Lucien Albrecht Weid Pinot noir 2004

Alsace, France. Pinot noir. 13%. Cork (mostly stained). Approx $A50-70 (lost receipt).

I have been tasting wine, though perhaps with less focus and attention than usual. Presumably this is a comma rather than a full stop. . . In the last 36 hours, three stand out bottles, the 06 Bindi Original - has improved - it is caressing and rich and certainly more adolescent than middle aged. The 02 Grosset Polish Hill is glorious and if possible it seems to have intensified. Finally a Pinot from Alsace, which in far away Perth at least, is still an oddity.

Lovely. A satisfying combination of savouriness and structure. Stalk and stem on the nose, paired with spice and earth, while in the mouth it is sappy, well paced and tight before eventually unfurling. 92. Now - 2014+

April

Dada 1 2007

New Zealand. White Blend (Sauvignon blanc, Gewürztraminer, Viognier). 14%. Diam. Approx $A65.

If you build it, they will come.

I had not particular preconceptions, the label certainly gives little away. . . an obsessive idea which has become quite a delicious and exemplary wine. Pale and pert, this is wonderfully clean, fresh and evocative. Musk and grape skin, grass, gooseberry and flint. It smells of Sauvignon, but not clearly from this hemisphere. . . Lean and tight, green apple freshness, but cut with stones and mineral and something fleshy and formidable. A wonderful wine. I wish I had more. . . 93-95. Now - 2013 +

A broccolini salad

An improvised salad, based on the premise that pancetta, broad beans and feta make a lovely Ménage à trois.

Ingredients:

• 12 thin slices of pancetta
• 3 slices of prosciutto
• 2 small bunches of brococolini - ends trimmed and peeled if desired
• 500g bag of frozen broad beans (it is Autumn)
• 2 small handfuls of baby chard leaves
• 1 bunch of mint
• small handful of parsley
• 100g of feta - diced (5mm cubes) or crumbled
• olive oil
• 1 lemon

How?

(1) Fry the pancetta and prosciutto in a pan with a splash of olive oil. You could of course use either on its own. When suitably crisp, set aside. (2) Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the broccolini and a tablespoon of salt. Boil and cook for a few minutes, no more, removing the florets and refreshing in cold water, before setting aside in a large bowl and tossing with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. (3) To the same pot of boiling water (once the broccolini has been removed) add the frozen broad beans and after 1-2 minutes, strain and remove, before once again refreshing under cold water. Remove the beans from their grey/white pods and place the podded beans in the same bowl as the broccolini. (4) Take a handful of the larger mint leaves and pound in a mortar and pestle. Once bruised and crushed, add the juice of half a lemon and a similar amount of olive oil. Add two thirds of this to the resting broad beans and broccolini and toss. (5) Now construct the salad. Layer the chard, the cooked and dressed vegetables, some feta and crumble some of the pancetta. Repeat as needed and the dress with the smaller mint leaves, the parsley and sprinkle with the remains of the mint / lemon dressing.

Caudalie

I toyed with the idea, of keeping this image for a suitably austere, pinpoint and intense young Riesling. It's a cliché I've mostly avoided, though I can see the appeal. The word laser seems to capture and indicate something modern, undiluted, focused and linear.

I suspect opponents of the 100 point scale and wine scores in general, will not like the notion of caudalie. As most doctors and Latin buffs will tell you, cauda means tail. The caudalie is the unit for measurement of aftertaste. 1 cadualie = 1 second of aftertaste. Even for an inhabitant of Nerdistan, it seems superfluous and overly prone to inter and intra-observer variability.

Lucy Margaux Little Creek Pinot noir 2010

Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Pinot noir. 13.8%. Diam. Approx $A40

Of the three I've tried from this stable, this is the one for me. Though it seems the beauty is greatest on opening and by nights end it is less flattering and more utilitarian.

