A taste revival at Kahurangi
There are familiar faces providing new tastes at the rejuvenated Kahurangi Estate cellar door and cafe at Upper Moutere. Cameron Woods and Maria Gonzalez, who both worked at the Neudorf Vineyards cellar door, have joined forces and opened a new business – Tasteology @ Kahurangi Estate.
Maria’s partner Mikel Arrieta, who was the chef at Moutere Hills Winery, has been helping them establish the kitchen.
Kahurangi Estate was our favourite place for wood-fired pizza and a glass of wine, especially while sitting in the sunny courtyard – so we, along with many others, were disappointed when the cafe closed a year or so ago.
Cameron (Cam) and Maria, who will manage the cellar door and run the front of house, bring a wealth of experience with them. I first met Cam when he moved to Nelson for a role with the Nelson Arts Festival before moving on to Neudorf Vineyards to manage the cellar door and deal with local trade sales.
Maria was born in Venezuela, and moved to Nelson with Mikel about five years ago when Urban Oyster Bar & Eatery opened. Mikel was one of the first chefs at Urban.
Mikel is originally from the Basque country in Spain and has worked in various kitchens in New Zealand, including Botswana Butchery and the Novotel in Queenstown and the Pullman Hotel in Auckland, where he worked before moving to Nelson.
He has also worked at Toad Hall and Moutere Hills before becoming part of the new venture at Kahurangi Estate.
Cam and Maria took over the cellar door and cafe on September 1, and the redecorated space opened on September 24.
‘‘We spent three weeks putting our touches on it. We want it to feel warm and approachable for people,’’ Cam says.
Part of the refresh was removing the shelves that used to hold wines from the Kahurangi International Selection and installing a small bar serving local craft beer and cider to complement the selection of Kahurangi Estate wines they will be serving and selling.
Cam says that quite often, wine, beer and cider can be intimidating for people.
‘‘They come into a cellar door and think they don’t know anything, and are almost scared they will make a fool of themselves. We wanted to break down some of those insecurity barriers. Anyone can come in and say, ‘We don’t know about wine’. We just say, ‘Taste it and see if you like it – if you don’t, then let’s try something else’.’’
Kahurangi make a range of very good quality wines that are very easy to approach from a consumer’s perspective. They have flavours that are true to the varieties and are affordable.
Cam told me Tasteology @ Kahurangi Estate is sourcing as much of its food as possible from the top of the south, including some ‘‘ridiculously good cheeses from Kaikoura’’, and the same philosophy flows through to the
‘‘We love interacting with people and love the wine industry – this gives us the ability to combine both.’’ Cameron Woods
beverages it serves.
These include cider from Peckham’s and Capital Cider, the latest venture for winemaker Trudy Shields and marketing man Ryan O’Connell, as well as local craft beers from Townshend Brewery.
While I am delighted to see this fantastic venue open again, as always, I wanted to know why.
‘‘Because the two of us felt like it was time to branch out on our own. We love interacting with people and love the wine industry – this gives us the ability to combine both and be in control of our own destiny,’’ Cam says.
‘‘It is also nice working with Maria. We both love interacting with people, and this industry attracts such a diverse range of people, from international tourists to locals. It is lots of fun and there is always some laughter somewhere.’’
Maria says that when they were looking for somewhere to open their own business ‘‘we kept coming back to this site. It was a place that was only operating part-time as a cellar door, and we saw it as a place we could put our own stamp on and become part of the wine landscape in the Nelson region’’.
‘‘We already have people coming with such rich memories of their previous experiences here, and we want to help them create more memories’’.
The new owners are also part of the Moutere Artisans organisation, and while they don’t make any particular artisan product, they use as many as they can in the cafe.
There are a huge number of producers in the Moutere area, from food to wine, beer and art, and they joined the artisans group because ‘‘we love the fact you can get so much locally’’, Cam says. ‘‘It also gives us an opportunity to interact with local artisans and discover even more great producers.’’
Being part of the Upper Moutere Village is also important to them, even though Mikel left Moutere Hills to help set up the cafe at Tasteology @ Kahurangi Estate. It means there is another place to dine in the area and another reason for people to visit Upper Moutere.
Alistair and Fiona Forster, who owned the restaurant at Mahana before the business closed down, have taken over at Moutere Hills and turned it into a function venue as well as a delightful vineyard restaurant. So, with the great food and extensive range of local craft beers at the Moutere Inn, there are now three fantastic venues offering different experiences based in Upper Moutere.
Cam told me it is important for any new business to be evolving. ‘‘We have lots of ideas and will be doing more of them as we grow.’’
As for my personal request to bring back the pizzas, Cam says: ‘‘We will consider doing Friday night pizza once we have settled in and we can also host functions in the old barrel hall.’’
Moutere Artisans are opening their doors at Labour Weekend, on Sunday from 11am to 4pm. It is lots of fun and there is a great atmosphere in the area, with lots of people around tasting and buying local produce and products.
Wine pick
Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay 2017 $79
★★★★★
Creamy, round textures up front are quickly overcome by mouthwatering ripe acidity before settling into a long salinelike, mineral finish. This is a wine of finesse, elegance, structure and imposition – it demands your attention as the flavours and textures open up on the palate. Many years of personal experience cellaring Neudorf Moutere Chardonnay tells me that while this is a young wine, it has huge potential to age gracefully. The ripe acidity will give it many years of life, while the fruit has an underlying power that will stand the test of time. Drink from 2020 to 2030.