Martinborough restaurants and wineries will again be supporting August’s Wellington on a plate celebration, taking part both in Wellington and locally. Of particular interest will be the seafood lunches on Saturday and Sunday August 29th and 30th at Tora’s Stony Bay Lodge.
Assisted by seaweed expert Lea Bramley, Careme Chef Jo Crabb will be making lunch with seaweed and seafood using ancient and modern, fresh and cooked, simple and elaborate methods. Commencing at 10am guests will be treated to good food with matching Palliser wines, and fun. – And seaweed which Jo describes as an underrated but readily available, delicious and nutritious ingredient.
Palliser Estate will again be offering a Symphonic Feast. A unique dining experience for all the senses designed around performances by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in the Palliser Estate barrel hall. The NZSO will be performing Vivaldi’s well-loved work The Four Seasons between the season themed courses. The evening will begin with Palliser Methode Traditionelle in the winery and an NZSO fanfare. Guests will then enjoy a four course meal designed and prepared from local Wairarapa produce by Café Medici, matched with Palliser Estate wines. August 15th commencing art 5.30 pm.
Pinocchio chef Paul Ansell will team up with Cambridge Road Vineyard winemaker Lance Redgwell to showcase Lance’s wines alongside the flavours of the region in Paul’s elegantly executed dinner at Pinocchio Restaurant on Saturday 22nd commencing at 4pm.
Martinborough’s wines will be to the fore in many of the Wellington Restaurants usually with the winemaker in attendance to describe the wines and advise on choice. Le cordon Bleu will present differing menus on three evenings each with a different wine variety. On Tuesday 25th with wine will be Chardonnay with Pip Goodwin from Palliser and John Kavanagh from Te Kairanga in attendance to enlighten the guests on this variety.
On Wednesday 26th the highlighted wines will be the classic Sauvignon Bland and Reisling. Lisa Coney of Coney wines and Roger Parkinson from Nga Waka will be the winemakers helping the guests make the right choices.
The third evening will be Friday 28th where the chosen wine is to be Pinot Noir and the winemakers Larry McKenna of Escarpment Wines and Helen Masters from Ata Rangi. Two extremely knowledgeable wine makers who will enlighten and probably disagree on some points.
Helen will again be sharing her knowledge at the Hippopotamus Restaurant on Thursday 20th where French chef Laurent Loudeac is preparing a degustation meal to highlight Ata Rangi’s Pinot Noirs.
Laurent Loudeac will again be featuring a Martinborough vineyard’s wines at the Hippoptamus on Thursday 27th where Poppies wines will be showcased. Poppy will talk guests through her philosophy behind the creation of her wines.
Miramar restaurant La Beca Loca will feature slow cooked pork with wines from Escarpment, Te Kairanga, and Vynfields on Sunday 16th from 3.30pm.
