In the dim and distant past the now defunct Wine Board of Ireland had enough class to throw a decent graduation party for those who completed their WSET Diploma. Now, in these straitened times all I can afford is a good lunch so, starting last year and in conjunction with John McDonnell of Wine Australia, I host a lunch at L'Ecrivain. John is involved as Wine Australia sponsor the prize for the best overall Diploma mark and he sponsors the wine for lunch while I pay for the food.
Lunch this year was a lovely meal, with a simple but delightful menu: starters were either a chicken parfait with spiced bread or a soup with asparagus foam (I can't remember what the soup was as I had the chicken!), followed by either cod or porkbelly and pork cheek (yummy) and fished off with a lovely cheeseboard.
John supplied a really good range of wines; we started with three rieslings - West Cape Howe Riesling 2008, Great Southern, O'Leary Walker Riesling 2008, Watervale and 2008 Jacobs Creek Reserve Riesling 2008, South Australia. These were appetizers for what was to follow. We moved onto three excellent chardonnays with the starters - Yalumba Wild Ferment Chardonnay 2008, Eden Valley, Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2007, Margaret River and Shaw and Smith M3 Chardonnay 2008, Adelaide Hills.
Then three cabernet blends with the main course - Hardys Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon 2002, Coonawarra/Mc Laren Vale, Petaluma Coonawarra 2004, Coonawarra and Cullen Diane Madeline Cabernet 2004, Margaret River.
Finally, with the cheeses the superb Seppeltsfield DP 90 Rare Tawney - a real treat.
So, there you go - study the WSET Diploma and you could win a trip to Australia and you too could share a lovely lunch like this!
About Me
- DermotMW
- Dublin, Ireland
- Hi, I'm Dermot Nolan, and I became a Master of Wine (MW) in 1997, and resigned from the Institute of Masters of Wine in 2023 after being an MW for exactly 26 years. I opened a wine shop in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, called The Wine Library, which closed in 2018, and this is my personal wine blog. I will do my utmost to be fair and responsible in my posts – please read my Who Pays article in re the ethics of wine trips and writing. I have worked in wine education, retail, and consultancy since 1990. I was a Director of the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) from 2008 to 2014 and was also a member of the Events Committee, founder of the Trips Committee, and member of the Governance Committee. Having had problems with potentially libellous comments from unidentifiable posters, I now require that if you post a comment, you must identify yourself properly or it won't be published. Please note that I do not review products or services on request so kindly don't ask. I value my independence and I believe my readers (few that they may be) do so also.
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