As I sat on the veranda, behind the Appellation (www.appellation.com.au) dining area, overlooking the vineyards I noticed the afternoon shadows lengthening on the distant foothills as the sun sank into the west. A strong breeze whipped the gum trees. Small birds flittered about in the low bushes and, in the distance, a lone bird called for its mate. Light jazz floated in the background as I sipped my cocktail and waited my dinner. It may be summer but the late afternoon air was cool. As the sun dipped below the veranda’s awning I felt welcome warmth when its rays touched my cheek. After a time she came to me and with a quick smile asked if I was ready for my dinner. She escorted me to a small table for one in the corner of the dining room. It was an excellent spot for me. I thanked her and she retreated into the kitchen.
I knew that this would be an interesting experience because of the culinary philosophy of the chef. He believed in using only local ingredients and he turned the formula for wine-food pairings on its head. Given that this was wine country, he selected the best wines and prepared the food to match the wine he’d selected.
While I will not bore you with all of the intricacies of this delicious meal, I will share the details of what I believe were the highlights. The first course was a jellied master stock of pork reduction set on a crispy pork skin. This was served with a wood-matured Verdelho (a port). The taste and texture combination was amazing. There was soft and sweet and crunchy and salty in each bite.
While there were nine courses, I will skip to course number 3, which was a lightly grilled prawn placed on a bed of fresh red pepper spagatini combined with spinach and corn, covered with a delicious reduction sauce. The wine was a light Viognier. The sauce was very light and each component was perfectly done. The corn was amazingly crisp and sweet. The pasta was so delicate and worked perfectly with the prawn.
Now, for the seventh course, which was my favorite. This course had seared then thinly sliced Coorong beef layered then topped with watercress and shaved almonds. The wine was an excellent 2010 Lucy Margeaux Pinot Noir. The beef was perfectly done and had a light, buttery taste. The almond shavings coupled with the watercress highlighted the beef with the right amount of texture and taste. A sip of the slightly peppery wine after each taste was a great taste sensation. I savored this course slowly.
Lastly, for the most unique course, there were two candy coated Maltara Kalamata olives stuffed with white anchovies, skewered and served across a glass of 2010 Massena Primitivo (Italian style Zinfandel). It was a quite beautiful presentation and a taste extravaganza.
So, those were the highlights of my favorite dinner in the Barossa.
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