Paul Thorne was in the kitchen and as he said at the lunch, he was looking at providing comfort food in the midst of the winter cold and to complement quality wines being presented at the lunch.

Canapes

Paul was given support by a few people to prepare and provide the canapes – lucky boy. We were presented with:

1.            Tuna dip in a pastry cup

2.            Red capsicum spread on a toasted bread round topped with charred eggplant and parsley

3.            Creme fraiche with wasabi in a pastry cup topped with white anchovy

4.            Crème fraiche and goat’s cheese in a pastry cup topped with Tartufata (Mushrooms and truffles in oil).

All canapes were well received and each provided a punch of flavour to start the lunch.

Main

We were served pork neck plated on a base of pea and ham soup. The pork comprised four pieces cooked in the oven for 4.5 hours at 135C. The pork was cooked in trays and sat on a base of onions and duck stock. The pea and ham soup was a combination of many vegetables and legumes/pulses including carrots, peas, beans (2 or 3 types) barley and lentils.  The ham hock flavour was infused and then shreds were throughout the soup.

The meal came to the table smartly presented.  The pork had terrific colour and showed it was cooked perfectly. Pork can be a challenge to get right and, as it rests, it still cooks. The pea and ham soup provided good colour and the broth provided additional flavour and moisture to the pork. Overall, the flavour was delicate and the seasoning was a personal preference. The meal complemented the wines. 

The bread was from Haberfield bakery an old favourite of the Society from years gone past.

Cheese 

Latteria Perenzin Formajo. This is a cow milk cheese that was wrapped in grape skins for added flavour when maturing. The cheese is made in the Italian Alpine foothills. The cheese was semi-hard, had a nutty character, and was sweet and fragrant with notes of fruit. Served with the cheese were caramelised walnuts on the board. In a bowl were dates and hydrated dried figs. The figs starred as they were soaked in orange juice and ouzo. 

Wine

The lunch today had as its centrepiece six Grand Cru Burgundies.  Impressive to say the least.

The aperitif white was a French Chardonnay CH Marsannay 2017 from the Cote de Nuits, near Dijon.

The wine had a medium-deep yellow colour, was well matured and smooth on the palate, moderate alcohol, @ 12.5%. Despite its sound presentation, the wine in my view lacked character.  By no means unpleasant, just not very interesting, perhaps the acid had fallen away a dash.  I would not have picked it as a Chardonnay.

There was a second bottle presented, a  Scorpo from Victoria I am told, as I never saw the bottle, More like what we are used to in Chardonnay, nice wine, despite only having a mouthful.

We were all in a state of excitement as we waited for the arrival of the Main Act,  the Burgundies.  The wines spanned vintages from 1999 to 2009, from the Jewel in the Crown Of Burgundy, the famed Nuits St George Commune. Before preparing this report I did a quick vintage report check on the Red Burgundies on display.

1999 was rated highly, 2002 well regarded,  2003 tricky, very hot year, some excellent wines made, but variable. 2009 is generally regarded as a good vintage, so, all looked promising.

The first two served were the 2009 Maison Roche de Bellene Lavaut St Jacques and the  09  Maison Charmes- Chambertin Grand Cru.  I found these wines hard to separate. Both wines were light to medium body in colour of red brick, just beginning to fade, slightly acidic aftertaste.  Enjoyable, but not outstanding.

Wine no 3 was the  Bichot Echezeaux Grand Cru.  Great wine, just perfect! Velvety and smooth, utterly seductive and drinkable in large amounts if possible. No sign of browning, deep ruby red colour, beautiful PN nose. We were given a real treat by our Winemaster.

Wines 4 and 5 were the 02 Lupe Cholet Chambertin and the 99 Clos Vougeot. My glass of the Chambertin showed distinctive signs of ageing with a flat finish.  Much the same comments apply to the Vougeot, which is disappointing. Both of these wines were I feel struggling to cope with their age, with fruit and acid falling away. I would have loved to drink these wines 10 years ago.

 Wine No 6. Sadly there was no joyous farewell from the 99 Cholet, Latricieres Chambertin. once again I found myself confronting what should have been a superb wine, only to find the peak drinking period had passed maybe 10 years ago. My remarks about this wine are the same as wines 5 and 6, namely, tired and fading.

From  a very personal perspective, I feel the afternoon  became an example of the old saying  “to travel hopefully is better than to arrive“

I fully understand that many others in the room may have a different view, particularly if you like aged Burgundy.

