Helm Bar on Darling Harbour played host on Tuesday to a fabulous cheese and wine pairing evening.
The wine presenter that evening was Jonathon Molly, a wine master at Treasury Wine Estates. Then there was cheese expert Claudia Bowman who is a young, passionate and engaging lady – with one of the best jobs in the world. The cheese was delectable and the reluctant (including myself) were encouraged to give goats cheese a chance – and what a treat it was.
The session kicked off with a hard goat’s cheese – Jannei Matured, from Lidsdale, NSW. I’d never heard of hard goats cheese before and I admit it was a little strong for my taste. My companion, however, had no qualms about polishing off my piece. I wish I’d given it a bit more of a chance, because we later ordered a cheese plate (yes, I know!) and when I tried it again, I found it much more agreeable.
This was matched with a glass of 2009 Fifth Leg Whippersnapper – a Sauvignion Blanc Semillon Chenin Blanc blend. It was sharp and citrusy with a fantastic lime green hue but I felt that the cheese would probably have lent itself better to a full bodied red.
The tasting portions were generous, and all served with crackers, fruit and a delectable Prune and Walnut Log by Paddington-based Pastilla Nash.
The next cheese was my personal (and surprising) favourite, the ‘Holy Goat Matured Sklya Log‘, manufactured in accordance with bio dynamic farming principles by Sutton Grange, Victoria.Claudia told us that the cheese is made according to the amount of milk the pampered goat herd naturally produces and the process is based on the traditional French soft curd style using slow lactic acid fermentation. The consistency was gooey, perfect, lingering. I can almost taste it as I type. In fact, I’m drooling. How embarrassing.
The wine match was also a pleasant surprise, a Leo Burning Eden Valley ‘Medium Dry’ Riesling 2010. In my experience, Riesling has always been rather too sweet for serious drinking, but this can over with just the right degree of acidity and lightness, with merely a touch of residual sweetness. Green apple was the overwhelming taste, balanced by the sharpness of citrus.
Next, was a Pyengana Matured Cheddar, made from cow’s milk. Manufactured by Pyengana in Tasmania, it felt like a very traditional cheese, familiar and distinctively Cheddar. Indeed, it was certainly as good as any locally made English Cheddar I’ve tasted back home – and believe me, I’ve tasted a lot of cheese. Claudia told us that it was one of the only traditional English style of cloth bound Cheddars made in Australia.
It was matched with Wynns ‘The Gables‘ Cabernet Shiraz 2008 – a real favourite of mine. The nose was absolutely intoxicating and the oak gave it a soft, creamy flavour which was beautifully blended with red fruits and spice. For a mid-priced, delicious and impressive red, you couldn’t go wrong with this.
The last cheese, my second favourite, was another cow’s milk product from the Barossa Valley, SA. Washington Washed Rind is individually hand washed for two weeks with a special brine solution, in order to stimulate growth of the bacteria. Creamy, soft and thick in texture, it had a mild but clear flavour.
We were given a T’Gallant Juliet Moscato to taste alongside the Washington Washed Rind. It was a good balance of lemony acidity and sweetness, and the effervescence produced a tingling sensation on the tongue, almost cleansing – a perfect to accompaniment to a sticky cheese.
If anything let down the evening, it was the crowd, most of whom clearly weren’t there to learn as much as to catch up with friends and speak over Claudia’s presentation. She reacted to it very well, to her credit – and understood that the crowd weren’t in a particularly attentive mood. I felt for her though, it is rare that you meet a teacher as passionate and engaging as she was and I felt that she wasn’t appreciated enough.
I think part of the problem was the layout of the session – people stood, crowded around benches, helping themselves to the wines and cheeses. In principle, this idea is a great one, but unfortunately, it created a party atmosphere, a ‘drinks and nibbles reception’ – rather than a learning environment. The session was quite short, I imagine it would probably have been longer, had people been more willing to listen, but for $35, the evening was an absolute bargain.
Mackintosh and Bowman were fabulous – from their choice of produce to their delivery of information. They run public courses too, matching beers and whiskeys with cheese, as well as running cheese making workshops. The experience has certainly inspired me to learn more about cheese. We were fortunate to taste some of the ones that were on offer as some were limited production, and all were very special. As far as goats cheese goes, it’s fair to say that I have been well and truly converted.
For more information on Mackintosh and Bowman, visit: http://mcintoshandbowman.com/Events.aspx
