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The night of Sunday April 11th the team at taste were proud to
turn out 360 courses in less than four hours. More to the piont we
were all really surprised and humble to get a rousing ovation at
the end of the evening. So we can share some of the magic of the
evening with those that weren't there (it was an absolutely full
house) the menu, notes of speakers and some images have been
uploaded.
Course 1
Natural oysters served with lime and basil sorbet.
Accompanying wine Falls
Semillon 2003.
The nose has Lemon, lime, and straw notes. The Palate - This wine
alerts the senses to fresh citrus lemon, grapefruit, and grassy
notes with subtle oak. The firm acid structure of this medium-full
bodied wine leaves the mouth fresh and alive. The lime and
basil sorbet and the natural oysters suit the Semillon
Course 2
Prawns marinated in garlic, ginger and sweet chilli and
pan fried. Accompanying wine
Rosnay organic Chardonnay Semillon 2006.
We think that Bob and Marg have made a good match with this prawn
dish and our Chardonnay Semillon. The flavours in this dish are
very colourful and Asian in style, and we have always believed that
this wine was well matched with seafood and spicy Asian food.
Whilst the rich fruit of medium to full bodied Chardonnay is always
a good all-round match with spicy Thai and Vietnamese food, the
lemony, grassy acids of the Semillon in this wine are also well
suited to seafood. We believe this wine has improved considerably
with age, as the flinty acids integrate and soften over time, and
the palate has become rounder, without losing the classic fruit
character of the Chardonnay.
According to Max Allen, it has a "subtle, flinty, delicate aniseed
edge. A very good minerally, savoury, and elegant style."
Course 3
Pork & organic strawberry terrine with a verge of
rocket dressed with sauce
made from organic strawberries and local chillies. Accompanying
wine Swinging Bridge Estate Rose 2009.
The SB Rose 2009 is made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The grapes
are used because of the balance they are able to have between acid,
sweetness and fruit characters of the wine. The wine shows
strawberries and cherries with only a touch of sweetness in the
mouth that is balanced by its natural acidity. It is a fantastic
aperitif or with light food.
Course 4
Back strap of lamb marinated in lemon juice, onion and
la Barre rosemary infused
olive oil sealed and baked and served on a bed of sorrel garnished
with Spanish onions in a tangy vinaigrette. Accompanying wine
Gardners Ground Organic Shiraz 2008
Our 2008 Shiraz was organically grown on our vineyard at 444 Rivers
Road, Canowindra in a season which was kind to the vines. Our
system of horticulture plays, we believe, a major role in obtaining
high quality fruit of quite young vines such that the winemaker,
could work his magic to deliver the best red wine of the region at
the 2009 Cowra Wine Show. When talking of this wine its best to
quote the words of Rob Geddes, Master of Wine, he wrote: “Gardners
Ground 2008 Shiraz is really smart, quite special with its spicy
black pepper aromas over Blackberry flavours”. Gardners Ground is
sure you will find it compliments the lamb with its marinade of
rosemary, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and onion.
Course 5
Eye Fillet marinated in garlic & baked with a crust
of seeded mustard served with
baked Dutch cream potatoes and mushrooms fried in butter with a
puff pastry strip. Accompanying wine Wallington Petit Verdot
Deep purple in colour this wine has violet, spicy, plum aromas with
blackberry and mulberry flavours with a firm acid finish. This wine
is in great company with this rich plate of beef and mushrooms.
Course 6
Flourless chocolate, and strawberry cake with strawberry
and chilli sauce.
Accompanying wine Hamilton Bluff Dolce Nero 2007
The Dolce Nero (Sweet Black) is a product of the trying times in
the Australian Wine Industry. The 2007 vintage ended with lots of
fruit unpicked at Hamiltons Bluff, I was watching my Sangiovese
ripen away happily and it was breaking my heart that we could not
afford to make more of our usual Sangiovese that year. As the
weather held, the fruit kept getting riper….
After a minute or two of navel gazing and head scratching we
decided ‘Bugger it’ and picked 4t of this once in a lifetime fruit.
After a six weeks in an open fermenter we stopped it when the
alcohol reached 10%. Fairly simple stuff. There have been no
additions of tannin, color, spirit, etc. What you see is what was
in the fruit. (and that’s fairly concentrated as we only managed to
press out about 250lt/t). The match with flourless chilli
strawberry and chocolate cake is a cheeky challenge to the senses
that explores the playful nature of this wine that you can’t simply
put in box. |