So you’ve eaten at the best places in New York, London and Paris, but have you matched a select few wines with some thoughtful courses in the Great Southern Restaurant with views over famous East Bay? Our gourmet little group did just this on Saturday night this last week as a marker in the year: we passed our mid-point. Time has flown, but there are still a few sleeps before we walk the gangplank back onto the Aurora Australis (or is that climb a rickety ladder attached to the lower belly of the Orange Roughy?).
“Why match food and wine?”, I asked. “For enjoyment” was my simple answer!
Not often seen outside the kitchen, I fronted a tough audience who seemed reluctant to try slurping and burbling wines over their palates as I so aptly demonstrated wine aspiration. We moved quickly to talking about each of the wines. Malcolm, Paul, Mel, Bob and I each put our slants on five wines (some fortified) for the group.
Ideally, a wine is matched to a dish, but circumstantially I was challenged with the reverse, plus we opened the wines as the dishes were plated, so there wasn’t an opportunity to taste prior to service. There seemed to be some discussion and interest around each of the matches. Judging by the rubbing of stomachs, satiety was definitely achieved.
Bron
Menu
Olives Ascolane with Preserved Lemon Mayonnaise, Toasted Almonds
2011 Delgado Zuleta La Goya Manzanilla Sherry- Jerez, Spain
Chicken Liver Pate with Cornichon Salsa, Caper Berries and Toasted Baguette
2009 Sparkling Merlot-Hollick, Coonawarra, South Australia
Lacquered Quail with Five Spice and Black Sticky Rice
2010 Geuwurtztraminer-Pipers Brook, Tamar Valley, Tasmania
Braised Beef Cheeks with Spinach Mashed Potato and Garlic Mushrooms
2010 Sangiovese-Coriole, McLaren Vale, South Australia
Chocolate and Chestnut Truffle Cake with Winter Fruit Salad
12 Year Old Topaque-Stanton and Killeen, Rutherglen, Victoria