by Martin Field

Judging for the 2007 Queensland Wine awards took place at the Brisbane Sofitel on December 3 – with your kindly editor as one of the judges.

Three judging panels tasted some 340 wines from 55 Queensland wineries. A tiny number of contenders compared with, for instance, the Royal Melbourne Wine Show’s 4,000 plus entries. Not bad however, for a state that most southerners still see as an emerging wine region.

Obviously, I didn’t get to taste all the wines but of those I tried, I thought the verdelhos were very good, the merlots were also impressive.

In the taste off for the trophy awards, I rated the 2006 Hidden Creek Rooklyn Shiraz as outstanding.

Trophy winners
Best Fortified Wine: 1986 Ballandean Estate Wines Red Liqueur Muscat; Best Dessert Wine: 2006 Heritage Wines of Stanthorpe Botrytis Chardonnay; Best Red Wine: 2006 Hidden Creek Rooklyn Shiraz; Best White Wine: 2006 Kooroomba Vineyards Chardonnay; Best Sparkling Wine: 2006 Sirromet Wines Sparkling Petit Verdot.

Cringe factor?
Funnily enough, you don’t see many Queensland wines on Queensland restaurant wine lists. Reminds me of the Mornington Peninsula region 20 and more years ago. If you went into a Peninsula wine store or bottle shop and asked for a local wine the typical reply was, ‘Don’t get much call for that sort of stuff around here Sir.’

Prawns and Technicolour yawns
Travelling to and from Brisbane for the awards judging, I couldn’t help noticing that the coastal strip is a bit of a horror show for fine food lovers. Numerous fast food outlets whiz past the bus windows. Their garish shopfronts interspersed with a number of restaurants advertising that ghastly juxtaposition: ‘Surf and Turf’, or its inventive alternative, ‘Reef and Beef’.

‘It’s for the tourists.’ Locals explain lamely. Strange really. Tourists in France, for example, seem able to make do with superior food that doesn’t depend on meat and seafood piled on the one plate.

by Martin Field

Bridgewater Mill Sauvignon Blanc2007 – up to $23 – \_/\_/
Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Pungent bouquet of herbs and a tinge of asparagus. Light and dry on the palate with a touch of tropical fruit and clean acidity to finish. Try with entrées.

Green Point Sauvignon Blanc 2007 – $22 – \_/\_/
Victoria. Aromatic with lychees and a subtle influence of French oak. Fuller style of sauvignon with a rounded texture, passionfruit and some grassiness.

AU Verdelho 2006 – $16.50 – \_/\_/
Granite Belt, Queensland. Fruity nose reminiscent of ripe pears and pineapples. Generous, soft palate showing dried pears and finishing with mild acidity.

Blind Man’s Bluff Liaisons Chardonnay 2007 – $28 – \_/\_/\_/
Kenilworth, Queensland. This unwooded chardonnay displays an attractive nose of peaches, apricots and apples. Stone fruits continue on the palate and the wine finishes with tangy citrus acidity.

PHI Pinot Noir 2006 – around $50 – \_/\_/\_/\_/
Yarra Valley, Victoria. Perfumed nose of strawberry conserve and dusty oak. Medium weighted palate, dry and velvety tannins and lashings of lovely berries. One of the better pinots I have tasted this year.

Conte Estate Numb Hand Pruner Grenache 2006 – $18 – \_/\_/
McLaren Vale, South Australia. Nose of raspberries, stewed plums and alcohol (14.5%). Soft sweet berries on the palate lead to a warm juicy aftertaste. Main course wine.

Picarus Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 – $20-ish – \_/\_/\_/
Wrattonbully, South Australia. The bouquet of this wine shows blueberries, red currants and a hint of pencil shavings. The palate is youthful, showing good fruit intensity; the tannins and acidity are quite forward and probably need a couple of months to soften off a tad. Will cellar well.

Tahbilk Eric Stevens Purbrick Shiraz 2002 – $60-ish – \_/\_/\_/\_/\_/
Nagambie Lakes, Victoria. A worthy name for what was originally the Tahbilk Special Bin label. The wine opens with an inviting nose of spice, chocolate, blackberries, mint and aniseed. The palate is a complex mix of concentrated shiraz and integrated French oak, ably supported by lean, sinewy, drying tannins. If you’re looking for a special bottle for your Christmas dinner, or a wine gift, or one to cellar gracefully for another 10 to 15 years, this is the wine.

