Schloss Vollrads Kabinett 2009

Rheingau, Germany. Riesling (Semi dry). 11.5%. Vino lok. Approx $A40.

A little more exuberant, tropical and oily than expected. It leads with blossom and lime zest though by nights end I can discern pineapple in amongst the pebbles and kaffir lime leaves. Fleshy and gripping. It's essence like, though the conclusion is like licking a long straight line of slate. 90. Now - 2015.

The role of a sommelier

I wonder sometimes how sommeliers can resist the urge to speak their mind. . .

This passage from The World According to Bertie.

The waiter came and took their order. "And wine?" He asked.
Bruce looked at the list. "You know, I was in the wine trade for a while," he said to Julia, but loud enough for the waiter to hear.
"I'll fetch the sommelier," said the waiter.
"No need. . ." Bruce began. But the waiter had moved off and was whispering something into the ear of a colleague. The sommelier nodded and came over to Bruce and Julia's table.
"So, sir," he said. "Have you any ideas?"
Bruce looked at the wine list. "Bit thin," he said. "No offence, of course. No Brunello, for instance." He smiled at Julia as he spoke. She made a face as if to mourn the absence of Brunello.
"Oh, but I think there is, sir," said the sommelier, "Perhaps you did not register the name of the producers. Look, over there, for example. Banfi. We don't always feel it's necessary to describe exactly where a wine comes from. We assume that in many cases people know. . ."
"Where?" snapped Bruce. "Oh, yes, Banfi. Wrong side, of course."
"Of what, sir?"
"The river," said Bruce.
"But there isn't a river in Montalcino," said the sommelier gently. "Perhaps you're thinking of somewhere else. The Arno perhaps?"
Bruce did not respond to this; he was peering at the list.
"What about a Chianti?" he said. "What about this one here?"
The sommelier peered over his shoulder. "Mmm," he said. "I find that a bit unexciting personally."
"Well, why do you have it on the list, then?" Bruce said. His tone was now defensive, rattled.
"Well," said the sommelier, smiling, "We like to have one or two - how shall we put it? - pedestrian wines for some of our diners who have. . . well, not very sophisticated tastes. We don't actually carry Blue Nun but that's pretty much for the diner who would go for a bottle of Blue Nun. I would have thought that you might be interested in something much more. . . much more complex."
Bruce kept his eyes on the list. "Well have a bottle of this," he said, pointing wildly.
"Oh, a very good choice," said the sommelier. "And well worth the extra money. I always say that when you pay that much, you're on safe ground. Well chosen, sir."

November reading

In an earlier book from the 44 Scotland Street series, one the players reflects on an unexpected interlude. . . she remembered what she had once read somewhere, words of little comfort: for most of us, nothing very much happens; that is our life. The author playfully confirms and confounds this idea. The cast of characters is unchanged and stories are retold, embellished and advanced. The hero of the series, poor six year old Bertie, is frozen in time with his domineering mother. He dreams of turning seven, when hopefully life will get better and his wishes more respect. . . In the concluding pages, with his customary end of book poem the character Angus Lordie sums up the sentiment -

Dear friends, there is no timetable
For happiness; it moves, I think, according
To rules of its own. When I was a boy
I thought I'd be happy tomorrow,
As a young man I thought it would be
Next week; last month I thought
It would be never. Today, I know
It is now. . .

Inheritance is much less of a patchwork quilt and though it is sufficiently different, it reminds me of Dickens and Great Expectations. A hapless main character who comes into a fortune and eventually meaning and redemption.

Savaterre Pinot noir 2008

Beechworth, Victoria. Pinot noir. 13.5%. Cork. Approx $A65.

Medium crimson and seemingly unfiltered. Pretty nose, though in amongst the raspberry jelly and strawberry is a hint of resin and haystack. Full and extracted, tasted blind I would have guessed Central Otago. Sappy, smoked and savoury, it's quite compelling without being beautiful. 90. Now - 2012.

