Meet wine lover and MasterChef presenter, Gary Mehigan
MasterChef presenter Gary Mehigan believes wine is there to be enjoyed. The chef, restaurateur and former wine collector chats about his approach.
What were your first impressions of Australian wine?
Being from the UK, my experience was mostly with wines from Europe, but also Chile and even Turkey. We used to get some Aussie wines at Oddbins, but I had a real ‘time and place’ moment at my first Christmas here at a friend’s place, where I tried a massive chardonnay.
I’d never had a wine as big as that and thought, ‘My god! What’s with all the oak?’ I still love oaky wines. The wine was the 1986 Saltram Pinnacle Selection Chardonnay and I remember it because it was that sort of moment – sitting in the sun on a perfect 25-degree day, with the leaves on the gum trees gently swaying in the breeze. Not long after, the sommelier at work gave me a glass of wine and I picked it as that chardonnay straight away, so I played a game with him. I said that I thought it was South Australian, a chardonnay, named the winemaker and ‘guessed’ it was 1986. He was amazed. But I set myself up for failure because he’d try to get me to guess other wines after that, which I obviously could never do.
What are your favourite wine styles?
I’m happy with a big shiraz and I still love a big chardonnay. I’m a big fan of Burgundy, where chardonnay winemakers are split between steel and wood – I still go wood every time. I also really like to drink the wines of whatever place I’m in because it helps me understand more about them. I enjoy making sense of them.
Is there any wine you can’t learn to love?
Pinot grigio, although there is some really lovely pinot gris from the Mornington Peninsula. And I do struggle a bit with sauvignon blanc.
How important is wine for you when it comes to the dining experience?
It’s crucial, obviously, but I’ll also mix beer and even sherry with food. Whether I’m designing a menu or eating out, the pleasure lies in matching. Then it becomes an enhanced experience and amplifies your enjoyment. What is one of your more memorable wine experiences?
We had a very regular customer at [my former Melbourne venue] Fenix who asked me one day what year I was born and when I told him 1967, he said it was my lucky day – he’d brought in a 1967 Chateau d’Yquem. We had a citrus dessert at the time and we drank it with that. It was an insane wine. I loved it.
Do you collect wine?
I used to, but for the past eight or so years, I’ve been drinking my collection. I’ve done quite well at it too! We moved up to Sydney to film the first season of MasterChef and didn’t have a proper cellar, so when I pulled out something good to drink, the wine had spoiled. It hadn’t done so well in the Sydney weather. That’s when I thought, ‘What am I holding it for? I’m going to start drinking this stuff!’ We’ve worked through some great wines, including the first releases from Oliver’s Taranga, plenty of Torbreck,
Berry’s Bridge, pinot noir from By Farr and others like Penfolds St Henri. I think I’ve got one bottle of Mount Mary Quintet left. These days, I’m all about ‘buy and consume’.
What have been your biggest cellaring lessons along the way?
I’ve learned to open the expensive stuff first and drink it with some clarity! I also had a comprehensive list of what was in my cellar with all the prices included, but I’ve thrown it out the window. I like picking out a bottle, not knowing its price while drinking it and then looking it up after. You may be pleasantly surprised that it cost $18.99 and other times you might get a shock and wonder if you should have opened it. But really, when are you going to drink them?
What would you serve at your ultimate meal?
That takes a bit of thought, but it wouldn’t have to be expensive. I’ve had as good a food experience eating a taco in an LA car park as
I’ve had in a three Michelin Star restaurant in France. As I get older, I’m finding some of my best food experiences are cheap and cheerful and it’s exactly the same with wine. A wine might be cheap as chips, but it can give you an eyebrow-lifting moment. I like those surprises.
I’VE LEARNED TO OPEN THE EXPENSIVE STUFF FIRST AND DRINK IT WITH SOME CLARITY! I ALSO HAD A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF WHAT WAS IN MY CELLAR WITH ALL THE PRICES INCLUDED, BUT I’VE THROWN IT OUT THE WINDOW.