Strawberry and plum, spiced oak, earth and much latter, rubber and stalk. Wonderful texture and layered complexity. Filmy and slippery, the acid is better balanced and this is curved instead of angular. The tannins are multifaceted - at times malt like and then inky and spiced, they define rather than rule. A momentarily gorgeous wine. 92. Now - 2012.

Redemption

You would not expect Peter Lloyd's book to give a glowing account of Singapore. Working for the ABC and then getting arrested and convicted for drug use and then spending 6 months in a Singapore prison, tends to give you a jaundiced view of things. What it successfully does, with it's staccato chapters, cutting back and forth through various SE Asian tragedies, court hearings, counseling sessions and personal dramas, is create a sense of his personal chaos, followed eventually by peace and redemption. My initial ambivalence towards him, had by books end become respect.

Two quotes, the second a composite from pages 261 and 287:

That verbal tick again - lah. Singaporeans append lah to statements and sentences out of habit, with no form of rules for when and where it appears. Lah is to language what the appendix is the the human body - functionally redundant and occasionally irritating.

and

Singapore's laws have not been kind to me, but the penal system, at least, is a more forgiving place where I am safe and secure and oddly entertained. . . Of my material possessions, I have missed the sum total of nothing. Not the perpetual logging on and checking of emails. . . Instead I indulged a guilty pleasure called reading, devouring nearly eighty books in those two hundred days.

Dr Mayer Remstal Kabinett Trocken 2009

Remstal, Germany. Riesling. 12.5%. Vino-lok. Approx $A44.

Though I had hoped for more, I still find that without much effort, most of the bottle has disappeared. It seemed slightly thin and dilute to begin, though there is still a notable imprint of stone and mineral. Lime cordial, grape skins and fennel complete the olfactory tale. Spiced and stony, what it seems to lack in precision and intensity is made up for by its grip and Gewürz like phenolics. 90. Now - 2015.

A paint swatch wine tasting note

I think about wine more than I should. So while looking for super glue in my local hardware store my eye was drawn to the paint swatches. Though I could not find a swatch called Riesling, there were enough clichéd components to form a tasting note.

Domaine Lucci Pinot noir 2010

Adelaide Hills, South Australian. Pinot noir. 13.8%. Diam. Approx $A28

Bright, sappy and svelte. Smelling of strawberry, stems and spice, this is savoury, juicy and quite sculptured. It's anxious, a touch short and overly pert and acidic - a mouthful of crushed raspberries - unbalanced and acute, though for an entry level wine, I found the angles and hardness acceptable. 88. Now - 2014.

Kracher Trockenbeerenauslese NV

Austria. Screwcap (Saranex liner). 187ml bottle, with a tartrate crystal at the bottom. Approx $A30.

I've previously confessed my love for small bottles, but I'm not blind to their potential problems. Such as deciding very late at night that such a little thing can do no harm, and then over chilling it in the freezer, so that it starts tasting unfocused and metallic. It transfigures with warmth and presumably for those with more sense and warmer freezers or better timing, it will sing from the beginning. Pale orange, I can't help but smell marmalade and cotton candy, though later acacia, botrytis and the reassuring scent of freshly washed woolens. Before it warms it's like drinking water flavoured with burnt toffee, or a spoon of maltose, it seems to be missing a sting. In time it rewards and gains more texture, depth and appeal, though by bottle's end, I still get the sense that it could be more shapely and defined. 89-90. Now.

Four recent meals

Hawkers Cuisine in Northbridge may just be Perth's most blogged about Chinese restaurant. There's much to like. It's busy, noisy and there's a constant queue waiting to get in. Judging by my post meal fuzziness, they use as much MSG as any other local Chinese restaurant. The pictured marmite chicken is good in small doses and the deep fried soft shelled crab is worthwhile.