Alkoholfri

Ikea 'cider' and 'perry' with edible strawberry flavoured lace. The back label mentions that these are made from fermented apples and pears with the addition of juice and natural fruit aromas. Like the furniture the liquids are clean and functional, though devoid of natural textures and nuance.

Related.

A kernel's tale

Domaine Chignard Fleurie Les Moriers 2009

Fleurie, Beaujolais, France. Gamay. 13%. Cork. Approx $A40

Even without autosuggestion, I think this smells of violets and raspberries, but by night's end it's less flowery and more spiced and muscular. Peat and pine needles. Smoke. Bright and expansive in the mouth, before the pip like tannins grasp and demand your attention. An assertive, though not particularly attractive wine, marked by stalks and char.

Related.

Prawn cocktail recipe

I like revisiting ideas and recipes, which is why this is the fourth version of prawn cocktail on this site (1, 2, 3).

Ingredients (for 8 portions).

• 1 portion of Marie Rose sauce (see below)
• 8 large uncooked prawns - peeled and deveined (I used King prawns)
• Half of a ripe avocado
• Juice of half a lemon
• Half a small shallot - finely diced
• Tabasco
• 8 inner leaves of a Cos lettuce
• 2 medium tomatoes - peeled, de-seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon of fresh chives, finely diced

How?

Four processes. First the sauce. Make a mayonnaise - I now use one whole egg (egg white and yolk), half a teaspoon of mustard, 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar, sea salt and pepper and 120mls of olive oil. Rather than the age old process of slowly adding oil and emulsifying with a whisk, I add everything to a container and use a stab mixer until the right consistency is reached (usually within 20-30 seconds). To the mayonnaise stir in 50-60mls of ketchup and a few drops of Tabasco.

With the avocado - make a simple guacaomle. Add the avocado, lemon juice and shallot and process with stab blender till a smooth paste. Taste and correct flavours.

Third, peel, de-seed and finely dice the tomatoes, dress with the chopped chives and olive oil.

Finally cook the peeled prawns in a pot of boiling water. Remove once cooked - after about 60 seconds and refresh in a bowl of very cold water, before setting aside the prawns.

Construction. As illustrated. Place a spoonful of guacamole on the lettuce leaf, position a prawn and dress with the sauce and a spoon of the tomato mixture.

Dinner

From the pages of an old and well used 1970's Women's Weekly cookbook, my slightly anaemic looking version of Chicken Kiev. My butter mix consisted of 150g butter, 4 cloves of finely diced garlic, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon of chopped chives, salt, white pepper and the zest of half a lemon.

Myattsfield 'Dudley' Durif 2009

Perth Hills, Western Australia. Durif. Screwcap. Approx $A25

The Perth Hills are modest in elevation, geologically ancient and flattened by time and the lack of seismic renewal. With no rivers to cut and shape it, it has become a gentle undulation covered with hobby farms and sprawling residential blocks. Warmer by day than the already hot coastal strip below, altitude at least gives the resident vines and humans some slight nocturnal respite from the summer heat.

Impenetrable and black. Dense and spiced with notable cedar, prunes and a slight prickle of alcohol. Of all the bottles at the cellar door, this was the one that caught my attention, it's quite an impressive debut for the State's first commercial release of Durif. Seriously structured and extensively furnished, with the oak still a little too obvious giving the wine a dried coconut and pencil shaving accent. 87. Now - 2013+

Image: Row 22 @ Myattsfield.

Two from Margaret River

Brookland Valley Chardonnay 2008. An excellent example of modern Australian chardonnay. The restraint is notable and the posture and poise, wonderful. Lovely acidity and minerality, while still being generous and shapely.

Knee Deep Kim's Chardonnay 2008. Almost as enjoyable, though for different reasons. The corset of acidity has been mostly removed and the generous folds of flesh are evident. Full, flowing, creamy and indulgent.

Image: A temporary facade on Beaufort St, Highgate.

