Appropriately Long Lunch

Sommeliers Australia knows how to bang together a lunch that showcases exceptional wines, matched with some of the best regional produce and chefs to cook it, in a room that has seen a lot of action in its years - Ormond Hall.

This was the third of these events that Ben Edwards and Dan Sims have produced for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival - and might I say, they get better every year.

With a table full of appropriately wine and food loving folk, and an opportunity to share some wonderful experiences - the day started very well.

The Provenance (Michael Ryan) gave us a fresh zucchini and tomato dish with Parmesan jelly - a good way to start the day. Wines were well matched.

The Loam's Aaron Turner, who is used to feeding 40, turned out 210 quail dishes, served with tapioca and whey potatoes - they were terrific, but could have done with just a little more punch for me. Great texture, a bit short on flavour.

From Red Cliffs Old Fire Station, almost a suburb of Mildura in the Sunraysia district, Stefano di Pieri's former right hand man, Ash Allford served us some local goat on polenta that had been braising for goodness knows how long. Apart from it being a little watery, it was excellent. There was a lot of love in that room for the young goat. A citrus gremolata cut through to soften the richness of the Mallee goat. Nicely played.

Cheese was from the Yarra Valley dairy and was terrific, and Pierre Roelofs created a wonderful dessert with corn, mandarin chocolate and other bits and pieces. I had to pass on this, not from overindulgence but a lack of love for the sweetie things at the end of lunch.

Sommeliers David Clarke from Vue de Monde, Jeanette Clarke of La Vita Buona, Penny Grant from Maze, Mark Protheroe from Charcoal Grill on the Hill and Carly Haren from Collins Quarter matched 2 wines with every course. Stand out wines for this little black duck's palate included the Chalmers Aglianico, 2005 – Murray Darling, Victoria, and the Lethbridge ‘Menage a Noir’ Pinot Noir, 2008 – Geelong, Victoria.

The Boys and their team at Somms Australia are to be congratulated - not only do we get to experience some of the best regional food that one can have, but its all in the comfort of a quick cab ride from home, and finishes as always with a tipple at the Melbourne Wine Room. Oh, and the sommeliers themselves creating the marriages between this terrific food and the wines, snaps to you all. It really was another amazing and amazingly long lunch.