Just Bar (Preston St, Como) is one of Perth's innumerable tapas bars. The menu appears to have nothing over $20 per plate and I left pleased and impressed. I suspect the menu changes frequently, but for what it's worth I loved the chorizo with cuttlefish. There's a flair and extravagance - the lamb chop comes with a slice of foie gras and the succulent 2 inch cube of pork belly is surrounded by licorice sand. Quibbles - my panna cotta was far too firm.

Pata Negra (Stirling Hwy, Nedlands) shows flashes of genius. The arroz negra is perhaps the best thing I've eaten all year. A superb crust and wonderfully evocative flavours. I also liked the smoky eggplant pie and the king fish ceviche. The suckling pig is not cheap at $50, but it is well executed and certainly much better than the rather ordinary confit duck, chorizo and white beans. The waiters were all clad in checkered flannel shirts and judging by the serving plates and the unmatched water glasses, I suspect they (and East Perth's - Toast) have cornered the local bric-a-brac market.

Toast (East Perth) could do with some proper water glasses and freshly printed menus. It seems unreasonable to expect paying patrons to drink from children's plastic cups from Ikea. . . Still the food is redeemingly adequate and I'd have no trouble recommending the potato, mint and feta pancakes.

Harkham Winery Chardonnay 2010

Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia. Chardonnay. 14%. Diam. Approx $A30

I don't drink much one year old Chardonnay and even fewer preservative free wines, so it's not so easy to contextualise this wine. Despite the lack of preservatives, there seems to be no lack of wine making tricks. Butterscotch and peach, this seems quite fleshy and almost nougat like. It's bright, mineral and abundant. A large frame with no corset. 86. Now - 2012.

Jayer-Gillies Côtes de Nuits Villages 1999

Côtes de Nuits Villages, Burgundy, France. Pinot noir. 13%. Cork. Approx $65.

While its Southern sibling was faded and undrinkable, this was quite glorious. It shows few signs of fatigue and curiously there's something on the nose that reminds me of Central Otago. It's plush, spiced and there's a wonderful undercurrent of wilted rose petals and black tea leaves. I can smell stems and earth. Perhaps the nose is a touch quiet, but it does want for complexity. Clean and convincing in the mouth, unfurling and expansive and a defining seam of spiced, sappy tannins. 91. Now - 2015+

Pork hock with star anise

It seems wherever I look I find references to bak kut teh. Meat bone tea. . . Introduced first to Singapore by the Chinese coolies at the turn of the 19th century, it soon found its ways to Malaysia and beyond. Picking up regional and ethnic variations along the way.

This is my first kitchen encounter with it, and this iteration comes from Street Food, though I've made some modifications to cooking time and have used brown sugar instead of palm. It's a simple dish, with cheap ingredients, but like many dishes with humble origins, it is full of comfort.

How? In a mortar and pestle pound 4 coriander roots (cleaned and sliced), a pinch of salt, 4 cloves of peeled garlic and 10 white peppercorns. Fry this paste in a large pan (with 2 tablespoons of oil). To this add 1 tablespoon of 5 spice powder and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir for a minute of so, then add 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and 4 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water. Now add the pork hock. Mine was sliced and weighed 850g. Add more water or stock, if needed to cover the meat. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 90 minutes. Turn the heat off, add a piece of bruised ginger and two tablespoons of oyster sauce. Leave covered for at least a few hours more, to allow the meat and connective tissues to soften further. Just before eating, remove the pork from the soup, remove and shred the meat and set aside. Now briefly blanch the leaves of some kai-lan and add to the pork meat. Dress with some fresh coriander leaves and then ladle some reheated soup over this prior to serving. For extra punch make a sauce - sour and hot.

Dipping sauce - not unlike a Nước chấm. Pound 1 deseeded red chili with a pinch of salt, 2 cloves of garlic and a small slice of ginger. Then add to 1/3 cup of white vinegar and stir.