Spitbucket rating system
Five gold spitbuckets \_/\_/\_/\_/\_/ – outstanding
\_/\_/\_/\_/ – classy
\_/\_/\_/ – first-rate
\_/\_/ – good stuff
\_/ – spit it!
An added $ or two denotes excellent value for money.

by Martin Field

Two Faces Restaurant
In the early 1970s, Two Faces was Melbourne’s, perhaps Australia’s, best restaurant. Run by that great restaurateur Hermann Schneider, it offered a classic European menu and an extensive, cosmopolitan wine list.

I well remember my first visit, around 1974. I was so intimidated by its reputation for being expensive that when I rang up to book a table I asked how much a dinner for four with wine might cost. I can’t remember the quote, but it was just affordable.

Four of us turned up in the classy dining room, which was decorated elegantly and conservatively with dinner-suited waiters. The menu listed one dessert as, ‘Mangoes in Champagne’. Two of our party asked the waiter if they could have this as an entrée. ‘Certainly Ladies,’ he replied.

Back then, it was not possible to obtain fresh mangoes in Victoria, due to plant and fruit fly quarantine laws. My pushy friend Claire said, ‘We don’t want them if they’re not fresh, I don’t like tinned mangoes.’

‘Madarme!’ He was horrified at the suggestion. ‘Madahme,’ he accentuated the last syllable as he glanced around conspiratorially. ‘Madame,’ he whispered. ‘It is illegal… but they are fresh.’ Then, even more quietly, ‘We fly them in on a private plane.’

This was the beginning of a magnificent dinner, accompanied by excellent wine. We went back over the years for special occasion dinners and damned the expense.

by Martin Field

In Noosa it’s spring, and the last few weeks have been unseasonably hot and humid. Our latitude is around 26° south; if Noosa was in the northern hemisphere it would be at a similar latitude to Miami, Florida. Hardly an ideal climate for the lengthy cellaring of wine.

Daily temperatures have hovered around 20°C minimum and 28°C maximum. The humidity is often in the 70 to 80 percent plus range. This is warm and humid enough to require refrigeration of bread, tomatoes and chocolate to stop them spoiling quickly. Oh, and to call for ice blocks in a glass of red*. As summer approaches, it will no doubt get a great deal hotter. (*Naturally, when I’m drinking a superior red, I use ice blocks made only from superior bottled water.)

Why is heat a problem for wine cellaring? Well, the ageing of wine is essentially a prolonged chemical reaction. That is, you leave a bunch of chemicals and water in a glass container, usually sealed with a wet bit of tree, for an undefined length of time. Wine ‘connoisseurs’ optimistically hope that doing this will eventuate in an ‘improved’ wine. A risky business in a cool climate, let alone the sub-tropics.

The trouble with warm climate cellaring, scientists tell us, is that for every increase of 10°C applied to a chemical solution, the rate of chemical reaction in that solution will double. Theoretically, this means that if you store your case of 1998 Grange at an average temperature of 15°C, and I store mine at an average of 25°C, my case will age (i.e. improve/deteriorate) twice as fast as yours.

Reds and whites oxidise over time, and heat speeds up this oxidation. Oxidised wines lose their youthful fruitiness and develop secondary winey characteristics. Prematurely oxidised wine will quickly acquire aromas and flavours that will remind tasters of sherry. As wine ages and oxidises it also changes colour: whites become darker and eventually turn a light brownish hue. In red wine, youthful vibrant purples will disappear; the wine will become lighter in colour and will end up a murky brown.

Heat can also make wine expand in the bottle. This expansion can move corks a little, leading to leakage and consequent acceleration of the oxidative process. Wine prematurely aged by heat will soon look muddy, and smell and taste coarse, fat and flabby.

Before we left Melbourne, in anticipation of our move to the warm Noosa climate, we drank as many of the older reds and chardonnays as humanly possible and sold off a few cases at auction. We brought the younger vintages to the new house.

So, I hear you say, Whaddami gunna do if I live in a hot climate and can’t cellar my wine properly?

To safeguard the wine collection I guess you could buy one of those expensive wine fridges that control temperature and humidity. Alternatively, you could lash out and create a climate-controlled cellar in the basement – if you have the spare cash, and a basement. But I’d rather spend my money on wine. For the time being I simply store the better stuff in the coolest, darkest part of the house, which happens to be the floor of a linen closet.

