{"id":1533,"date":"2020-08-15T09:26:48","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T23:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travisschultz.com.au\/?p=1533"},"modified":"2022-01-21T12:18:48","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T02:18:48","slug":"talking-wine-with-kim-mccosker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travisschultz.com.au\/talking-wine-with-kim-mccosker\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking wine with Kim McCosker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

She may be renowned for her ability to design recipes that simplify life in the kitchen, but Australian author Kim McCosker\u2019s taste in wine is anything but uncomplicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, McCosker\u2019s career didn\u2019t start out in either the restaurant industry or as a wordsmith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially studying a Bachelor of International Finance at Griffith University, McCosker enjoyed a successful career as a financial planner before she left the industry to dedicate herself to raising her three young boys. It was somewhat by chance that she discovered her passion (and talent) for creating tasty but undemanding meals that would please every age and stage from infants to senior citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is my desire to write gloriously simple cookbooks that start with a beautiful baby, and his or her transition to solids, and follow them all the way through to retirement \u2013 cookbooks that span a lifetime,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the author of over 37 cookbooks, you\u2019d expect McCosker to know a thing or two about vin de table and wine pairing, yet she professes to have an unsophisticated palate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wish I knew more about wine, but I do know what my palate appreciates\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what styles of wine does an author of more than nine millions copies of cookbooks like to enjoy as a Friday afternoon tipple?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, according to McCosker, \u201cI don\u2019t really like big red wines like shiraz. I always look for the lighter styles, rather than heavier. And in the whites I\u2019m not fussed about riesling, but with lighter reds I do like pinot noir wines from Martinborough and Marlborough because of their lovely citrus and grapefruit characters\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was music to my ears was McCosker\u2019s staunch disapproval of the Shakey Isle\u2019s flagship wine export.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I do love their pinot, I\u2019m just not a fan of their sauvignon blanc; it\u2019s just not my style of wine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t bait her by suggesting that Marlborough sauvignon blanc is perhaps the world\u2019s most overrated wine, but I couldn\u2019t help but smirk \u2013 maybe her disapproval of the NZ savvie shows that her palate is actually more refined than she gives herself credit for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it was harmonious to agree with Australia\u2019s cookbook queen on the topic of New Zealand wine exports, as my Mum always said, \u201cToo much agreement kills a conversation\u201d; so it was fortuitous that our opinions became somewhat disparate on the topic of sparkling whites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to champagne, my fave would have to be Veuve Clicquot and among Australian bubbles, I guess my pick would be the Grant Burge pinot noir sparkling,\u201d McCosker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can understand McCosker\u2019s appreciation of the French fizz, but I\u2019ve always struggled to enjoy the Barossa Valley bubbles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Four-ingredient lentil curry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not the fruit dominance that upsets my palate, but rather the richness and creaminess that I find just a tad too flabby for my liking. But each to their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, we again found some consensus when the subject matter of our discussion turned to chardonnay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked which was her favourite everyday drinking Australian chardy, McCosker declared, \u201cThat would have to be the Vasse Felix Chardonnay from the Margaret River region. I usually choose a restaurant to dine at based on the content of their wine list and I\u2019m actually enjoying one now here at Tides at Caloundra.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full of praise for the classic WA chardy, McCosker added, \u201cI really love the Vasse Felix, it just sings on my palate\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay is currently in the 2019 vintage and can be found on the shelves of your local bottle shop at around $22 a bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love the vibrancy of the straw colour it displays in the glass and the nectarine and stone fruit that wafts on the nose. On the palate there\u2019s ample grapefruit and citrus while a flintiness emerges alongside some biscuit notes through the finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outstanding value at the price point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Vegan grazing board: Delicious dips, peanut butter ball, scones (made with coconut cream, lemonade & self-raising flour), various cheeses (or ‘Sheeses’ as they are known) and Ugly Duckling pastes, crackers, fruit and veggies are all vegan \u2026 the only thing missing are the OREOS which believe it or not, are also vegan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I never thought I would talk about pairing wine with lentils, whole grains and vegetables, but with McCosker\u2019s recently released book (and next bestseller) being titled \u201cVeggie and Vegan: simple and delicious\u201d, the subject was probably unavoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what do you pour to wash down eggplant and sweet potato curry, cauliflower steak pizzas or mushroom carpaccio?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask McCosker and she\u2019ll tell you that colour doesn\u2019t matter; so pinot noir or chardonnay will be perfectly fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd don\u2019t diss the vegetarian dishes; during the COVID-19 lockdown, the second biggest search terms in Australia were around diets using plant based foods,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With runs on the board for crowd-pleasing crafting recipes that have put her under the international spotlight, who am I to argue?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

She may be renowned for her ability to design recipes that simplify life in the kitchen, but Australian author Kim McCosker\u2019s taste in wine is anything but uncomplicated. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, McCosker\u2019s career didn\u2019t start out in either the restaurant industry or as a wordsmith. Initially studying a Bachelor of International Finance at Griffith University,…
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