DINE WITH dish
On October 21, we hosted one of our favourite Dine with dish events ever. Ostro was a packed house, tickets having sold out in days thanks to the allure of the uber-talented Josh Emett and his team, and the outstanding produce supplied by the Greenlea Butcher Shop.
The evening started with fabulous Lighthouse G&TS and an array of delectable canapés. We enjoyed Fresh Trevally Ceviche with Lime, Coconut Cream, Cayenne and Shore Sorrel, Steamed Leeks with Windsor Blue, Sour Cream and Pine Nuts on Brioche Rounds, and Classic Beef Tartare. Appetites whetted for the main event, we took our places at the tables and moved on to an entrée of Peppered First Light Venison, Liver and Heart, Lemon and Caper Butter. This sublime carpaccio was utterly fabulous and perfectly paired with the Vavasour Pinot Noir 2017, thanks to Foley Wines (and also for the other stunning wines).
Next up was our first main of Greenlea Beef Fillet in a Mushroom Hotpot, with Shiitake Cream. The tender, perfectly cooked grass-fed beef was matched with Te Kairanga John Martin Pinot Noir 2017. Our second main course consisted of Roast Ovation Lamb Rack with a mouth-watering Lamb Cassoulet, Tomato Basil Granita and Crumbled Feta and a glass of Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2017.
Just when we thought we couldn’t squeeze in another bite the spectacular dessert arrived
– Chocolate Marquis with Maungatapere Raspberries, intensely fabulous Wild Strawberry Sorbet and a chocolate crisp with Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Syrah 2017 (every morsel was devoured).
During the evening we heard from Julie Mcdade of the Greenlea Butcher Shop, who shared their passion for producing the very best premium beef and supplying world-class Ovation lamb and First Light venison. All of Greenlea’s produce is New Zealand pasture-raised, grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free. To order your own stunning meat, head to the Greenlea Butcher Shop at greenleabutcher.co.nz.
Josh Emett was the host with the most as he explained the details of our dishes in between courses and chatted and mingled with guests – we were treated to a feast as well as a masterclass in entertaining. Meanwhile the Ostro staff were attentive and helpful, efficient and timely.
Our guests left, loaded dish goodie bags in hand, and we finished the evening buzzing at how smoothly the event had gone, as well as how much fun it was.
Keep an eagle-eye out for the details of our next Dine with dish event… I guarantee you won’t want to miss out!
Up until our most recent pinot gris panel (held in 2016), it looked as though pinot gris would prove an unstoppable force. Kiwis were grabbing the grape with gusto and our wine producers were crushing a whopping 25,000 tonnes of the stuff. That was over 1500 times what they were processing a decade before. It came close to reaching nine per cent of our total grape crush (sauvignon blanc accounts for 76 per cent). Then suddenly the trend reversed and in just a few short years, pinot gris production dropped by 4000 tonnes and four percentage points. It’s still the fourth most widely planted variety on our shores, but for many of us it’s a tricky variety to get our heads around. Maybe our winemakers are feeling the same way. Clearly a correction of sorts is being made. So here at dish, we felt the time was right to take a snapshot of how they were looking quality and style-wise.
This proved to be no easy feat, because pinot gris comes in a number of guises, some so bony and dry they’re practically skeletal – think pinot grigio – right through to the luxuriously rich, sweeter styles. Happily, our team of highly experienced judges were more than up for the challenge.
Seventy-three entries were received and categorised into classes based on their levels of natural sweetness and then served blind and under competition conditions by Janet Blackman and her expert stewarding team at AUT. Most people expect to smell and taste things like pear, apple, quince, stonefruit and spice in their gris, however there are no set rules for what it should look, smell or taste like. Mostly it’s about ‘balance’ – how pleasant is this to drink? Our judges were seeking synergy, that sweet spot between the acidity, alcohol, sweetness, dryness and texture, to reveal a sensational sip.
Style patterns began to emerge very quickly and it was encouraging to see enormous grins appear on the judges faces in every flight, however Yvonne remarked about three-quarters of the way through, “many of these pinot gris are very drinkable, but not very memorable”.
“Pinot gris is surprisingly hard to do well,” offered judge and winemaker Jo Gear. “Though when you consider that it’s the same genetic material as our deliciously temperamental pinot noir, then it all starts to make sense.” Jo explains the key to good gris is “palate weight and that lovely slipperiness” that makes it so mouthfilling. “This texture is due to lees time and ph management and some skin contact can be really helpful, plus the corresponding increase in colour pick-up is something we can choose to forgive,” she adds. Pinot gris grapes have had a very on-trend copper colour recently and that’s coming through in the wine.
Food-wise, pinot gris is incredibly versatile. “I love a dry gris with cumin seed or fenugreek gouda,” offered Yvonne, while Jo is partial to a sweeter style with spicy dishes. “It’s my go-to for pan-asian takeaways (which is regular Friday night feasting at my house) and especially when my Mum visits (she’s a big fan). But I think when it really comes in to its own is as an easy-drinking crowd-pleaser. While this sounds like it’s dumbing-down the wine, it is in fact celebrating the warm-fruited satisfaction that this vinous hug can provide.” phenolics, which allowed us to give the wine a period of skin contact. This has imparted a refreshing phenolic bite to the finish that adds texture and structure, while helping to balance the sweetness of the wine.”
For Duncan, the simplicity and purity of this wine make it a great pairing with subtle, fresh foods. “A real winner is snapper ceviche with a little lime and fresh ginger. Or keep it simple with a nice semi-soft sheep’s milk white cheese, a good-quality French baguette, and some slices of ripe Beurre Bosc pear.”
It’s still the fourth most widely planted variety on our shores, but for many of us it’s a tricky variety to get our heads around