None of these comments is intended to reflect adversely on our Winemaster’s selections who clearly has the hard task of selecting suitable wine from a cellar of several hundred ageing French wines, many highly regarded, but which will have silently slipped past their use by date.

We all know with Old Wine, “you pay your money and you take your chances“.

19 July 2022 CoTD Madan from REX

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

Our chef of the day was Madan the third member of our talented and professional team in the kitchen at the Royal Exchange. venturing into the kitchen our senses were heightened as took in the aromas and spices of the Nepalese lunch being prepared for us.

Canapés

First up was Kwati - a mixed bean soup that is specific to the mountain regions of Nepal. It has seven different types of beans that are sweated for forty-eight hours before being made into soup. It was creamy and aromatic with a lingering depth of flavour, spice was evident but not overwhelming heat.

Pork sekuwa - this was marinated for twenty-four hours in ginger garlic and coriander and was served on skewers with a tomato chutney dip. The meat was barbecued, perfectly cooked, moist with complex flavours and had a great aftertaste.

Lamb choila - Fried with mixed masala and served in pastry cups.

The lamb is first marinated in ginger, garlic, and lemon and set aside for grilling. After grilling the lamb was garnished with more spices to restore its rich flavour.

The canapés were bountiful with complex flavours and perfectly matched with wines on offer today. There were many favourable comments from the floor on the canapé offering today.

Main 

Now to our main course this certainly impressed members.

Minnas machha - this is Nepalese-style fried fish curry. The fish was barramundi marinated in tomato, onions and herbs for a day, it was delicate and cooked perfectly. The curry sauce was complex consisting of lemon, turmeric and cumin not too rich, and long on the palate.

The accompaniments to our fish were some Basmati rice, warmed sliced carrot and white radish and a potato and chickpeas pickle.

It was a great effort with a lot of preparation and thought going into today's meal and much appreciated by all for the authentic and interesting Nepalese food presented today.

Cheese

The cheese was supplied by our kitchen team a soft pasteurised cow’s milk cheese from France “Royal Faucon Brie” this was served with lavosh style crackers and truffled honey.

It was good to see some long-term members back at lunch Paul Bookalil and Miles Hedge, perhaps they’d heard it was John Edwards's birthday who very generously shared some Para Port to celebrate and finish our lunch.

Wine

The first on offer was the 2015 La Jalousie, Chenin Blanc at 13.5%   At 7 years just a pup in the Chenin Blanc world.  These wines last forever. I have had several over the years 20+ years old and still fresh and fruit driven. An excellent choice for the pass-arounds which were terrific.

The second wine to be drunk was the Bernard Fouquet Cuvee Silex Vouvray 2016 at 12% also a Chenin Blanc. Good wine, well-balanced fruit/acid, many many years ahead of it. My wine of the day.  The producer Marc Bredif is also a top producer of good Vouvray.

Wine 3 served was the 2012  Cuilleron Syrah at 12.5% an excellent wine from the Rhone District. Great depth of flavour but with medium body and strong tannin finish.  Most drinkable.

Wine 4 was the Kooyong Pinot 2016 at 13.5% from Mornington.  Thin, lean with oak overpowering the faint fruit flavours.  Overall unimpressive. 

Wine 5 was the Cuilleron Roussanne 2018. A wine style we do not see much of here. Loads of quality fruit, 14% a thick oily finish, quite luscious, Bit like a Marsanne only more intense. Very good wine, highly regarded by several at our table. Would in my view take a little time to get used to, a very different dryer style from what we in Australia are familiar with.

Note re wines: Tables of ten have an extra different bottle served and if a wine is found to be faulty it is not served but substituted with a different wine. Sometimes the Winemaster will be using up odds and sods (usually very good wines) to clear out the wine frig.

12 July 2022 CoTD Steve Sparkes

Food  notes by James Hill (in absentia) and wine review by Stephen O'Halloran

It was a full house for lunch last week as we welcomed Ray Kidd back to our Society and lunch after a Covid enforced exile. Steven Sparkes, a chef of renown, was our chef of the day with a theme of ‘home style’ Italian based on countess meals served by and to his wife’s family. A lot of work and effort was evident in the preparation for lunch.

Canapés

There were three canapes served:

- A tuna pate (Pate di Tonno)  topped with some finely diced Cornichons and served on a small round of toast.

- Baby Mozzarella with Basil wrapped in San Daniele prosciutto

- Pork and chicken Terrine with tomato relish served on a cracker.