The simple alternative is to buy young wines and drink them while they’re young.

by Martin Field

Brown Brothers Zibibbo Rosa – RRP $15 \_/\_/
A light (8% alcohol) bubbly made from the Muscat of Alexandria grape. Pinkish in hue, it shows plenty of raisiny character on both nose and palate. Sweetish in style, it reminded me a little of the Italian sparkler Prosecco.

Seppelt Drumborg Riesling 2007 – up to $35 \_/\_/\_/\_/
Lovely nose of Granny Smith apples, dried pears and lime blossoms. Intense mouth-filling white displaying yummy apple pie aspects and acidity reminiscent of lemon sherbet.

Deviation Road Pinot Gris 2007 – up to $24 \_/\_/\_/
Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Subdued, likeable orange marmalade bouquet with a hint of toasted oak. Delicate, dry and zesty palate showing citrus fruits and biscuity flavours.

Plunkett Gewürztraminer 2007 – about $19 \_/\_/\_/
Strathbogie Ranges, Victoria. Aromatics of Turkish Delight and white flowers on the nose. Lively fruit salad flavours dominate the palate alongside tangy lemon acidity.

Fox-Gordon Abby Viognier 2007 – up to $20 \_/\_/\_/
Adelaide Hills, South Australia. The nose reminded me of the fragrance of freshly cut peach. The palate is quite full and smooth showing more stone fruit flavours. Unusually for a white wine, the aftertaste is quite lengthy and substantial.

Moss Wood Pinot Noir 2005 – $48 \_/\_/\_/
Wilyabrup, Western Australia. The nose of this Pinot has a delicate aroma of cherries and a hint of grape skins. The palate is elegant and clean with cherry notes continuing, along with a hint of cherry pips and pencil shavings. Acidity is quite forward at this stage but will soften off after a few months.

Cimicky Trumps Shiraz 2006 – up to $19 \_/\_/\_/\_/$
Barossa Valley, South Australia. A superb combination of ripe Barossa fruit and integrated oak. Both nose and palate offer an extravagant melange of blackberries and dark chocolate, tinged with vanilla and coconut from American oak. Great value.

Temple Bruer Shiraz Malbec 2005 – $20 \_/\_/\_/
Langhorne Creek South Australia. ‘Certified organic wine. Vegan friendly’ says the label. People are a bit suss about so-called organic wines and I have to admit I haven’t tried too many of them. However, if this is a typical example, give me more. The wine has a lovely texture, full and chewy. This texture ably supports what I would call an earthy fruit style, stacked with stewed plums and blackberries.

Saltram Mamre Brook Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 – up to $27 \_/\_/\_/
A rich, generous red that fills the mouth with layers of blueberries, red currants, liquorice, oaky vanillin and mocha. It finishes warm (15% alcohol) and long.

Spitbucket rating system
Five gold spitbuckets \_/\_/\_/\_/\_/ – brilliant
\_/\_/\_/\_/ – classy
\_/\_/\_/ – first-rate
\_/\_/ – good stuff
\_/ – spit it!
An added $ or two denotes excellent value for money.
Prices in Australian dollars.

We love surprises. The less we know, the less we expect. And – at the end – if the ordeal is overwhelming – we remember such things for almost all of our lives. The last shock came from Slovenia. To be exact – from the restaurant Pri Lojzetu (it means “chez Louis”) situated at the Zemono castle on a hill in the middle of picturesque vineyards of the Vipava valley. I knew that, I knew what was going to happen, but my guests hadn’t a clue. Pri Lojzetu is one of the most renowned Slovenian restaurants. Located some 30 minutes driving from the Italian/Slovenian border at Gorizia (Friuli), it is basically in the heart of central Europe. From the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, you are there in less than an hour.

Tomaž (Tomi for friends) Kavčič is the fourth generation of a family of restaurateurs. His mother Katja is the living icon of Slovenian gastronomy. She was the one who introduced Slow Food to Slovenian and Italian guests long time before the movement was “invented” in Bra by Carlo Petrini! Her mother (Tomi’s grandmother) followed the family tradition before WW2, by joining the nun’s cooking school in a monastery nearby. Her diploma work was to create a six dish menu which contained local dishes. This kind of culinary experience was strongly represented at restaurant Pri Lojzetu, which until ten years ago was situated at the family house in the village of Dornberk, in the middle of the Vipava valley. Following this heritage Katja began working with fresh local materials and seasonal dishes that she adjusted to modern times. Even during communism (Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and gained it’s independence in 1991) they were lucky. Tito’s communists were not as harsh as their ideological comrades behind the Iron Curtain, you could have your own company, it was allowed, it had to be small, but it was allowed. And this was crucial for small traditional businesses like restaurateurs, winegrowers… it was the most important thing for the survival of traditional Slovenian cuisine. Therefore it is not surprising that the first official Slow Food dinner in Slovenia was held in December 1995 at the restaurant Pri Lojzetu, it was totally obvious and logical.

