22 March 2010

STAR WINES FOR STAR GUESTS

I cooked for some star visitors this weekend. A respected radio broadcaster, and an innovative artist, (who has paintings hanging in my hallway), came from Wellington to spend some time and to eat with us. Deciding what to cook is no problem as there’s an abundance of fresh food around. The menu comprised crayfish salad followed by duck. And for our star guests I raided the cellar with what turned out to be excellent wines to match and complement the food.

Neudorf chardonnay has long been a favourite in our house and so the Moutere 2004 was a treat worth waiting six years for. It is a very special wine, made by Nelson region pair Tim and Judy Finn, some of my favourite wine people in NZ. They’re always really welcoming, and their wine is the same. Very approachable, with a little mineral acidity that has mellowed as the years pass, and their wonderful chardonnay was just perfect with our crayfish served straight from the pot.

I have always thought duck should be casseroled long and slowly. It simmered away for at least two hours and literally fell off the bone. The Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2006 was a superb match. It is a Central Otago label, made from parcels of land around the premium area of Bannockburn, and is rich, velvety and fruity with a lovely dark red hue. The winery was recently named as a five star winery in the Third Great Classification of Pinot Noirs of NZ and so it was really appropriate to serve this up to Wellington star visitors!