The effect of cellar temperature on wine maturation

Some time ago, I decided to do a twin study, to determine what effect unregulated temperature had on wine colour and eventually taste. Two years on and there is now a perceivable colour difference. The one the left is brighter and has been kept at a constant 16 degrees C, while the bottle on the right has been wrapped in foil and left in my study, where the annual temperature range is approximately 12 - 27 degrees C.

Somewhat related.

Bindi Original Pinot noir 2009

Macedon, Victoria, Australia. Pinot noir. 13%. Diam.

37.2 degrees C today and a leaf day too, wiser and more patient heads would have waited, but with the scent and taste of mushrooms filling my day, I opted for a bottle of Bindi pre cooled for an hour in the fridge.

Accepting the vagaries of memory, I think this is better than the 06 and 08, though still shaded by the 05. It's bright and aromatic and seems to have a spark of energy. Cherries and raspberry, but also something that is at once sinewy (? whole bunches) and creamed. Spiced and zippy in the mouth, raw ginger perhaps, stems certainly and something quite earthy. Well structured, expansive with slightly sappy, assertive tannins. 92+ Now - 2015+

More Thursday fungi

Fresh and dried Shitake mushrooms. The persistence of flavour and texture they possess is extraordinary. Some minutes after nibbling on a slice of fresh mushroom I can still detect the meatiness and the truffle like nuances. The dried shitake are much more work, though also much easier to find. After an hour or two of cold soaking and then boiling for half an hour or so, they take on a lovely abalone like texture and the flavour seems to show a suggestion of ginger.

Lunch

A lazy lunch at the praiseworthy West End Deli. Away from the crowd and mostly empty it's hard not to feel relaxed. I had a simple but satisfying plate of charcuterie and sampled their wonderful home smoked salmon. Even more wonderful was the concluding friand, which was incredibly light and delicate.

Spring chicks

I wonder if this year is a particularly good year for Willie Wagtails (Rhipidura leucophrys). They seem to be everywhere. A family of four has taken a liking to our garden, noisily defending the patch from crows and magpie-larks with surprising vigour. I spotted this immaculate nest, complete with hungry mouths, while walking earlier this morning.

March 1973

S.C Pannell Nebbiolo 2007

Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Nebbiolo. 14%. Screwcap.

What is this? Where am I? I've lost my place. . . The problem with opening your own bottles is the expectation that comes with premeditation. Far better would be blind ignorance and the simple pleasure of sensation. . . Rose petal and stems to begin, but then pepper and citrus peel, ink and the smell of menthol and gum trees on a warm Summer's day. Tar and aniseed. . . Generous but pert, ripe, and almost raisin like in the mouth before becoming more expansively and assertively structured, grainy and meaty. Wonderfully evocative. 92. Now - 2015+

Image: Out of the fog. . .

Dessert

was based on this recent Master Chef recipe for a Cherry and White chocolate clafoutis. It's still Spring and though I have seen Cherries for sale, they are still a little hard to find, plus it was more practical for me to use the frozen and pre pitted ones that I had at home. The only change to the recipe then was the use of about 150g of frozen cherries, which were allowed to thaw prior to use.

Dinner

was based more or less on this recipe, though the spice mix, I added to the flour for dusting, consisted of 1 tablespoon of schezuan pepper, 3 of sea salt (both ground in a mortar and pestle) and 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper. I think the steaming time could also be extended by a few minutes, as two of my breasts were a little too pink for civilised society. . .

A Jackson's five

There were in fact seven wines to match the degustation menu, but only five of my notes pass muster. . . The food was playful and generous, though some of the ideas and combinations seemed discordant. The wines were diverse and interesting, though not as revelatory or jaw droppingly good as last years. . . I've temporarily returned to the twenty point scale, which always seems to give a greater sense of variance and imprecision.