The terrine was the more complex of the canapés.

It consisted of pork mince, chicken breast and thigh, chicken livers, baby spinach, pistachios, sage, asparagus, green peppercorns and some lemon zest. All diced, mixed and compressed in a mould lined with prosciutto. The relish was homemade and added a nice tang to the dish. A note from the chef ‘the French did steal the idea of terrine from the Italians!!’

Main Course

Ambitious is a word that comes to mind when you’re serving pasta for 40 plus members and Steve succeeded with many favourable comments from the floor on the quality, flavour and overall execution of all the food served today.

The pasta was homemade tagliatelle with three 'variations'.

-  White:  standard mix of eggs, flour and water

-  Red: eggs, flour, water with a capsicum puree added for colour, taste, and texture

-  Green: eggs, flour and water with a spinach/parsley puree added for colour, taste, and texture

The ragu was duck and porcini.

Duck marylands were used with some being rendered and braised in the base sofrito which consisted of onions, celery, carrot, fennel and a touch of chilli. Rehydrated porcini, fresh button, fresh shiitake and swiss brown mushrooms went in next along with a bottle of red and about a litre each of homemade passata and chicken stock.

The rest of the duck marylands were cooked confit style, cooled and coarsely shredded. Just before service, this confit, as well as fresh Swiss brown and king mushrooms, were added to the ragu for texture.

Rather than the traditional topping of parmesan, a fresh pangrattato was served.

This is in fact the poor man's substitute for the cheese and consists of dried bread crumbs, walnuts, anchovy, parsley and lemon zest all blitzed and pan roasted. This version was a bit special in that the skin from the marylands had been removed before cooking and rendered crisp in the oven, cooled, diced finely and mixed with the pangrattato.

A simple salad was served as a bridge between the main and the cheese course which is also very traditional.

Cheese

James Healey, in theme, presented a Cravero Parmesan Reggiano an Italian hard cheese made from cow's milk.

Parmigiano Reggiano is the king of Italian cheese and certainly one of the world’s most important benchmarks. Produced by almost 350 small dairies in a strictly designated area of northern Italy its age and origin is guaranteed, but some cheeses are better than others.

The Cravero family has specialised in maturing Parmigiano from small dairies in purpose-built storerooms in Bra since 1855. This rare two-year-old ‘mountain’ cheese has impeccable regional provenance. It is handmade in the San Pietro dairy in the Appennini hills of Modena from the raw milk of a small herd of less than 100 cows. After meticulous maturation at the dairy for twelve months, the finest cheeses are graded by Giorgio and taken to Bra for ripening.

At two years old its succulent moist nutty texture has a complex fruity caramel sweetness that is very different to the dry and often bitter cracked cheeses matured by the large cooperatives.

Accompaniments to the cheese course were a fig, date, prune and nut roll made about 6 weeks ago and some brandied cumquats (vintage 2018) which seemed to match very well with the delightful Parmigiano Reggiano.

Wine

Today members gathered in booked-out numbers to celebrate the outstanding work of Society member Ray Kidd of Lindemans wines. Ray was the CEO of Lindemans between 1962 and 1986, a period of enormous growth and change in the Australian Wine Industry. Between 1960 and 1990 the industry had grown in those 30 years to become one of Australia’s major industry success stories. Lindemans was right in the middle of that transformation and Ray was at the helm for 24 of those 30 years, developing the Company into a  significant, if not the major player during those years.

Apart from being an outstanding CEO, Ray’s great successes were the creation of the famous Ben Ean Moselle, and the creation of the fabulous Trio of Cabernets from Coonawarra, St George, Pyrus and Limestone Ridge.

Ray has been an active Society member since 1969 and we were honoured to have him here today.  He would very much enjoy introducing us to some of his great-grandchildren who are also with us today, namely, a collection of Hunter River reds and whites and a Coonawarra Cabernet.

Bin 1155 Semillon 2011

Fresh, clean faint citrus flavours, well-balanced fruit/acid. Ageing well. 12%.

