Scotch College

Treats at the Wine and Food AGM

The AGM of the OSCA Wine and Food Society in April was a prelude to an evening of treats arranged by new President, Mary Gyles.

A blind tasting of four wines took place and these were accompanied by four exquisite cheeses from Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder in Bridge Road, Richmond, and a range of breads from Philippa's Breads, Pastries and Provisions in High Street, Armadale.

The two white wines presented were vastly different in style. The first was a 1999 Chrismont Riesling from the King Valley in Northern Victoria. Its aromatic nose was rich in floral and lime notes. Undoubtedly this was the wine of the night with its intense fruit and long, clean finish. The second wine was a 1987 De Bortoli Dry Botrytis Rare Semillon with a deep gold colour and a gentle mellowness on the palate which some may have thought indicated that it had lost some of its intensity of fruit.

Lively debate followed as to which wine best matched which cheese. I thought the Chrismont Riesling dramatically amplified the flavour of the Meredith Blue from central Victoria whilst the Semillon and the goat's milk log from the Loire Valley teamed well.

Next came the reds and two more cheeses. The first red was a 1998 Tatachilla Keystone Grenache-Shiraz from McLaren Vale. Although a young wine, it has spent time in both American and French oak and showed real development - a full-bodied wine with a soft finish.

The final wine of the evening was a 1998 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabnernet Sauvignon. Although it had a strong fruity nose, the "soapy" Cabernet Sauvignon seemed to dominate. It was generally agreed that it needed considerably more bottle time.

Served with the reds were a Quicke's Home Farm cheddar from Devon and a Heidi raclette from Exton in Tasmania. Again there was much discussion as to which worked better with which wine. I thought the flavours of both cheeses were enhanced by the Grenache-Shiraz.

Four wines, four cheeses, wonderful breads and …….. oh yes, the AGM. It was washed down with a non-vintage Jacobs Creek sparkling white with a creamy texture, fine bead and not too much acid. It was an enjoyable way to cover the business of the evening which saw Mary Gyles elected President, Neville Taylor as Treasurer, Robert Sinclair as Secretary, and Helen Taylor, Chris Ericksen and David Long as committee members.

The out-going President, David Long, was thanked for his hard work whilst in office and he, in turn, thanked Mary Gyles, Hamish Long, Neville and Helen Taylor and Lynley Nimmo for their support in maintaining a lively Wine and Food Society.

David Thomson