Gerard Boulay Comtesse Sancerre 2008 (Loire, France. Sauvignon blanc). Flint and smoke, this is pungent, but in a restrained manner. Stony and citric in the mouth, with a hint of sweetness and flesh. Very good. 17/20

E. Guigal St Joseph blanc 2006 (Rhone, France. Mainly Marsanne I think). Nutmeg and baked pears. Sulpherous and fatty. Fair. Perhaps I don't understand. . . 15.5/20

J. L. Mader Rossacker Riesling 2008 (Grand cru, Alsace, France). My wine favourite of the night. Stones and nettle, truffles and botrytis on the nose and a lovely balance of acid and sweetness in the mouth. 18/20

Hofstatter Bartenhau Pinot nero 2002 (Alto Adige, Italy. Pinot noir). Stinky and growing tired. Haystacks and cow pats. Soy sauce. Embalmed. Sour edged and unconvincing. 15/20

Boekenhoutskoof The Chocolate Block 2008 (Fraschhoek, South Africa. Shiraz, Grenache, Cabernet et al). A black wine. Dense, concentrated and ripe, and as the label suggests there is the distinct scent of chocolate, coffee grounds and super ripe berries (though no raisins). Rich, succulent and intense. 17.5/20

Pantry Door - North Perth

Once you get over the apparent disorder the place, which has produce and bric-a-brac randomly positioned all over the store and pavement, there is much to savour. I greedily ate my late morning breakfast, and then decided to order some lunch and then cake (the honey cheese cake was superb). It's that sort of place. . . For a person who sometimes has trouble being decisive, the Pantry Door is potentially confusing and confronting. The options are many and the format of the store necessitates much head turning and ultimately ordering multiple dishes.

Kiri Japanese

I'm not even sure the small cluster of shops along Onslow Road in Shenton Park should be called a strip mall. There's a pretty looking book shop, a suburban hairdresser, a laundromat, a takeaway pizzeria where all the pizza's have girls names and then something quite wonderful and unexpected - Kiri Japanese.

The immediate impression is how ordinary and small it appears. At a stretch I imagine they could sit 20 inside and a handful on the pavement. The tables inside appear to be of different proportions and height and the small decorative flourishes fail to create a sense of stillness.

Don't be fooled though, this is a special place. From the curious collection of vintage toys on the pavement, to the wooden chopsticks with their gently spiraling form and most importantly the beautiful, beautiful food. It shines with purity and freshness and the flavours linger and enliven.

It's not cheap, but given the quality of produce and the delicacy of the food the price seems perfectly reasonable. My table of nine (7 adults and 2 children) managed to eat our way through most of the regular menu and the seasonal specials, with the final cost being $A428.

Clonakilla and friends

For the last few weeks, across the country, Tim Kirk has been hosting a series of tastings, featuring some of Australia's greatest wines. I had the good fortune of attending one such dinner.

Grosset Polish Hill Riesling 2010. (Clare Valley, South Australia). The first wine and my favourite of the night. Faultless and precise, certainly as good as any new Polish Hill I can recall. Coiled, tight and tensile. This smells of blossom, talc and lime. Tim mentioned aniseed, but by then my glass was dry. . . A superb and singular wine. 95. Now - 2020+

Giaconda Chardonnay 2008 (Beechworth, Victoria). Intricate and full of depth and weight. Australia's best White Burgundy facsimile. Stinky and perhaps reductive to begin, flint, struck match, rubber. . . it's all there. Popcorn tossed in burnt butter, peach skins and seduction. An imperfect, but entrancing nose. A juxtaposition of size - loose and big in the mouth, though at the same time there is a wonderful intensity and tightness. Layered and mineral. The picky might say it was a touch too forceful. . . 94+. Now - 2015.

Bass Phillip Premium Pinot noir 2008 (Gipsland, Victoria). Idiosyncratic and distinctive. A warm spike during the vintage and a suggestion of volatility, raisins and sweetness on the nose to offset the more expected scent of stems, spice and earth. Tart and intense in the mouth, the outlook is expansive and the finish is sappy and drying. 90. Now - 2013+

Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2009 (Canberra). Bigger, warmer and more anxious and seemingly more unsettled than previous vintages I've tried. Still the perfume is feminine and beguiling, a lovely purity and combination of Turkish delight, bath salts and white pepper. Lush and heady, this needs much more time. 93++. 2012 - 2020.