Bin 1150 Reserve Semillon 2011

A more developed style, thicker body on the palate and more luscious than the preceding wine. A wine similar to the Bin 1155, only with more power and flavour.  Great ageing potential.  12.5%

Bin 1003 Hunter Shiraz 2010

A wine from the famous Ben Ean vineyard, now at 12 years of age. Lovely wine, full-bodied, a treat to consume.  An abundance of quality fruit, big colour no ageing evident. 13%

Bin 1403 Hunter Shiraz 2014

Just when you thought a Hunter red, like the previous wine, could not get any better, along comes the 2014 and blows the competition away,  Wow, what a wine. 2014 has for a long time been regarded as one of the great Hunter vintages of all time.  I can see why.  Massive colour, powerful yet elegant, years ahead of it.  Many in the room considered it to be the Wine of the Day. 14% 

Bin 1350 Reserve Semillon 2013

Fresh and clean, Lemon/vanilla overtones. In great shape for the future. A great example of the Hunter’s ability to produce near bulletproof Semillon, which can in good years last for decades.  Would love to see this wine in 10 years. My pick of the whites. 10.5%

St George Vineyard Cabernet 2008

A wine produced by one of Ray’s understudies, Sue Hodder, now a celebrated winemaker in her own right. Very strong fruit flavours of classic Cabernet.  To my taste a little out of balance with stewed fruit aromas. No doubt many others would have rated the wine highly.  For those who seek out blockbuster Cabernets, this is your wine! 14%

Overall a terrific afternoon, our thanks to Chilly Hargraves for his careful selections and of course to Ray for his lifelong dedication to the Australian wine industry. We have all benefited. And special thanks to Philip Laffer for organising the Rays to attend and his comments on the range of wines.

5 July 2022 COTD Bill Alexiou-Hucker

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

Our food master Bill Alexiou was in the kitchen for our American Independence Day celebration lunch. Bill stepped in at the last moment and certainly stepped up!

Canapés

First, we had pastry cases filled with feta, ricotta and lime zest, the cheese was baked in the cases. Bill advised that this was a last-minute addition as he had some left-over feta that he couldn’t waste. Full feta flavour with the lime zest adding that extra zing.

We moved on to our next canapé let’s call them ‘tex mex’ empanadas made with beef. Perfectly cooked pastry a good size to get your hand around.

The stuffing was meat and vegetables with a very tasty home sauce as a dip. The empanada had a great taste, the meat perfectly cooked with a little chilli added that left a pleasant lingering heat on the palate.

What is July 4 without mac and cheese, these had a little Greek influence. The cheese custard in the mac was warmed which enhanced the flavour and it did need a pinch of salt to finish.

You don’t go hungry if Bill is in the kitchen our last canapé was jalapeño poppers. These were jalapeño peppers deseeded and stuffed with cheddar, Gruyère and feta then wrapped with bacon. Another winner great flavour, well cooked with a very mild Jalapeño pepper heat.

Main

Our main today was beef rib that had been marinated in beef stock, Coca Cola and rosemary for 48 hours before cooking. The ribs were so large that Bill had to remove them so we could get the meat in the roasting pan and then on the plate. The beef was roasted in maple syrup, salt and oregano it was tender and melt in the mouth. The sauce was the residual cooking juices with some potato starch added to give it some thickness. It was served along with barbecued corn on the cob with a disc of butter, lime and chilli. The beef was set on some broad beans with that delicious sauce. To top it off we had fries as a side.

A great effort Bill, much appreciated by all in the room for the authentic flavours and so well executed.

Cheese

We welcomed back our Cheesemaster James Healey who’s been on a research and education tour of Italy, France and Spain.

No one guessed today’s offering, a blue cow's milk cheese from Ireland ‘Cashel’. When young, Cashel blue is firm yet moist, with just a hint of fresh tarragon and white wine. With age, its true character emerges, mellowing to a rounder spicier style.

We had a great example of the cheese today and Bill’s accompaniment was walnuts that were roasted with maple syrup, oregano and salt.

Wine

Due to a  gremlin in the system, my wine report for the  Chef of the Year Dinner on 24 June did not see the light of day at the time. This has been rectified I am told and is now for viewing under “Special Events“. See https://www.wfsnsw.org.au/functions/past-special-events.html. I  felt the report did justice to the memorable wines we had that night.  A stunning performance by our Wine Master.

Bringing ourselves back to earth, I will now produce my report on the lunch wines we had yesterday.

At the outset, I will repeat what I said yesterday, that is, in my view, the first and last wines were duds, and the middle bracket was excellent.  The first wine a Pinot Bianco 2020 from Erste+Neue was with the aperitif for the finger food.  I felt the wine was non-descript and lacked flavour. Some members commented that its delicate flavours were ideal with the pass-around food. My view was that it was so delicate as to become unnoticeable.  After a glass or three, it began to remind me of the sensation of trying to finish off a boring novel with a pointless finish!  Not much joy there.