Read the rest of this entry

by Martin Field

Crème fraiche frequently pops up its tangy head in recipes broadcast on English TV cooking shows, but when you go to shop for said recipes this vital ingredient is rarely to be found – at least on Australian supermarket shelves. When you do find some, it is usually packed in tiny containers carrying a boutique brand name and a hefty price tag.

We asked Beery Mag, our R&D chef for an easy recipe for making crème fraiche in the home kitchen. As usual, she came up with the goods.

Beery: ‘This essential ingredient is not literally fresh but is actually a lovely drop somewhere between fresh and sour cream. To make a batch take about 600mls of fresh cream – though not that hideous thickened cream made with gelatine. Gently heat the cream to body temperature, about 37 degrees centigrade. Use a thermometer – preferably not a rectal one – or a clean finger to test.

‘Stir in about a quarter of a cup of cultured buttermilk. Leave it covered – a soup thermos flask or a yoghurt maker is ideal – at room temperature for 24 hours, then refrigerate. The cream will thicken somewhat and acquire a delicious, slightly acidic tang along with a buttery nutty flavour.’

She advises that her faux crème fraiche will keep in the fridge for a week or more and reckons you can use it in any savoury dish in place of cream and that it goes wonderfully with fresh strawberries. Another of her tips is to create a dessert topping or sauce by beating a cup of the chilled faux crème fraiche with a third of a cup of chilled botrytised white and half a teaspoon of pure vanilla essence. Yummy.

‘Use the leftover buttermilk in place of milk when making pancakes and muffins. They’ll taste just gorgeous’ added Beery – who tends to gush occasionally.

by Martin Field

‘Do you miss Melbourne?’ It’s the main question Melbournians and others ask about our move to Noosa. ‘Nah.’ I answer. ‘Could be a greater range of ethnic restaurants up here. But nah. The things I like about Melbourne are just fading away as I become more acclimatised to the sub tropics, the warm surf and the local lifestyle.’

And the local attractions are many. For example, it’s only a short stroll to the Sunshine Beach Surf Club for a pot of Coopers Pale Ale and a spot of whale watching from their terrace bar. And then there’s the Noosa Farmers Market. We go there every Sunday morning early. Early because the bloke with the perfect tomatoes for five bucks a kilo sells out quickly.

One of the delights of the market is watching the customers. Many locals of course, and tourists from all over. Kens and Barbies from Miami or Noo Joizy in matching candy-striped playsuits. And there is a certain Noosa type that always catches the eye.

Take a typical couple: one’s hair is shortish and permed, bottle blonded with shady roots. The face bears a jaundiced solarium tan and a smile that is really a grimace, driven by one too many facelifts. The eyebrows for the same reason are raised in permanent enquiry. Unfortunately, the taut skin above is belied by the turkey wattle below. The body is typically clad in a colourful but saggy top and a pair of ‘does my bum look big in these?’ designer jeans, best worn by teenagers. As for his good lady wife…well, enough said.

Strangely, when I described this species to our Gold Coast friends they said they were probably from Toorak. Our Sydney friends said they sounded like Gold Coasters. Our Melbourne friends said they’d met many people like that from Sydney’s north shore. You just can’t tell.

And, as you wander through the crowded stalls, a strange but likeable fragrance wafts by. A whiff of frying pancakes blends with the pungency of patchouli oil adorning ageing hippies down from the hills. This in turn mingles with a miasma of Chanel No 5 dabbed extravagantly on Noosa socialites. Next you notice the rich roasting aromas swirling from the Auswana coffee stand, along with top notes distilled by the hot morning sun from the multitude of surrounding eucalypts. Just having breakfasted, your nose is already triggering thoughts of what’s for lunch.

Noosa is a noticeably expensive area but the prices at the market are surprisingly low. Sourced from the Sunshine Coast and the hinterland, much of the fruit and veg is organic, or at least spray free, and often cheaper than that sold at local supermarkets – and presumably much fresher.

Last week we bought eight Tahitian limes for $2. Three beautiful big fresh ears of corn for $2.50. Some ‘Swiss’ style Tilsit from the Fromart cheesery for $31 the kilo. Then there were the punnets of strawberries, netted bags of macadamia nuts in shell, tangy passionfruit at giveaway prices, free wine tastings and other lovely stuff in abundance.

