Grazing at Gundaroo - duck and pinot degustation

No much has endeared me to my first winter in Canberra, but one of the highlights has definitely been spending a cold Friday evening sitting by a toasty fire dining on a six-course duck and pinot degustation.

This delicious event is held annually at Grazing Restaurant in Gundaroo, a small town about 40 minutes out of Canberra, as part of the annual Fireside Festival. This cozy restaurant is situated in the historic Royal Hotel - low doorways lead into the multi-roomed dining space, where the wooden floorboards are lined with huge, faded rugs, vibrant art lines painted brick walls and in the middle room, a fireplace roars away.

We're greeted with a glass of the 2009 Domaine Rogha Crois Saignee Pinot Rose, which is fruity and deeply coloured  as roses go.

The first course is cute duck broth, chestnut and cognac 'cappuccino', served in an espresso glass. Together with a toasted liver parfait sandwich quarter it's warm and cosy and rib-stickingly rich.

Wine match: 2009 Bouchard Pere & Fils Bourgogne Reserve Pinot Noir - light and dry

Next, chunks of duck and ham hock form a rustic terrine. Deep-fried onion balls perched on dollops of crème fraiche are dotted round the plate, along with orange segments, watercress and a thick dollop of pinot reduction. 

Wine match: 2011 Glaetzer-Dixon Family Winemakers 'Avance' Pinot Noir

In dish three, ultra-tender sous vide duck breast is decadently combined with black and white boudin (blood and scallop sausage, respectively), along with quinoa - which is perhaps only there because quinoa is everywhere - cauliflower purée and an intense mulled-wine pinot reduction.

Wine match: 2010 Petit Clos Pinot Noir

Next, a perfect short, fat, and deliciously juicy duck-neck and garlic sausage comes with tangy, shredded, picked prunes and sweet, smoky apple.

Wine match: 2009 Chalkers Crossing Pinot Noir

A roulade of duck, Swiss brown mushrooms and chicken mousse is as intense as it sounds, never mind the local Terra Preta truffle and buttery potato purée it's served with. The miss on this dish is the 'bitter' chocolate sauce, which is not really that bitter and too sweet for a this seriously savoury dish.

Wine match: 2010 Maddens Rise Pinot Noir - wow, delicious but super heavy, is this really a pinot?

Dessert is the only real let-down of the night. The Cocoa tortellini is cold and rubbery and serving vanilla custard in a block seems to defeat the point. The highlight is a crisp pinot sorbet, which works a treat with honeycomb and pistachio crumbs.

Wine match: 2010 Lerida Estate Botrytis Pinot Gris

Apart from solidifying my love of all things duck, the main thing I took away from the night was the expansive range that is pinot noir. Not a wine buff myself, my experience with the drop has been all about gentle and subtle flavours, but each course brought yet a deeper, darker version. It's an event I'll be eagerly awaiting next year.

Grazing Restaurant
Cork Street Gundaroo NSW 2620
(02) 6236 8777