From the pictured book: The body of Alan Lee was at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital morgue. The reason that he remained in the morgue a month after his death was due to the dispute between the State Islamic Council and Alan Lee's mother, both of whom claimed the body. The disagreement was over whether Alan Lee should be buried according to Moslem or Buddhist rites. The Council insisted that Alan Lee had converted to Islam shortly before his death. They had records of his official conversion. His mother said that was not possible. She had cooked him his favourite meal the week before he died - bak kut teh, a pork belly soup. . .

Jayer-Gillies haute Côtes de Beaune 1999

Beaune, Burgundy, France. Pinot noir. Cork.

Like a smelly man, whose odour lingers long after leaving a room, this wine is almost gone, what remains seems unflattering and overly acetic. Purchased recently, I wonder if this is a representative bottle. . .

Mayer Pinot noir 2010

Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia. Pinot noir. 13.5%. Diam. Approx $A50

There's a growing trend to release red wines earlier and earlier. Presumably it helps with cash flow and reduces inventories, but it also means the inpatient and curious drinker, like me, will drink the wines a few years ahead of their prime.

As you would expect from a young wine, it evolves and improves with air and time. It seems quite similar to the 2006, but perhaps it is marginally more spiced and zippy. Rose petal and perfume, the prettiness is marred by the sappiness and earth, which seems unsettled and prematurely disturbed. Rosewood and stems, and a suggestion of flint and reduction. Rounded and fleshy in the mouth, it seems too zippy and rushed to begin. . . the pace does settles, but in shape, this remains a bit of a tadpole wine. 90. 2012 - 2015

Guidebooks

Whilst reading The Singapore School of Villainy, I came across the term kiasu. A fear of missing out. It's a powerful motivator. Presumably it's why people line up to buy into the latest fad. . . it's also what drives me to read guide books. . . I travel so infrequently, I want to know everything about my prospective destination before hand. Baden-Powell would be proud. . .

Though the Inspector Singh books are more about the short, fat, sweaty and hirsute Sikh Inspector, with his fondness for cigarettes, sweet coffee and chappati, they are also about place. More than the various travel books I have read, Shamini Flint's 3rd book, manages to give Singapore a coat of grime and interest.

I've had The Flavour Thesaurus for only a few days, but already it seems indispensable. My young daughter is a fan, having located a simple eight line recipe for lemonade. There's a single illustration - which is repeated on the cover and twice within. A wheel classifying foods by their salient flavour. It sets the tone and challenges you to think. The short entries provides cogent explanation and refreshingly stripped down recipes and instruction. Freed from images, the text shines, with its balance, clarity and context (scientific, historic and gastronomic).

Bonny Doon Le Pousseur Syrah 2006

Central Coast, California, USA. Shiraz. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A44

Perfumed and cuddly to begin, the nose is woolly and diffuse, a suggestion of animal and hide, spiced oak and something stem like and reminiscent of tea leaves. A sweet core, making this quite approachable. The label mentions that tannins are added and oak chips are used in addition to the the French oak barrels. The finish is quite assertive, abrupt and adhesive. My first thought was sticking plaster, though perhaps the more generous might call it tea like. As an Australian, paying $A44, this seem generic and particularly poor value

A change of scene

I periodically toy with the idea of changing the format of the blog, procrastination and an obsessive personality usually mean nothing happens. Pleasing then to see that blogger has allowed the reader to change and pick the format they like the most themselves.

La Violetta 'La Ciornia' Shiraz 2008

Great Southern, Western Australia. Shiraz, Viognier 2%. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A60

Though I would have seen the 2009 review by Jamie Goode, my first, formed recollection is from September 2010. Since then an unfulfilled yearning. . . Until last week.

If you are a hard core wino, you will know the satisfaction of eventually finding a sought after bottle. It must be one of the early and surest signs of vinous insanity. That laborious and often unrewarding search for an esoteric bottle, the search that makes no sense to individuals sane or alcoholic.

