June has landed. Boo to the shorter and colder days but on a more positive note, it’s officially Good Food Month here in Melbourne. While events celebrating Melbourne’s wonderful food and wine scene are currently up in the air due to bloodyrona, with some stroke of luck/hard work by our contact tracers leading to an easing of restrictions (fingers and toes crossed), punters will still be able to enjoy some of the planned events. Perhaps. Hopefully. Events like Rob Dolan Wine’s The Pairing Method, which we were very fortunate to preview a few weeks ago pre-lockdown.

The event will take place amongst the charming and rustic setting of their barrel room. Guided by wine connoisseur Meg Brodtmann, 2-hatted Chef Tyson Bertoncello (O.MY) and tastings, guests will learn all about the best wine/ingredient/flavour pairings and how different ingredients influence the texture and taste profile of a white and red (White Label Chardonnay and White Label Pinot Noir). Spoiler alert: who knew coconut and pinot noir made for such a tasty match? Guests will collectively decide on their favourite wine-ingredient pairings, which will then be used by Chef Tyson in a live cooking demo to create a ravioli masterpiece. Picks by our group included beetroot, ricotta, the creamiest goats cheese, coconut and dark chocolate. Yes… dark chocolate. What a peculiar combo of flavours, particularly for a ravioli, and it shouldn’t work.. BUT it did, and it was darn delicious. Bravo, hats off to Chef Tyson!

Dinner was a sit down, three-course affair. Entree: the taste bud-blowing ravioli creation, topped off with dark chocolate shavings. Main: meat and three veg in the form of a melt-in-mouth, 6 hour slow-braised beef cheek served on a bed of the creamiest truffle mash and teamed with carrots and greens. Dessert: a delightful cheese board featuring house-made Stone and Crow cheese. All courses were paired with a selection of Rob Dolan wines, which, surprise surprise, complemented the food beautifully. Ok, totally not a surprise.

While tickets for the June events have sold out, they have released tickets for an additional session on July 17th - bookings can be made via the Rob Dolan website. Now I’ve really got my fingers and toes crossed for an easing of restriction, as this is one event you won’t want to miss out on.

WINE AND FOOD/INGREDIENT TASTINGS

LIVE RAVIOLI DEMO WITH CHEF Tyson Bertoncello

SIT DOWN 3-COURSE DINNER

Handmade ravioli, paired with White Label Pinot Noir.

6hr slow-braised beef cheek with silky truffle mash and seasonal earthy vegetables, paired with Signature Series Cabernet Sauvignon.

Stone + Crow boutique house-made cheese, paired with Two Barrel Batch Muscat.

Rob Dolan Wines

21-23 Delaneys Rd,

Warrandyte South, Victoria, 3134.

+61 3 9876 5885

https://www.robdolanwines.com.au/

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of Rob Dolan Wines. All opinions expressed in this post are based entirely on my experience and observations made during the time of my visit.