One of the joys of my job is being invited to special dinners and the Petaluma Winemaker's Dinner at Sake is one pleasure I'll remember for a while.
I really enjoy the clean fresh flavours of Japanese food and the light handed cooking style however my partner, K2, is not such a fan. He's still dealing with a double brush with ciguatera from his youth and his eyes glaze over at the thought of raw or semi cooked fish. But he's a trooper and no doubt lured by the thought of a night of exceptional wines, he agreed to come with me. And the up side of this is that I always get to eat his oysters!
Before we adjourned to Sake's private dining room we met the delightful Penny Jones, one of Petaluma's wine makers. Penny has been working for Petaluma for seven years and says she spends most of her time at the winery working rather than attending dinners and looking glamorous.
Listen to her stories about working during the winery's busy period with 12 hour shifts six days a week, and that's not including the change over time, and you'd have to agree that it's a job for people with passion.
Here's the seven course dinner which was prepared by Head Chef Shinichi Maeda -
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| white soy snapper matched with Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2010 |
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| Steamed prawn dumplings matched with Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 2004 |
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| Tempura Oyster with Japanese tartare matched with Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling 1999 |
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| Ocean trout belly nigiri - Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2009 |
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| Miso marinated chicken with Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2009 |
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| Beef teriyaki with sauteed shiitake and buckwheat with Petaluma Shiraz 2005 |
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| Yuzu tart with Petaluma Botrytis Sauvignon Semillon 2010 |
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| This wine is still waiting for its formal label. |
Sake
45 Eagle Street, Eagle Street Pier, Brisbane CBD.
45 Eagle Street, Eagle Street Pier, Brisbane CBD.
Disclaimer: Ed+bK was a guest of Sake.