A fleeting note of ripe blackcurrant (? DMS) before a more expected and persistent blackberry, an enticing fog of spice and pepper and a whiff of leather. Wonderful acidity and to start this seems quite lean and muscular in the mouth. A peppered steak. . . First impression, of course, are often misleading, and in time a sweet core emerges. For a moment it reminds me of the Clonakilla Syrah. That silky but firm palate which by nights end has shifted shape to show more cream and softness. Delicious. 93-95. Now - 2014.

Buying wine from Winosapien

Can you buy wine from winosapien? No.*
Is winosapien on Twitter? No.**
Is winosapien on Facebook? No!

There is however an internet doppelgänger who is seeking to fill these gaps. I write now to stress that I have no involvement in any of this. It's not me. . .

I recently discovered that some entity has decided to set up an internet wine retail business, called winosapien. There's nothing on the website, only a link to an unfollowed twitter account (not me) and a similarly lonely facebook account.

I harbour no malice. Perhaps the retailer will be superb, offering vinous esoteria. I did however want to point out, that giving your new and unheralded business the same name as an existing internet site, over which you have no control, is fraught with potentially unforeseen complications.

I hope for instance that my readers will be far less confused than any prospective customers of the proposed winosapien retail site, which is currently nothing more than a counting clock. . .

* I'd never want to sell any of the the wines I really liked.
** Though several sources helpfully tweet the arrival of new wino sapien blog posts.

I Giusti & Zanza Perbruno 2006

Toscana, Italy. Shiraz. 14%. Cork. Approx $A50

A beautiful label - three wings and the words Ali per non cadere. Wings to stay high.

Dark and deep. Tasted blind, I think I would have trouble calling this anything but West Australian. . . Berries (Mulberry and blue), ink, chocolate, earth and a fleeting suggestion of wax and lavender. Spice cut with glue. . . Brisk and grainy, a hint of initial sweetness to offset the eventual austerity. Chewy, mocha flavoured tannins, this is competent and pleasing, but I had hoped for more. 90. Now - 2016.

Judging a wine by its label

I've declared my hand before, I'm a sucker for an eye catching label. I've managed to resist critters, but it seems I've a soft spot for monsters. The implicit message on this bottle, where the monster bears a striking resemblance to Julia Donaldon's Gruffalo, is that it will be large, lumbering and perhaps a touch sweet and over extracted. The more generous might call it a BBQ wine, as if the clumsiness will be forgiven if it is eaten with charred and overcooked meat.

Lucy Margaux Jim's Pinot noir 2010

Lucy Margaux Jim's Pinot noir 2010

Lucy Margaux Jim's Pinot noir 2010Uraidla Valley, Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Pinot noir. 13.8%. Diam. Approx $A45

Quite delicious but also idiosyncratic and challenging. Unfiltered and unfined there's a glorious murkiness to the eye. It's richly scented, though the olfactory signature changes and reforms as the night proceeds. It's pretty and floral with crushed strawberries to begin, but later it seems more spiced, earthy and stem laden. Slightly sweet and metallic, the emphasis is forward and the impression is of something globular, concentrated and savoury. Once again spice (ginger and white pepper), zip, mineral and char. It's layered and complex, expansive and a touch warm. Fascinating.

The Emperor's new clothes?

As Max Allen highlighted in his recent book, one of the interesting things happening in Australian wine is the emergence of a new breed of maker whose actions are informed more by terroir and biodynamics than formula and intervention. It's hard not to get swept along by the enthusiasm and beautiful labels. Though the skeptic in me wonders if the newness and hype is masking any vinous shortcomings, my inner child is already impatiently fondling and inspecting the bottle making plans for consumption.

Felton Road Calvert Pinot noir 2008

Central Otago, New Zealand. Pinot noir. 14%. Screwcap. Approx $A85.