Wendouree Shiraz 2008 (Clare, South Australia). A black wine. On a night where each glass had personality, conviction and lofty reputation, this was the one I was waiting for. Curious, weathered and quite profound. An array of disparate adjectives come to mind. It smells of Australia and like a Clare Valley red. Dried herbs, cloves, wax, menthol, eucalyptus. Concentration and power. Something essential and undiluted. Where the Clonakilla is pretty and lithe, this is savoury, dense and not for turning. 95. N0w - 2030.

Cullen Diana Madeline Cabernet Merlot 2007 (Margaret River, Western Australia). Harder and greener than expected, there is an abrasive, sharp and sappy edge. An uncompromising wine which seems to lack the grace that I usually associate with this label.

Thursday fungi

A few days of rain and cooler temperatures and the field I wander across while walking the children to school is dotted with tiny mushrooms. Though small and hardly worth the effort, I wonder if they are edible?

Toolangi Chardonnay 2008

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Chardonnay. 13%. Screwcap. Approx $A25.

Not having tried any Toolangi wines prior to this, in my preconceptions I had expected this to be tighter and leaner. Instead this is at the other end of the spectrum. A Rubenesque chardonnay. Fatty and creamy with seams of butterscotch, peanut skins, overripe peach and fleshy texture, though there is also a redeeming spine of acidity and tension along with a suggestion of mineral and flint. A winemakers bag of tricks. Drink now I think. 89.

Image: wine bottle surrounded by my daughter's plasticine rendition of the silkworm life cycle. . .

Mac Forbes Pinot noir 2008

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Pinot noir. 12.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A28.

Fifty years on and the shrill ferocity of Boyd's prose still has the power to confront and unsettle. Each page of his polemic is dripping with scorn and rage. I suspect he would feel much is unchanged, especially when it comes to the suburban landscape, and I wonder if he would feel even more affronted by the seemingly never ending growth of the nanny state mentality.

The Australian if forcefully loquacious, until the moment of expressing any emotion. . . He has high assurance in anything he does combined with a gnawing lack of confidence in anything he thinks. . .

The wine in question seems to have no such shortcomings. It's unforced, graceful and devoid of affectation and unnecessary featurist additions. It looks unfiltered and is modest in pigmentation. Vibrant and sappy, with earth, stems, spice and the slightest suggestion of savouriness. Crisp and sharp in the mouth - sour cherry and raspberry, though the notable thing is the lovely texture and line. Compelling value. 91. Now - 2013.

Postcard: Sherbet

I wonder if Reuben sandwiches get skinnier the further they move from their origin? Situated in suburban Maylands, is my favourite cafe of the moment. Sherbet. Quite apart from their toasted Reubens, I've become addicted to their cupcakes, whilst at the same time doing my best to sample each and everyone of their superb whole cakes. Wonderfully retro, I feel like I'm stepping back in time, into someone's warm and inviting 1920's kitchen.

Laurenz V Friendly Grüner veltliner 2009

Austria. Grüner veltliner. 12%. Screwcap. Approx $A25.

This seems more textured and oily than the last edition that I tried. White flowers, pear skin, wax, flint and musk, while in the mouth it is essence like, slightly unctuous and gripping. The strange image of a rolling, wax coated stone comes to mind. . . I had planned to match it with a pea and pumpkin risotto, but ended up drinking it one week later with a plate of bangers and mash. 88. Now - 2012.

Craggy Range Te Muna Road 2006

Martinborough, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 14%. Screwcap. Source: cellar.

The wine resembles the bottle. It's solid with a big bottom. It's still quite delicious, silken and extracted, but the alcohol is inescapable, the finish is warm and overall it seems too diffuse and unraveled.

Dinner

I had grand plans for the handful of fresh broad beans I bought today. I wanted to marry them with pasta and breadcrumbs. Time and common sense dictated something more simple, a small bunch of shredded mint from the garden, crisp pancetta, crumbled feta, olive oil, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. . .