Weapon Club Japan

Weapon Club Japan, hosted by Tim L. The theme behind this event was to share a few Japanese dishes that I encountered whilst travelling in Japan last year.

Appetiser of citrus and umeboshi plum marinated fish with apple and wakame.

Tim: Rihaku Tokubetsu Junmai Shu (Sake). A smooth sake with a hint of pear, long lingering sake taste. Probably better than the sakes i had in Japan.

1^st Course: Sliced Duck breast with whole grain mustard

Cam: Kyeema Vineyard 2008 Merlot Reserve. Dusty, dark fruit, drying tannins, nice mouthfeel. Cam reckons Merlot is a forgotten variety at Weapon clubs, I agree this was a nice representation of the style.

Cam: Great Western 2010 Young Vine Pinot Meunier.  Red berry, Strawberrys,  soft cool climate medium weight wine. Well integrated, light tannins, good acid balance. My stand out wine for the night.

Jan: Bourgogre Mousseux Rouge. Jan’s educational piece. Rose petals, sweet glace cherrys, deep  ruby colour. A burgundy wine made into a sparkling wine using the traditional method.

2^nd Course: Grilled chicken skewers over coals, a mix of yakitori and salt seasoned skewers.

Mark: Houghtons  Jack Mann 2000. Dark fruits, oak, well balanced with enough acid to live a few more years.

Mark: Cullen Diana Madeline 2001. Black cabernet fruits, harmonised oak. Cullen wines remind me of French reds, i don’t know if it is the Bordeaux blend or the bio dynamic practices but it just seems to taste foreign.... particularly after its been unmasked.

3^rd Course: Saikyo Yaki – Miso Marinated fish. Dish of the day, the miso and ginger flavours penetrated the baldchin grouper. The slightly charred skin added complexity to the fish.  

Dave: Grosset 2000 Polish Hill. Old Riesling, I enjoyed this wine.  The acid had softened and the wine fully integrated. Went well with the fish

Jan: Cremant de Bourgogne Loise Bouillot Rose. Rich, Moussey, off dry finish, very impressive. At $25 it is a steal, the perfect Wedding bubbly.  

4^th Course: Sukiyaki  - Beef, mushrooms, tofu, chinese cabbage braised in a broth of dashi, soy & mirin. (needs proper fatty Japanese beef)

Tim L: Mosswood 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon. Hints of diesel , nicely textured, tannins still evident. Good expression of Cab Sav but I missed the freshness of it had it been drunk 2-3 years ago.  Did not match well with the food, but a better wine.

Paul: Glorioso 2007 Rioja Crianza Soft, generous, a better weighted wine for the food. I found myself searching for Rioja’s to go with pizza last night.

Dessert: Strawberry meringue with homemade tiramisu ice cream. (Thanks Mark)

Paul: Nobel one 2008 750ml bottle. I swear this was a sauternes. Intense honey, pear and citrus.

Membership matters: Members have decided that committed weapon club members are required for the club. Sadly Alex D will have his membership downgraded from fully paid member to special guest to make way for new blood.

Other discussions during Weapon Club Japan. It was discussed that the character of Weapon Club is partly made by the changing focus brought by each hosting member. In recent times, more emphasis has been placed on matching food and wine. Ideas were discussed:

Cam who is hosting the next event introduced the idea of a “scientific experiment” for the next club meeting.

Boozy flagged a return to the traditional Weapon Club of old where the focus is on the wine.

It was agreed that the beauty of Weapon Club is its focus can and does change over time and I am looking forward to a new direction.