A WINE dinner at Walt and Burley, on the Kingston foreshore, was memorable. 

First, the owners of First Creek Wines, situated in Pokolbin – the heart of the Hunter Valley, were unable to attend the dinner that featured their wines. 

The Silkman family sent their apologies. They were ably represented by their distributor’s representatives though. Mark Davis and Rory Fitzpatrick from Joval Wines poured and explained the characteristics of the wines during the course of the evening. 

First Creek is a one of the main suppliers of wine to Walt and Burley and Danilo Acioli, the general manager, indicated that this was the second time that an arranged, five-course dinner had featured the wines. 

My 2020 edition of the “Halliday Wine Companion” shows First Creek to be a five-star winery, with emphasis on the quality of the semillons produced. 

The Hunter Valley semillons are excellent, but the only hint of that varietal on the night was in the sparkling that was provided on arrival, an entry level wine made up of 70 per cent chardonnay and 30 per cent  semillon. 

The night featured many other white varietals although a flight of shiraz was served with the main course. 

Instead of semillon, the first course of a Kingfish Ceviche Tostada was accompanied by the 2022 Limited Release Gruner Veltliner. This is an unusual wine for the Hunter Valley as it is usually grown in the cold-climate areas of Austria and Slovakia. It is also a varietal that is grown in the Canberra District. 

The Carpenters, who founded Lark Hill, are reputedly the first to have planted Gruner Veltliner in Australia. It does well at the altitude of the Lark Hill winery: 860 metres, level with the observation deck on Black Mountain Tower, a level of intoxication that one of the guests on the night appeared to have achieved as his public displays of affection for his partner went up a notch with each wine served. 

In a testament to the effects of terroir, the memory of the crisp acidity of the Canberra Lark Hill varietal was in contrast to the First Creek Wine. The First Creek had a minerality, and a distinctive melon flavour. It was an ocean apart from the local wine but still complemented the lime-flavoured ceviche. 

The next surprise was the 2022 Limited Release Fiano. This is a strongly flavoured Italian varietal that is grown in many parts of Australia and at its best produces flavours of pear and honey; I’m not a fan of the sometimes waxy texture you get from this varietal. The Fiano was served with scallops on a corn puree. We were not sure that the wine matched the flavour profile given the sweetness the corn provided, with a small level of funk in the first mouthful of wine that dissipated as the wine came to room temperature. 

The star of the evening came from the flight of three chardonnays that were served with roasted quail on a lentil base. The quail was well cooked, juicy and was complemented by the third chardonnay of the flight in particular, the Silkman 2019. It was perfumed with violets on the nose and possessed a mouth-filling complexity that blended well with the roast bird. 

Dessert saw yet another white varietal in play, a Verdelho but in liqueur form, the 6 Barrels Liqueur Verdelho. This was an intensely sweet wine and perhaps my taste buds were jaded at this point, but together with the chocolate delice there was just too much sweetness. 

When I see lovers’ names carved in a tree, I don’t think it’s sweet. I just think it’s surprising how many people bring a knife on a date. –Anon