L34 Steve puts on a show with his Venison 

Wine report by Stephen O'Halloran

A decent roll-up of 30+ were treated to a great afternoon of fine wine & delicious food. Steve Sparks was at his best with some roasted venison. Canapés & cheese were excellent. See full food report for details.

The canapé wine was a ring-in, as the advertised wine, the Drumborg Riesling, went missing — a great pity as it is one of my favourite white wines. Tears. Getting over the hill of my disappointment, I quite enjoyed the replacement, a Seppelt Drumborg Chardonnay 2016 @ 12.5%.

A good commercial style of Chardy, but not as engaging as the Riesling, which I find exceptional. In any event, the Chardy was a well-made wine, no obvious faults, a good partner for the pass-arounds, but not rising to any great heights.

The first lunch wine was a Clarendon Hills Grenache 2010 @ 14.5%. A top Grenache from Blewitt Springs in McLaren Vale. Vines planted in 1920, dry grown, now a fully developed wine. Powerful Grenache flavours of raspberry & plum, deeply coloured for a Grenache, with plenty of acid & tannin to drive a satisfying finish. Drinking beautifully now, but perhaps not to be kept for too much longer.

Second lunch wine was a beauty, a John Duval GSM from 2014 @ 14.5%. 47% Shiraz, 32% Grenache & 21% Mourvèdre. A rich, complex wine from one of our top winemakers. A wine styled in the classic Rhône fashion, bursting with flavours of black fruits & cherry. Velvety smooth mouthfeel. Great balance. Now fully matured, a joy to drink.

Third lunch wine was the Oakridge Hazeldene Pinot 2022 @ 13%. A vivacious, bright cherry-red Pinot, brimming with sweet, delicious fruit. A wine from the cooler regions of the Yarra Valley. A much more powerful Pinot than the average Australian Pinot, with generous, complex flavours of sweet fruit, strawberries & raspberry. Excellent balance & finish. Plenty of time to go. A most enjoyable wine.

Final wine was the Uccelliera Rapace Super Tuscan, 70% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot & 10% Cabernet @ 14.5%. The first two bottles threw a scare into us, as the aroma was suspect. Initial tasting indicated the wine was of borderline quality, so the first two were rejected. The remaining bottles were in good shape.

A big, deeply coloured wine, near black, showing some earthiness on the palate. Rich & soft, with firm tannins right through to the finish. An excellent pairing with the superb cheese provided by Mark Bradford. Another top-quality wine on a day when all of the Reds were, in my view, first class.

My pick of the day, the Duval GSM.

Food report by Mark Bradford

A somewhat wintry late September day greeted us for a lunch presented by a Society favourite chef of the day, Mr Steve Sparkes. A treat in store for us, with Steve presenting venison, a protein seldom served at the Society. Assisting Steve with canapés were Gary Doherty and James Tinslay.

Canapés

We started off with James’ signature pass-around, delightful mouth-sized sausage rolls. Who doesn’t like a sausage roll? James used home-ground brisket beef mince and chicken mince, 70–30 percent. Added to this were carrot, onion, garlic, panko, pine nuts, dried sultanas, cinnamon, Moroccan spice mix and ginger.

Gary, helping with canapés again, served basil, bocconcini and tomato on toothpicks. A Calabrese bite without the balsamic. The colours of Bandiera Italiana.

Steve finished us off with a pastry cup of diced, roasted smoked-chilli chicken in mayo, and a chive dressing with Brie and cranberry sauce.

Much praise in the room for these tasty morsels.

Main

Much like beef, lamb and pork, venison is characterised by cuts, including roast, sirloin, ribs and backstrap, which was Steve’s choice for baking. The backstrap was served with fondant potato, corn soubise and a sauté of charred corn, snow peas and black garlic. The sauce to accompany was a classic bordelaise style using red wine and Madeira, with rich chicken and venison stocks.

A wonderful offering today, with flattering comments around the room.

Cheese

The Cheese Master served a Heidi Farm Tilsit, from Burnie in northern Tasmania. A first time for many, comments on this Australian cheese were highly favourable.

Whilst Tilsit is traditionally served at breakfast alongside rye bread in European households, in Australia it is enjoyed as a table cheese at any time of the day. Frank and Elizabeth Marchand, originally from Switzerland, set up their dairy in the 1980s in Tasmania using locally sourced milk. Regular washing during its three-month maturation encourages Brevibacterium linens to grow on the rind, creating a distinctive yeasty, beer-like aroma.

This semi-hard cheese has a supple-textured paste and a rich, savoury flavour with hints of butter and a distinctive nutty overtone, while having excellent melting qualities.

Steve prepared a memorable accompaniment for this cheese, including mixed green salad, a mung bean mix, preserved cumquats, as well as a fig and pomegranate jam.

Bread today was a white sourdough from Bourke Street Bakery.