I've consciously avoided the term funky, I find it too imprecise and annoying, but as I sniff, it's the term that first comes to mind. . . That certain depth and sexuality that seems inextricably linked with the grape. A symphony of scent made up of earth, mushrooms, truffle, spice and a good measure of skid marks. . . Meaningless words for something quite alluring and pretty. Forward and fleshy, full of richness, extract and sweetness. The polar opposite to Burgundy in shape, but still sharing a core of seduction and velvet. With time even the tannins, with their coating of char and sap, soften and integrate. How can something so wrong feel so good? 92. Now - 2016.

Bean curd and seaweed soup

Like a fellow Perth blogger, I spent the afternoon steeping a chicken with the intention of making Chicken rice and soup. Though I had David Thompson's Street Food as a source of reference and inspiration, it was not an entirely successful meal, my stock seemed and little thin, unsalted and insipid and consequently the rice seemed to lack some punch. Still I'll record what I did with the soup and rice for my own future reference. . .

Soup.

• 6 cups of chicken stock (I used the liquid left over from steeping a chicken)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 large square of fresh, soft tofu. Approx 200g - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 disk of dried seaweed - approx 25g - broken up and rinsed to remove sand and grit
• Spring onion and coriander leaves to dress

Dumplings.

• 150g minced pork
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• White pepper and a pinch of sugar

How?

Make the meatballs first by combining the pork, soy sauce, pepper and sugar in a bowl. Mix well by hand and the set aside.

Heat the stock and when boiling break up the meat mixture into small balls and add to the stock. Then add the beancurd, seaweed and additional soy sauce. Let simmer for a few minutes and then remove from the heat. Taste and correct flavours if needed and then add the spring onion and coriander before serving.

The unpictured chicken rice.

First prepare the rice. A lack of sufficient quantities of the correct grain meant I used 2 cups of Jasmine, 1 of Basmati (not as bad as it sounds) and 2 tablespoons of Glutinous. Thrice the rice was rinsed.

In a mortar grind two coriander roots, two cloves of garlic and a small knob of ginger with a large pinch of salt. Now fry this in a medium saucepan, with rendered chicken fat or two tablespoons of peanut oil. Then add the rice and stir well, before adding enough stock to cover the rice by 1 distal phalanx (approx 1 inch). Turn the heat down and bring to the boil, periodically testing the rice and adding more stock if needed. It should take about 20 minutes.

Sori' Paitin Barbaresco 2005

Piedmont, Italy. Nebbiolo. 14%. Cork. Source: cellar.

Quite formidable and tannic, though the nose is somewhat generic and seems more notable for the process (extended maceration on skins) than the grape or region. Stems and tar, bay leaf, menthol and lavender. The initial impression in the mouth is of richness and a grainy seam of muscular tannins. I've no idea what blue ink tastes like, but this the mental image evoked as I drink. Quite linear and monumental and slightly hard work. 90. Now - 2016 with a T-bone.

Frankland Estate Netley Road Vineyard Riesling 2010

Great Southern, Western Australia. Riesling. 12.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A35.

Vines planted in 1968 and a name (Netley Road) that was new (to me) from a producer that is locally renowned.

Talc, blossom, slate and flint. I can smell the petroleum precursors already. Tahitian lime zest and white pepper tickle my olfactory bulb. . . Crunchy and for a fleeting moment a suggestion (false) of sweetness, soon replaced by a textured, fleshy presence in the mouth. The feel, if not the flavours remind me of rambutan and lychee. A bristling wine. 90-91. Now - 2016+

Image: David Thompson's superb, but unwieldy, Thai Street Food and what I ate (take away Chinatown roast pork) with this wine.

Wynns John Riddoch 1998

Coonawarra, South Australia. Cabernet sauvignon. 13.5%. Cork (excellent condition). Source: cellar.

I suspect Ernest Shackleton and John Riddoch have little in common*, though the respective time lines of their lives do coalesce for the last portion of the 19th century and they both took calculated risks at considerable cost.

