The wines on offer from Mac Forbes included:

1. Mac Forbes Rs16 Riesling, Yarra Valley AUS, 2013, $32, 9/10
2. Mac Forbes Chardonnay, Yarra Valley AUS, 2012, $34, 7/10
3. Mac Forbes Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley AUS, 2013, $32, 8/10
4. Mac Forbes Gruyere Syrah, Yarra Valley AUS, 2010, $36, 7/10
5. Mac Forbes Hugh Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Yarra Valley AUS, 2011, $56, 9/10

Mac, winemaker for Mac Forbes ,is in the foreground. Ross the proprietor of Olinda Cellars is in the background

There were two stand-outs, the Rs16 Rielsing which we both loved, picked early then monitored during fermentation until it hit their desired sugar levels. Just a delightful sweet flavour filled Riesling.
The other was the Hugh, a sophisticated balanced Yarra Valley Cab Sauv, with a nod at the great Bordeaux wines, and with a cellaring time that Mac assured us should be in excess of 20 years.

Tags: Red Wine, White Wine by Winequaffer
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Duck Pizza with Green Tomato, Cardamom and Ginger Jam

Duck Duck Duck Duck Duck Duck.
Now that that is out of the way.. When we were in Adelaide we got to know a brilliant organic pizza restaurant called Good Life Pizza and while we were renovating our house we got to know the staff and the menu there extremely well. One of the dishes we have made an effort to recreate is their Duck Pizza. It should be world famous and we are doing our part in bringing it to its earned glory.

Pizza such as this needs to be shared, however with pizza such as this you can’t invite just any old riff raff, so after much deliberation we invited two dear friends of ours who just happened to have a pair of bottles of aged Carrick Central Otago NZ Pinot Noir. It was a hard decision but at heart we are softies and we let them come along with their wine.

Wine List

1. Carrick Pinot Noir, Central Otago NZ, 2006, $35, 8/10
2. Carrick Pinot Noir, Central Otago NZ, 2005, $35, 7/10

Recipe: Green Tomato, Cardamom and Ginger Jam

Ingredients

• 2kg green tomatoes
• 4 1/3 cups superfine sugar
• Juice (and zest) of two small lemons
• 6-8 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1/4 cup fresh ginger, finely minced

Instructions

Cut tomatoes into wedges. Remove juice, seeds and the white center parts, then roughly chop the remaining tomato flesh.
In a large bowl, combine the tomato pieces, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight to macerate.
The next day, pour the tomato mixture into a preserving pan together with the cardamom and ginger (if you don’t have a preserving pan, a wide heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan will do just as well – I used my big Lagostina saute pan, and it worked a treat). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour back into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight once more.
The third day, return the mixture to the preserving pan and bring to a boil, skimming if necessary. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 10 minutes, check the set – if it’s still quite runny, continue cooking, checking the set every 2-3 minutes until it reaches the proper consistency. Remove the cardamom pods, then pour jam into sterilized jars immediately and seal (or for small batches, just refrigerate).

Sourced from Crumb Blog

For More Information

Good Life Pizza

Tags: Recipes, Red Wine by Winequaffer
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