Funky Aussies

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Monsieur Jamin and the Film Buff have been talking about doing a dinner where all the wines tasted would be Aussie. Not only that, these would include some very off-beat, small production, highly sought-after gems that most wine lovers have never heard of. They invited me to join their shindig and, since the cat's away this week, this mouse decided that he would play.

We took a private room at Ming Court (明閣) Wanchai for the ten of us. I am, of course, aware that there's been a Wanchai outlet for this well-regarded restaurant for a few years now, but this part of town remains largely off my dining map. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to see how it compares with the "original" in Mongkok.

We started the evening with the crispy trio (脆香三疊), which I thought was perfect as a snack to go with some wines:

Fried cashew nuts with garlic salt and black pepper (蒜鹽黑椒腰果)

Fried lotus root chips with salt (鹽香脆藕片) - this was perfect as a snack to go with our wines, as the flavors were relatively neutral but one could taste the oil used in deep-frying... and that's just so satisfying.

Sweetened walnuts (琥珀甜桃仁) - I can never stop eating these once there's a bowl of it within my reach...

Supreme barbecued pork loin in honey sauce (極品蜜汁叉燒) - any decent Cantonese restaurant with a self-respecting chef would be able to deliver a decent plate of char siu, and the last time I had char siu from Ming Court was on the last night of our 7-day quarantine at the Cordis Hong Kong... when we ordered an extra serving of this as a treat to celebrate our impeding freedom. It was pretty good then, and this was even better tonight.

The char siu tonight came in thicker cuts and got fully-drenched in the honey glaze. The texture was wonderful thanks to the marbling with crunchy sinews. Flavors were very good with pretty decent charring on the edges that made it slightly crispy while remaining very tender in the middle.

Chilled lava preserved egg with pickled ginger (酸薑流心皮蛋) - frankly, I was surprised this was ordered. This is the kinda stuff that MNSC boys order up so we could fuck up the taste buds of the people who have to guess in a blind tasting.

Roasted goose in two courses, Cantonese style (馳名片皮鵝) - YASS!!! That's what I'm talkin' about! I've been telling visiting tourists till I'm blue in the face that we're in Hong Kong, and the bird of choice for Hongkies is roast GOOSE, not duck. So here we have it...

I was a little taken aback by how black and shriveled the skin around that hole was...

This was sliced the way some places would serve Peking duck, and I would always prefer to have the meat together with the crispy skin, along with that layer of fat in between. I was most happy to wrap a couple of slices inside a thin crêpe together with some hoisin sauce.

Sautéed crispy tiger prawns in Kung Pao sauce (宮爆汁香脆虎蝦球) - this ain't no kung pao by a country mile, but it sho' was tasty. The prawns were coated with a ton of sweet sauce that caramelized and formed a crunchy crust. I'd be happy to do this again.

This was the second serving of our goose, and the gang asked for stir-fried minced goose in lettuce cup (生菜包鵝崧).

Sautéed eel fillet with assorted mushrooms in preserved black olives and dried tangerine peel (陳皮欖豉什菌炒爽鱔球) - this was an interesting dish, as the combination of very strong flavors from the preserved black olives and the fragrance from the dried tangerine peel worked to cover up any hint of muddy flavors from the eel.

Crispy chicken (明閣炸子雞) - pretty decent.

Leafy amaranth simmered in superior soup (上湯莧菜) - very young and tender leafy amaranth.

Mapo tofu and fish maw with fried rice (花膠麻婆豆腐飯) - not nearly numbing enough, but this was nevertheless pretty tasty. And I definitely ate too much of it.

Honeyed egg pastry twist, sesame crunch (麻香蛋散) - we couldn't leave without any dessert, and these are always a good idea. Airy, light, and crispy fried dough in a sweet sauce.

Mango pudding (芒果布甸) - don't be talkin' to me 'bout mango pudding at Ming Court...

Hawthorn jelly (山楂凍)

Puff pastry with egg custard (奶黃酥)

But the food wasn't the main event tonight... that would be the lineup of Aussie wines - most of which I hadn't tasted or even heard of.

2021 Bellebonne Natalie Fryar Vintage Rose - nose was kinda muted, although some would call it 'pretty'... with a little flint but not too heavy, along with some red fruits.

2023 Silkman Semillon Blackberry Vineyard - nose was big and punchy, with big, powerful flint, more mineral. Lean and thin on the palate, but the acidity came out on the finish and this got grippy at the end.

Chardonnay flight:

2023 Mayer Chardonnay - really big and oaky nose, very punchy. Nutty with coffee and flint. On the palate, though, this was much more muted and mild than expected. Light and with a short finish. The acidity was not high at all, with some lemon.

2022 Place of Changing Winds Larderdark Chardonnay - the nose was big and fragrant, felt more opulent, toasty, nutty, and rich, with some white flowers.

2019 Sorrenberg Chardonnay - this was the most vanilla and buttery, and also flinty.

2020 Tony Bish Zen Chardonnay -this was the one with the most punchy nose, got the biggest toast, with some butter underneath. This was actually mostly lean on the nose, but on the palate it was softer than expected... starting out lean but also a little rounded.

Pinot noir flight:

2024 Dr Mayer Pinot Noir - definitely got that bubblegum nose, and a bit earthy. Lighter than expected.

2022 Place of Changing Winds Pinot Noir Between Two Mountains - this was more minty, with cooler fruit, along with a little farmy notes. Good concentration here and really nice.

2023 Aphelion Rapture - nose was like cherry-flavored cough syrup. Didn't like this. There was a bit of leather and dried herbs which reminded me of some Italian wines.

2023 Aphelion Brini - this had a bigger nose, very minty, and really smelled like cough syrup.

Shiraz flight:

2022 Piggs Peake House of Bricks Shiraz - this was such a classic Aussie shiraz with lots of vanilla, lots of oak, and was just really big and punchy.

2021 Place of Changing Winds Harcourt Syrah - this was more open and fragrant, with really woodsy and cedar notes, and also plenty of juicy fruit.

2012 Torbreck Run Rig - nose was showing plenty of vulcanized rubber and some eucalyptus.

2021 Standish Lamella - really sweet on the nose with dried herbs.

It's been some time since I tasted so many Aussie wines in one sitting, and this was surely educational. Glad to be able to filter out bottlings that aren't to my liking, and good to see that, beyond the usual suspects, there are new producers delivering quality stuff down under.