Wines 2 to 5 were fine. The second white, Chardonnay from the Mornington district was a great example of good quality Chardonnay, however, sadly my allocation was tiny,  unlike the previous wine. Perhaps the word had got around!

Wines 3 to 5 were excellent, 2 Rosemount Mudgee Mountain Blue Shiraz Cabernet blends from 06 and 02.  Really both delightful and holding up well. Tons of flavour, well balanced, even the 02 (my favourite) showed no sign of ageing beyond a little browning around the rim of the glass.

Wine 5 the Penfolds Bin 389  lived up to its reputation as an outstanding all-rounder. Great Fruit, balanced, drinking at just about its peak. In my view the wine of the day.

This then brings us to Wine 6. Dear oh dear what happened here?   A Shiraz from Heathcote Vic with plenty of winemaking faults.  Most unpleasant aromas, a strange chemical smell. Did not improve on tasting.  At 7 years bottle age, this wine has little to offer. Could not recommend it even as cooking wine.

The wines for next week’s lunch look exceptional. See you then.

28 June 2022 CoTD David Madson

Lunch review by James Tinslay

David Madson was in the kitchen today for the wine lunch and was assisted by Duane Roy (winemaker at Glandore Estate and an ex-chef) and James Tinslay.

This wine lunch was a completely Tyrrells-themed lunch, but more of that later.

The first canapé was from me and were savoury palmiers which were based on anchovy with a Philadelphia cheese base on the puff pastry with dried tomato and a very sharp Parmesan cheese. I first came across savoury palmiers from Peter Manners who served them some years ago and I’ve kept the tradition of serving them at lunch every few years.

The next two canapés were from David with the first being commercial smoked ocean trout rillette combined with white cod taramosalata served on a rice cracker with dill and cucumber. The fish lovers in the room. This went down a treat.

The next came on an Asian-style spoon and was yellowfin tuna, kohlrabi and trout roe with dashi. Kohlrabi goes by many names and is from the same family as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower etc.

The main was chicken Maryland seared then braised in a tarragon infused stock and served with hasselback potatoes and snow peas. The skin of the chicken was pleasingly crispy with moist flesh. David had used a mix of fresh and dry tarragon with some dry vermouth and white wine in the mix. The sauce was plentiful and tasty. Their hasselback potatoes were red unpeeled, and the oven did a sterling job of crisping them. The dish was much liked.

This was our Cheesemaster’s first lunch for some time after his travels and James was back with a new cheese which was the Uplands Cheese Company’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Pleasant Ridge Reserve is a cow’s milk cheese made in the tradition of alpine cheeses by a family-run dairy and cheese making facility located on ‘Pleasant Ridge’ in southwestern Wisconsin.

The cheese is only made between May and October, while the cows are grazing on fresh pastures. The grass-fed milk produces flavour complexity in cheese that can’t be replicated when cows are eating machine harvested feed. It comes in 4.5 kg wheels and it was served with mixed nuts and dried fruit.

The cheese was buttery and reminiscent of another alpine classic, Beaufort, a Society favourite.

Of the canape wines, David donated six bottles of his newly bottled 2022 Glandore Estate Fiano which was Broke fruit. Very fresh with strident acid sometimes lacking in Fiano.

The meal wines were all Tyrrells and were:

2013 Vat 1 Semillon

2013 Johnno’s Basket Pressed Semillon

2011 4 Acres Shiraz

2007 Vat 9 Shiraz

2007 4 Acres Shiraz

2007 Old Patch 1867 Shiraz

The pick of the whites was the Vat 1 which was in great condition with stunning acid and was certainly in the more classic or traditional style of Hunter Valley Semillon, especially the Vat 1. The Johnno’s still had a good acid structure but was a fuller style.

Of the four reds, there was not much agreement between the tables. Many in the room love their Hunter reds and the most expensive of the bunch, Old Patch, was very popular. It was a big wine with huge intensity. In a blind tasting. I wouldn’t have picked it anywhere near the Hunter Valley. However, I only occasionally imbibe Hunter Valley reds.

There was quite a bit of variation between the other three reds with the lightest being the 2011 4 Acres which was more in the “HV Burgundy” style. Our table picked the 2007 4 Acres as the pick of the reds.

The Society cellar has large quantities of Tyrrell's wine so I think we shall see many of these aged and relatively expensive wines being served over the next few years.