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Saturday, 21 October 2006 |
Reported by Jennifer Ward
The event name was enticing enough to bring a wonderful group of Guild members and their guests together to enjoy some fantastic flavours of Pinot Noir with a perfect match: Duck. Martin Carriere, Guild Director and event organizer, welcomed us all with a delicious Pinot Noir Rosé to tempt our palates for the upcoming 4 courses.
In tradition, Martin would choose a menu to match the wines, but this evening, he matched the wines with the menu that our chef, Sean Murphy, put together.
Sean did an amazing job of preparing duck 3 unique ways for our tasting pleasure. Each course brought out wonderful flavours without being overdone and the main entrées were each with a hint of Pinot Noir throughout including through to the Dessert.
Our appetizer was a serving of Mache Lettuce, cold BBQ’d duck with a wonderful Asian Pear Slaw. Sean used a sweet dressing to top off the salad and Martin accompanied it with a 2004 Erath ‘Earth Heart’ Pinot Noir 2004 from Oregon. This Pinot Noir was so mild with its hint of raspberries, orange peel, and caramel that it complimented the cold duck salad wonderfully.
The first entrée was Pan Seared Magret of Duck served with Pomme Anna Potato and Butter Poached Swiss Char, topped with shredded Turnip. The first surprise of the evening was the outcome of the choice of wines: the Australian Yarra Ridge Pinot Noir 2004 (Yarra Valley, Victoria) and the New Zealand The Crossings Pinot Noir 2004 (Marlborough, South Island). The preliminary thought was that the Yarra Ridge would persevere with the succulent Duck and bold potatoes piled high, but by the third bite and the third sip of wine, The Crossings’ blueberry, currant, and earthy spice flavours produced a better wine to accompany this course. The Yarra Ridge flavours faded into the background and were too mild to stand up to this flavourful meal. On its own it was a wonderful wine with its berry and spice aromas, but the boldness of the New Zealand wine was the definite choice for a meal.
Next we were delighted with Risotto topped with Duck Confit and Oyster Mushrooms with a Pinot Noir Reduction sauce. The pairing for this course was the Silver Stone Pinot Noir 2001 from Chualar Canyon Vineyard, California, and a Santenay 2002 from Bouchard Pere & Fils, Bugundy, France. The Burgundy stood out while the California Pinot Noir faded. The California Pinot did have wonderful aromas of cherry, floral, and vanilla tones nicely framed by cedar, but the bold sweet cherry, wet earth, and spices of the Burgundy made it the favourite of the evening. This wine kept its boldness throughout this course and opened up beautifully right through the dessert as well.
For dessert, Sean prepared Pinot Noir poached Anjou Pears, thinly sliced and fanned, surrounded by a chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries placed around the plate. Although there was no wine specifically poured during this course, both the New Zealand Pinot Noir and the Burgundy were still sipping nicely throughout this heavenly course. Those who preferred coffee or tea at this time were so indulged, but the wine was plenty to enjoy throughout the meal. The overall consensus this evening was overwhelmingly that more food and wine pairing dinners would make ideal Guild events!! This was a huge success!!
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