SET THE SCENE

GUEST LIST Joining Erica, George and Benoit are musicians Mark Lizotte (aka Diesel) and wife Jep, Scott Hull, Erica’s sister Melanie Poiner, and former All Black great Andrew Mehrtens. STYLE “It has to be casual. We’ll go out by the pool or in the garden. It’s all about being together with friends,” says Benoit. “We do relaxed Friday-night drinks. Everyone comes together and there are plenty of laughs,” adds Erica. MENU “I don’t want to be in the kitchen all night, so it needs to be simple; I want to be with my guests!” says Erica. PLAYLIST “Half my friends are musos, so generally someone like Mark will take care of that,” says Erica. “Music is a lovely aspect of entertaining, and often a guitar will come out, too.” DRINKS Benoit is pouring Moet 2008 vintage in white and rosé, the two he says are most versatile with food: “With the white, the main characteristic is acidity. The rosé has less acidity because the red wines we use in the blend bring softness. But then the rosé brings more structure, so you need dishes with weight without falling into heaviness, because it’s still a light champagne.”