Making Mum envious

I am living vicariously on this one. Unfortunately I wasn't the one enjoying this dinner. Son James was the lucky diner. He and another student friend were finishing their electives at Hamilton Base Hospital in west Victoria and managed to get tickets to the heavily subscribed Tarrington Vineyards Wine Dinner thanks to a couple last minute cancellations.

Our beer-drinking Kiwi lad has learned quite a few things since graduating university in New Zealand and moving on to study medicine in Adelaide. One of those is a growing appreciation for fine Australian wines, particularly the reds.

He brought the menu over for me to peruse with envy. It featured Tarrington wines and incorporated produce from nearby LuvADuck, a major duck-breeding business in Nhill in the Wimmera. I've previously written about them on this site.

While I was tucking into a more mundane meal of corned beef and trimmings, here's what the son was enjoying - and for the remarkably reasonable investment of $70 including wines.

Tarrington Vineyards Wine Dinner Menu

Hors d'oeuvres
Peking Duck risotto cake with spiced tomato relish
Duc, quail and wild mushroom sausage rolls
Lemon sorbet with fresh lime, mint and gin

Starter
Fresh South Australian and Sydney rock oysters with
a lime cheek and cress

Entree
Quail breast saltimbocca with caramelised figs
and a balsamic reduction

Main course
Duckling leg confit style with quail, duck and shiitake ravioli, muscatel jus
and chestnut and sweet potato puree

Dessert
Belgian truffle chocolate, fig, date and alond cake and vanilla ice cream,
Persian fairy floss, raspberry coulis and creme anglaise

Tea and coffee

 

The wines tasted were: Tarrington Chardonnay 2004, De Ireys Chardonnay 2004, Artemisia by Tarrington Pinot Noir 2004, Tarrington Pinot Noir 2004, Tarrington Pinot Noir 2002, De Ireys Syrah 2004.

Tasting notes >>