Leigh Cato's Taste of Red Hill

The art of matching food and wine is a passion of David and Paula Leslie who own the spectacular Turramurra Estate. For the last fifteen years they have created wine that is especially made to complement food. Their philosophy is that wine should enhance food and visa versa. An opportunity arose when Leigh Cato came with the idea of opening a state-of-the art cooking school.

David Leslie, the winemaker has been working with Leigh to develop menus that create the perfect balance between the subtleties of wine and food.

“Leigh Cato’s delightful food poses a challenge to a wine selector.” Comments David. “The myriad of flavors and the often unusual combination of herbs and spices have proven that the classical rules for matching of varietal wines to dishes may no longer hold true. For instance the choice of white wine for white meat dishes and red wine for red meats need not necessarily be followed, especially with the everincreasing appreciation of indigenous, and multicultural ingredients and cooking methods in our repertoire of Australian cuisine.” “For example Leigh’s Zucchini Flowers stuffed with Red Hill Cheese fried in Blue Cornmeal goes exceptionally well with the 2000 Turramurra Estate Sauvignon Blanc – a fumé style Sauvignon is rounder and smoother than the usual fresh acidic style.” “Leigh’s experimenting with richer seafood dishes such as her prawn and sea perch ‘sausage’ served in a saffron consommé is complimented with the 2000 Turramurra Estate Chardonnay – A rich peachy wine, this is a white wine which matches well with rich dishes.

It retains its character and enhances the flavors of the food.” “However, the 1999 Turramurra Estate Chardonnay – a more delicate Chardonnay than the 2000 is the perfect match for the subtle spiciness of Leigh’s creations, especially some of the native Australian bush spices.” “Leigh has been refining recipes from renowned restaurants from wine districts around the world, many include duck, and subtle chili dishes from the Napa Valley down through the Pacific coast of Mexico, which set off the 2000 Turramurra Estate Pinot Noir – a very complex wine with cherry, mushroom and spicy flavors which we have found accompany these dishes extraordinarily well.” “While experimenting with more aromatic spices such as cumin, turmeric, cardamom and fragrant ancho chilies, herbs like coriander, and tart fruits such as bush lime and tomatillos, we were delighted to find how the 1999 Turramurra Estate Cabernet set off the dishes and in return how these dishes brought out the different aspects of the wine right down to the Mexican chocolate and chili ice cream! This Cabernet is a cool climate Cabernet showing an elegance and subtlety rarely seen in Australian Cabernets. It matches very well with food and the ability of this wine with its blackcurrant rich and sweetly ripe flavors blended with spice, make it an ideal accompaniment to dishes with complex spices.” “Our winter classes will include a number of dishes that bring out the intense white pepper flavored of our cool climate Shiraz 1999 Turramurra Estate Shiraz. This particular wine lends itself to the richer dishes especially where the natural flavors are only subtly spiced – such as hearty game and roasts.” “From Leigh’s point of view, creating food for wine is constantly fun and challenging. It is amazing we are all not gaining weight as a large part of the time we are tasting, refining and of course eating and drinking! The whole concept behind Cooking at Turramurra is for people who really enjoy their food and wine. We are not about over-the-top ‘gourmet’ or trendy cooking.

We are only interested in good cooking with the freshest, best ingredients. Innovative food that reflects our lifestyle; food that lends itself to great wine without exhausting the cook!” Turramurra Estate Vineyard and Winery is just over an hour from Melbourne. The state-of-theart, purpose built kitchen that allows everyone to participate in all phases of preparation because we believe that learning to cook is more than just watching someone else; it is a totally sensuous and tactile experience.

At the end everyone sits down and enjoys the excellent meal they have helped to cook accompanied by the superb wines from the cellar of Turramurra Estate chosen by David.

Cooking at Turramurra offers creative and innovative classes showcasing the diverse and best ingredients of the Mornington Peninsula and Australia with menus inspired by the cuisines of wines regions from the Mediterranean to Argentina, from the Napa to the Loire Valleys.

Classes are made up of small intimate groups that are the perfect way to meet like-minded people; or you might want to book out a class and celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion with friends. Partners can always join the cooks for a delectable meal at the end of the class (Remember to book in partner when booking class).

Turramurra Estate can also do small functions, small weddings, private lunches and dinners upon request.

Private bookings and wine orders, please contact Turramurra Estate 59871146 For information on cooking class schedules contact Cooking at Turramurra 5989 2666.

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