The Noosa Farmers Market is a feast and it’s fun. If you’re in Noosa for any reason at all, you cannot afford to miss it. Sundays until noon at the footy ground, Weyba Rd Noosaville. Plenty of parking.

by Martin Field

What do kitchen designers know about wine and food storage in the kitchen? Not a lot it seems. Sure, they can make a new kitchen look like a snazzy ad in a glossy magazine. But I’m not convinced they know or care much about users’ needs.

For example, the recently modernised kitchen in our new home came complete with lots of stainless steel, gleaming stone bench tops, 2-pack cupboards and drawers and an open wine nook right between the fridge and the pantry. Ranging from chest height to above head height, there was space for a dozen and more bottles on gleaming stainless steel racks. What’s wrong with that? Well, good wine needs careful cellaring. Preferably in the coolest, darkest part of the house.

In contrast, modern kitchens are bright and busy and hot. Hot from hundreds of watts of halogen downlights, the fridge, the microwave, the oven, the electric jug, the toaster, the espresso machine, the [enough hot examples already! Ed.].

Anyway, I unscrewed the no doubt expensive racks and tossed them out on the nature strip for the hard rubbish collection. The space came in handy for the rice cooker and a pottery crock we store the rice in. The wine stays in the cellar. PS Tossed out all the high wattage bulbs too and replaced them with lower powered bulbs.

by Martin Field

Capel Vale Debut Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2007 – up to $17 \_/\_/
Juicy ripe sauvignon nose to start. This dryish style shows kiwi fruit flavours along with oodles of lip-smacking acid. Just the thing for an aperitif to serve with canapes.

Murdoch Hill Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2007 – up to $19 \_/\_/\_/
Cool climate, blackcurrant leaf pungency on the nose. The generous palate is full of abundant ripe sweet berries with a hint of passionfruit adding zest.

Shaw and Smith Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2007 – around $25 \_/\_/\_/
Lychees, asparagus and just ripe apricots lead the bouquet. There is more of the lychee flavour in this full-on, mouth filling white and just a hint of pineapple. Would go well with any entrée you’d serve a squeeze of lemon with – say, fried haloumi.

Jim Barry Watervale Riesling 2007 – up to $15 \_/\_/$
A bouquet of white flowers, lime cordial and fresh grape skins. Dry on the palate, light and citrussy with zingy refreshing acidity and a firm minerally finish.

Chandon Tasmanian Cuvée 2004 – up to $40 \_/\_/\_/
Pinot noir and chardonnay from Tasmania’s Coal River Valley. Lemon green hues, busy long-lasting bead. Generous bouquet of lemons, a delicate floral note and fresh bread. The mid-dry palate shows lovely balance and length with more citrus aspects, green apple and just right acidity to finish.

Angove’s Nine Vines Shiraz Viognier 2006 – up to $15 \_/\_/
Slight purple hues. Light peppery and plum aromatics on the nose. Soft warm ((14.5% alcohol) plummy flavours and mild oakiness continue to a quite firm finish.

Hardys Oomoo Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre 2005 – cost $14 \_/\_/$
Fruity blackberry aromatics with an edge of anise. Blackberries, coffee, and chocolate spice up the palate supported by textured tannin chewiness.

Hanging Rock Heathcote Shiraz 2004 – $60 \_/\_/\_/\_/
A nose of intense perfumed berries and sweet vanillin oak. Full-bodied red with mulberries, a hint of mintiness and robust tannic astringency. Definitely main course wine and will cellar gracefully to 2014.

Tahbilk Reserve Shiraz 2001 – up to $60 \_/\_/\_/\_/
Tahbilk is one of the few Australian winemakers that does not depend on lashings of new oak for their reds. Their methods, including open vat fermentation, are more in tune with European tradition and the results are noticeably different from the brash young things that often reek of the barrique rather than the wine.

This wine has a complex aroma of berries compounded with pencil shavings, leather and tobacco leaf. The palate shows some bottle development and is full of savoury character with stewed plums and aniseed over a substructure of sinewy, assertively astringent tannin. Cellar to 2020.

Spitbucket rating system
Five gold spitbuckets \_/\_/\_/\_/\_/ – brilliant
\_/\_/\_/\_/ – classy
\_/\_/\_/ – first-rate
\_/\_/ – good stuff
\_/ – spit it!
An added $ or two denotes excellent value for money. Prices in Australian dollars.