By member Prof. Michael Milgate.
A great evening of camaraderie with members and guests as an intimate group of 30 (some new faces and regular attendees) came together to celebrate one of the great food and wine pairings: duck and pinot (oh, and to commiserate with me on turning 60. A milestone birthday deserves to be celebrated in style with great company and equally great food and wine).
The chefs came up with four intriguing ways to serve duck (dessert was duck-free). I could have eaten the yellowfin tuna cured tartlet with duck yolk all night. The pinots (Blanc, Gris, and Noir) were new for many. The difficulty was picking a favourite among the attendees and determining which offered the best value for money.
The two Grand Cru Burgundies (Charmes-Chambertin and Échezeaux) were standouts, as were the two from Central Otago (Dicey and High Garden) (can you go wrong with a Central Otago?). The Carménère mystery wine was well received and far more approachable and drinkable than expected.
I hope I have not set the bar too high for future dinners (Bordeaux on 18 September and Bubbles on 4 December).
Thank you to the chefs, the F&B team, and Himkala for making the evening special and fun (it had been 25 years since I had done anything significant for my birthday).
