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Chef of the Day this week was first-time chef Matthew Holmes assisted by Nick Reynolds. A significant lunch as in addition to Matthew's first time in the kitchen we were celebrating the fact that Walter Edwards was turning 102 years old was this week. We had a special tasting of Keith Tulloch wines kindly donated by Keith who attended the lunch with Cameron Davies also from the vineyard.

Canapés. For those with an affection for oysters, they were in seventh heaven as Matthew had a number of trays of Sydney rock oysters which ran out far too soon for the voracious oyster lovers at the lunch. For those of us who do a pass on oysters, we heard the appreciative sounds from elsewhere in the room. Apparently, they were very fresh and tasty. In a seafood theme, the other starter was lightly poached green prawns served with a fine coconut source made from dry coconut and served in single serve spoons.

Aperitif wine. The first wine of the day from Keith Tulloch Wine was the 2017 Hunter Valley Chardonnay (13%). The wine had been fully barrel fermented in a selection of French oak and had a beautiful fullness and length of fruit balanced by sufficient acid. Drinking well now but will certainly stick around for a few years.

Main Course. Many first-time chefs choose to go softly softly with something that they know well but not Matt. He launched into a deconstructed duck curry based on traditional coconut cream with three types of chilli. There a long list of ingredients, many of which would be familiar to those who cook Asian food. The presentation of the food was splendid with the full duck breast placed on top of the mild coconut curry sauce and served with lycees. After rendering the duck breast, it had been cooked briefly in the oven. The sweet character of the lycees was a sublime complement to the sweetness of the duck. Well done Matthew.

The Wines.

  • Keith Tulloch Shiraz Viognier 2016 (screwcap, 14%)
  • Keith Tulloch Forres Blend 2015 (screwcap, 14.5%)
  • Keith Tulloch Tawarri Shiraz 2016 (screwcap, 14.5%)
  • Keith Tulloch The Kester 2016 (screwcap, 14%)

The duck was accompanied by the Shiraz Viognier and the Forres blend. There is an opinion by some members that excluding the Northern Rhône blend of Shiraz/Viognier and a couple of Australian wines, that they are generally a little over sweet and perfumed. The Tulloch wine was neither and the Viognier as a percentage was up there at 5%. The grapes are co-fermented, and the result was surprisingly soft with a certain roundness from seemingly balanced fruit and tannin. The Forres blend was the favourite of a number of members who love their Cabernet blends. This 2015 was a blend of Cabernet (55%), Merlot (28%), Shiraz (9%) and Cabernet Franc (8%) with the latter being from the Hunter and the other components from Hilltops. Again, surprisingly drinkable at two years of age with, at this stage, a dominant Cabernet character.

The two reds with the cheese were a different kettle of fish as they say. The Tawarri is from a higher altitude Hunter Valley vineyard with some plum and spice evident. Nicely integrated oak and fruit created a solid impact on the palate and whilst enjoyable now, this is a wine for the longer term. Keith’s flagship wine, The Kester Shiraz, was a step up in power, but still relatively supple. Fruit flavours were very bright (a description that could be applied to all the reds today) and there was more power evident in the fruit and oak. This wine clearly needs time to reach its peak drinking time.

Keith Tulloch ran the room through a little history of the family and the confusion that exists in the minds of many about the multiple Tulloch labels that existed historically and how his family set up Keith Tulloch Wine in 1997. He is Hunter to the core. He also commented on the use of Viognier and his personal style with the variety. Keith also ran us through the five wines that he had generously presented to us today.

Cheese and coffee. We were back in the good ol’ USA today with a Cabot cheddar clothbound cheese from Vermont. This cheese has always presented well and did so again today. It is one of the more expensive cheeses available from any country.

Spencer Ferrier provided us with Brazilian coffee, the name of which was not clear. Mid strength and fruity were my first thoughts.

The President asked Wal Edwards to say a few words in honour of his 102nd birthday and of course he obliged. Wal reiterated his background in the 1930s beginning work for Johnnie Walker in Sydney and knowing nothing about wine but being able to sell ice to Eskimos. We promptly sang happy birthday in imperfect harmony before indulging in the 79.5% Inner Circle rum Wal had provided. Whew.

In closing, the President, Peter Kelso, presented Matthew Holmes with his Wine and Food Society apron and Matthew spoke about his food. He was cool as a cucumber and our Foodmaster will line him up for 2019.

Today was a lunch with three components, being a new chef, Wal’s 102nd and Keith Tulloch providing an excellent tasting of a selection of his top wines and special member only pricing for the lunch.

Thank you to all involved for an outstanding lunch attracting some 60 members and guests.