Wine away a weekend HIT THE ROAD THIS SUMMER TO SAMPLE SOME OF NZ’S BEST CELLAR DOORS
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ith the restrictions on international travel, we’ve been given the chance to rediscover beautiful Aotearoa, with all its glorious landscapes, adventures to embark on and interesting places to visit. Summer 2021 activities are coming online fast, and it’s looking like many of us will be out and about enjoying some of the best of our own big blue backyard. New Zealand wine people are a part of this backyard, with many of them offering the chance to visit them in person and enjoy some of their particular brand of hospitality. Somms need to keep their finger on the pulse of the world of wine and beverages, and there’s no better, more authentic or enjoyable way to do this than to travel to the source. We’re usually headed overseas many, many times a year – and we have no intention of not
travelling – so we’ve been enjoying even more in-depth explorations of our own fine wine regions. Recent stops throughout the North and South Islands have reminded us of some cellar door experiences, and introduced a few we weren’t familiar with. Overall, the offerings are fun, varied and top notch. First impressions really make a difference and a cellar door experience should be more than the opportunity to taste wine. Everything from arriving, the greeting and overall hospitality are a part of the package and it’s exciting to see so many doing a great job. Cellar doors need to sell food if they’re going to offer wine by anything more than sample, so these offerings have become an important layer in the overall experience – if it’s done well it will be remembered and recommended. I’ve recently enjoyed selections
PEGASUS BAY Stockgrove Road, Waipara, North Canterbury Located in the Waipara Valley no more than an hours’ drive north of Christchurch is the Pegasus Bay winery and cellar door tasting room. Named after the large nearby bay and the winged white horse of ancient myth - Pegasus Bay has been growing and producing fine wine for more than 30 years. A visit to the property offers more than the cellar door experience, with an opportunity to meander through and explore the vast grounds with several hectares of landscaped gardens and walkways. The cellar door typically has 15 or more wines open for tasting, which is quite a large offering, and with a selection of aged wine for sale there’s quite the story to be told through the wine and by the staff. While there are many wines I could recommend from the Peg’ Bay portfolio, the Bel Canto dry Riesling, Prima Donna Pinot Noir and Maestro Merlot Malbec are among my favourites. Also, be sure to try wines from their Vergence label – the ‘White’ is a fascinating blend of six different varieties. Pegasus’ beautiful, award-winning restaurant (with outdoor seating that extends into the garden) has switched from lunchtime a la carte to a premium events venue, with guests able to hire out the space for weddings, work events and special occasions. This season they’re also putting on a number of their own events open to the public such as the enticing ‘Collab Sessions’ - delicious collaborations with guest chefs on a 5-course lunch complete with matched aged wines from the Pegasus Bay cellar. Open seven days from December 1st. There’s a nominal tasting fee of $10. +64 3 314 6869 info@pegasusbay.com pegasusbay.com
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WORLD OF WINE – SUMMER 2020/21
ranging from simple platters through to full gourmet degustation menu fine dining. The sorts of things that make a difference are attention to details - ensuring bottled water and good good coffee are available, making sure the loos are spotlessly clean, that all hygiene practices and Covid-19 tracing is part of the routine, that the parking arrangements are straightforward. Wineries taking their cellar door offerings seriously sometimes charge for tastings – the added benefit is having trained staff offer a guided experience (valuing high quality staff is an important part of any business). Most, if not all, providers deduct the tasting cost when a wine purchase is made. So add wine tasting and cellar door exploration to your summer travel itineraries – whether close to home or during your Aotearoa wanderings. W
