Mouthwatering journey of discovery
At the end of February I spent a few days in Marlborough, the first day visiting wine friends and then three days with a group of people from the Wellington Wine & Food Society, a society I have been a member of for many years but don’t get many opportunities to join their functions.
The society is one of a number in New Zealand and the sole purpose is to enjoy all things great about food and wine.
From casual lunches to fine dining and discovering the stories behind the outstanding food producers, the focus is firmly on enjoying each other’s company, which, after all, is how great wines should be enjoyed.
I have spent a lot of time in Marlborough over the last 40 years and watched the wine industry develop from a few vineyards into an industry that totally dominates the landscape in the region - an industry that is pretty much the sole driver of the economy there.
Of course, there are other industries that are important contributors but there is no getting away from the fact Marlborough equals wine, especially sauvignon blanc.
Something that refreshes my appreciation for any region is seeing it through the eyes of visitors, as locals we take so much for granted but the appreciation of others reawakens my curiosity.
A great example of this was the group visit to Cranky Goat cheese.
They have had a stall at the Nelson Market for many years, we can buy their cheeses in supermarkets and specialty stores like The Junction, and I pretty much always have some in my fridge.
But our visit to their dairy factory emphasised how the enthusiasm and passion of the owners is reflected in the outstanding products they make.
They have also just opened a new store at The Forum in the centre of Blenheim. The Cranky Pantry is very much like The Junction at Appleby, so I’m sure it will be a hit with locals.
During our time in Marlborough our group visited the Murphy’s New Zealand Garlic facilities where they not only prepare the fresh garlic they have been growing each year since 1962, but they turn lots of that garlic into a premium black garlic product.
Producing approximately 500 tonnes of fresh garlic and around 300 tonnes of shallots, this is a key producer in the New Zealand food sector.
In Nelson, we are familiar with and justifiably proud of Neudorf Black, who make the most delicious black garlic products you will find anywhere. But Murphy’s Garlic only produces whole cloves of black garlic and export it to many countries around the world.
As you would expect, a visit to Marlborough isn’t complete without stopping at Makana Chocolate to sample the range of products they make. With everything from filled bon bons to chocolate bars and shortbread dipped in smooth, creamy chocolate, they have everything to satisfy your chocolate craving.
It wouldn’t be a food and wine society event if it didn’t involve consuming said things, and we did.
Starting with King Salmon raised in the Marlborough Sounds that was prepared to perfection by our hosts for the weekend, June Campbell-Tong and Pieter Roozendaal, and served with a range of freshly made salads after we enjoyed a tasting of sparkling wines from Esses Wine Company in Kaikōura.
The co-owner of Esses explained the name, “we wanted a name that reflects Kaikōura without turning to whales or something similar, and what does Kaikōura have? Sun, Sea, Surf so we went with Esses to reflect that.”
The Esses Wine Company is tiny, just 1.5 hectares in size and can complete their annual harvest in just a few hours.
All of the fruit is grown for sparkling wines and each vintage reflects the unique characters delivered by the climate each year. The wines are aged in bottle for a minimum of three years before being disgorged and prepared for you and me to enjoy.
Each wine reflects the unique characters of each vintage, and they are all outstanding wines. www.esseswine.com
After a bit of touring around producers on Saturday, for me, the highlight of the weekend was dinner at Arbour, a tiny 24-seat restaurant that produces incredible food.
Something as simple as venison loin goes through a four step cooking process to ensure it is so tender it’s like cutting butter.
The business partners who run the business, Bradley Hornby and Liz Buttimore, have worked in five-star hotels, resorts and award-winning restaurants and do everything in the restaurant with some help at night.
While Hornby is the chef and Buttimore runs the business and front-of-house she also works in the kitchen during the day helping Hornby with prep work. Then in the evening he cooks the food and Buttimore serves tables with some help.
Arbour is regarded as the premiere restaurant in Marlborough and because of their relationship with wineries in the region, wineries that contract their services when they have special guests, Buttimore is able to secure library release wines from the cellars of some of Marlborough’s very best wineries.
Arbour is an award-winning restaurant, it has two Cuisine Chef’s Hats and was named the best NZ Regional Restaurant in 2022.
If you want a weekend of discovering outstanding food and wine, then Marlborough is a little over an hour away from Nelson and it makes a perfect place for a day or weekend away.