I've been skimming through a wonderful book, Explorers, and I keep returning to the advert Shackleton placed for crew for his third trip to the Antarctic. He selected 56 men from 5000 applicants, who responded to this:

Wanted. Men for hazardous journey. Low wages. Bitter cold. Long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in the event of success.

The wine has changed little since 2007. It's still dark and deep with years to go before it sleeps. Slightly stinky and reductive to begin, an oak forest, shellac and polish, bay leaf, malt, soy, black olive tapenade and dark chocolate. Rich and layered, a sweet flourish to open and lovely poise, depth and length. A bitter chocolate, lead pencil finish. Excellent. Now - 2020.

* Post script and correction: An email for an informed source - John Riddoch's grandson, John Rymill was in fact a noted and accomplished polar explorer. He traveled to and explored the Antarctic in 1934 - 37 in a schooner aptly renamed the Penola.

Albondigas

Having two reasonably adventurous children, I try to cook something from a different country each week. Today, something Spanish and rustic.

Ingredients - Albondigas:

• 250 - 300g each of minced pork and beef.
• 3 cloves of garlic - finely diced
• 1/3 large onion finely diced
• 1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs
• 1 small handful of parsley - finely chopped (I used a blender for the onion, bread and parsley)
• 1 teaspoon each of ground coriander, cumin and nutmeg.
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 egg

Ingredients - Tomato sauce:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2/3 large onion - finely diced
• 1 garlic clove
• 250ml dry white wine - I used chardonnay
• 2 x 400g cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup of frozen peas

How? Make the meat balls by combining all the above ingredients in a large bowl, working by hand until homogeneous. Shape into small balls, set aside and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so. Start on the sauce.

Fry the onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until clear and then add the wine and bring to the boil. After a few minutes add the tins of tomato, tomato puree and stock. Simmer and reduce by approximately half. Remove from heat. Cook the meat balls.

In a large pan fry the meat balls in olive oil, in batches, till brown on the outside. When all have been appropriately sealed and partially cooked - set aside and now reheat the sauce. Once simmering - add the meat balls to the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then add the frozen peas and mix and stir, till the peas are hot and the liquid is once again bubbling. Serve.

Wine? Through a combination of mismanagement and over consumption, I have a current paucity of Spanish wine. Never mind - the peas and tomato were capably washed down by few glasses of Coonawarra Cabernet.

Older

Coonawarra. South Australia. Cabernet sauvignon. 13.5%. Cork (1/3 stained). Source: cellar.

It's hard to escape the idea of growing old and frail. I spend each working day seeing people who have aged, being a select population, assured of confidentiality, most feel free to complain - about their skin growing weak and spotty, about their sight and hearing, about their bowels, about their children and about the perceived unfairness of it all. Just occasionally I see someone who is full of grace and good will, who despite all the years, hardships and visible degeneration seems content and unafraid.

1994 Wynns Black Label. Mature, but unbowed. Blackcurrant, cigar, cedar and a well used spice box. Dust and menthol and if you look a suggestion of sharpness which is in keeping with the vintage. Slightly short and sweet to begin, but then more length, spice, savouriness and dark chocolate. My last estimate of the drinking window seems overly pessimistic. Now - 2016. 90-92.

Image: On the topic of obsolescence, my first computer, purchased in the early 1990's, it cost me $7000 (I should have spent the money on wine. . .) and after more than a decade collecting dust, it now sits on the verge awaiting collection.

Jauma Abig 2010

Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale, South Australia. Grenache. 14.8%. Diam. Approx $A49.

Pretty and spiced to begin, before becoming more dusty and lifted. Pepper and berries (crushed and blue), saw dust and a coat of vanilla and warm leather. Something creamy and confection like, though at times a less flattering note of toluene. . . Nothing more and nothing less than I'd expect. Large, warm and soft in the mouth, with more than a hint of Port. There's a redeeming spine of acid, fine, filmy tannins and moderate length. Overall, it's quite convincing. 89-90. Now - 2015.