Sampling Wine and Sharing Food

Dish of the Week- Antipasto Platter

This weekend we escaped Sydney for a day and went to the Hunter Valley to sample different wines and restock the cabinet, with a couple of dear friends. The Hunter Valley is only a couple of hours drive from Sydney, and offers beautiful scenery and some of the greatest wines that Australia has to offer. The region is famous for their long-lived Semillons and earthy Shiraz wines, and the former is considered unique in the category of white wines, as it is particularly good for long-term ageing and significantly changes character over time. When young, the Semillon wines often have a dry, crispy taste with hints of citrus flavors, and then evolve in to more a complex wine over time that has characteristics of nuts and honey.

Since this was not our first time to the Hunter Valley we decided to revisit some of our favorite wineries and try out some new ones. Since I love my sparkling wine, a stop at the Peterson Champagne House was an absolute must, and their sparkling Botrytis Semillon is a great dessert wine. We also visited Hungerford Hills, Tower Estate, Audrey Wilkinson and Pepper Tree Wines.

They often say that you should save the best til last and by pure accident our last winery visit for the day turned out to be a true gem. Tamburlaine Organic Wines had an impressive selection of wines, and the oaked reserve Chardonnay, Merlot and dessert wine Noble Chardonnay were clear winners among the four of us. It was also a pleasure to be introduced to the staff at the cellar door that were passionate about organically produced wine and eager to share their knowledge. Tamburlaine is the largest producer of organic wines in Australia and have accomplished great things since their start in 1985; nine of their wines were rated 90 points or above in the 2009 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion.

Since our trip to the Hunter Valley was only a day trip we took it easy with the wine drinking whilst on the road, and decided to enjoy some of the newly acquired drops upon return to Sydney. We had a late lunch at Firestick Cafe at the Pools Rock Estate, hence decided that a light meal was the way to go, and there is nothing that can beat a good antipasto platter. 

Since I love food, wine and socializing, a perfect Saturday night for me is spent sharing great food and wine in the company of friends and family. And last night we mixed cured meats with  cheeses that we sourced from the Hunter Valley Cheese Company. 

Antipasto Platter: 

8 slices of prosciutto

8 slices of peppered ham

8 slices of mortadella with olives 

Sicilian olives

Semi-dried tomatoes

1 zucchini

1 bunt of asparagus

Hunter Valley Washed Rind Cheese

Blue Vein Cheese

Cheddar Cheese

The great thing about antipasto platters is that they are very versatile as you can vary the size of the portions according to how you want to serve it. I purchase less quantities if it is to be served as a starter, whilst last night I served more generous quantities of meats and cheeses so the list of ingredients above is based on having the platter as a main meal. I normally cook the zucchini and asparagus over the barbecue, but you can just as easily do it in a hot frying pan, and I serve it instantly after cooking, with the meat. The different colors of the vegetables and cured meats looks great when plated up, and I like serving it with smelly cheeses, fresh bread and nice wines.  

I hope this antipasto platter inspires you to invite friends and family over for a night of sharing great tasting cured meat and cheeses!

Linnemoren