MARLBOROUGH WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL 2013

Press Release

September 12, 2012

CHANGE IS COMING TO THE MARLBOROUGH WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL

 New features , new experiences, new wineries

 An Epicentre of Food Planned

Promoting premium Marlborough produce has always been the objective of the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, but next year’s event will be delivering even more of a message.

For Marlborough’s annual Festival, organisers are planning some major changes. Not least will be a new area called the Festival Quarter where a number of wine and food sites will be located. This feature, new to the festival in 2013, will showcase a selection of Marlborough wines for tasting and include wineries that have not participated in the festival before as well as a number of small and boutique brands. The wineries in the Festival Quarter will be accompanied by food producer sites and complemented by live classical music. Wine Marlborough’s General Manager, Marcus Pickens, says the aim is to bring intimacy into the event.

“In the past we have had wineries and food sites spread around the beautiful Brancott Vineyard site, which will be part of the event again in 2013. The introduction of the Festival Quarter will provide festival goers with a whole new experience, in a more intimate setting and also an opportunity to sample the wines from some smaller boutique brands”.

Given the wines are renowned for being food friendly, there will be an even greater emphasis next year on the stunning cuisine of the region. Mr Pickens says the Culinary Pavilion, another feature that will be new in 2013 and free to all, will become the epicentre of everything food.

“Last year we introduced the Chef’s Table, where well known celebrity chefs conducted a number of cooking demonstrations throughout the day. We were overwhelmed at the success of this sub-event and next year we will be extending these sessions even further and incorporating them into a whole new culinary area, where the primary focus is food from Marlborough.”

The diversity of Marlborough’s produce and chefs will be also taking centre stage. A new Marlborough Local Heroes area will give those attending the opportunity to taste the varied gourmet products emanating from the region, while talking with the individual producers. All while sipping the latest release Marlborough wines.

Early Bird festival tickets are on sale from Monday 17 September to Sunday 30 September, buy during this period and go into the draw to win a fantastic festival prize package worth over $2000. Early Bird festival tickets are $48.00 plus booking fee and only available online via http://www.marlboroughwinefestival.co.nz. General admission ticket sales open on Monday 1 October, with a new Connoisseur ticket available for the first time. This ticket will provide VIP treatment, access into the Connoisseur Lounge, complimentary wine tastings, light refreshments and festival souvenirs.

The Marlborough Wine and Food Festival is New Zealand’s first ever and longest running festival and is held at the original home of Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott Vineyard, on February 9, 2013.

The entertainment line-up for next year’s festival will be announced shortly.

For further information:

Marcus Pickens

Wine Marlborough General Manager

Ph: +64 3 577 9299

Mob: +64 21 831 820

Email: Marcus@wine-marlborough.co.nz

www.marlboroughwinefestival.co.nz

Virtual Tasting of Very Special New Zealand Wines

All wine regions throughout world produce a wide range of quality wines and these special wines from New Zealand are now gaining recognition and appreciation around the world. I wrote about this a while back and was excited to see this virtual wine event sponsored by New Zealand Complexity. It will be an evening that is both delightful and informative. To participate just follow this link.

Saturday February 4th, 2012 

Virtual Tasting 7:00pm Central Standard Time

In association with Wine Channel TV we’re celebrating Waitangi Day, New Zealand’s National holiday,  with a virtual wine tasting and cooking demonstration – and you’re invited to ‘come along’! With Celebrity Winemakers in attendance, and a live audience in Chicago, you’ll have the opportunity to message in questions as you sip along with us from the comfort of your living room. Gather up a group of friends, register, and tune in with fellow-wine lovers from around the globe for this fun, social way to taste and learn about New Zealand’s finest wines!

Be sure to stock up with a few bottles from our featured wineries at a participating retailer beforehand. To stay up-to-date with #nzwineday news including competitions, participating retailers and restaurants, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

See you online!

Got Questions? Email us! events@complexity.co.nz

Note: Once you’ve registered for this FREE event we’ll send you everything you need to know about how to access the virtual wine tasting online.

You will also be automatically entered to win a Complexity Fine Wine t-shirt and other great Kiwi prizes!

Tastes of New Zealand Take Center Stage on Crystal Sailing

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ — For foodies, New Zealand is a veritable playground, renowned for its award-winning wines and farm-fresh cuisine.

On March 30, from New Zealand to Australia, luxury specialist Crystal Cruises is showcasing the epicurean appeal of the region on a 12-day Wine & Food Experiences of Discovery cruise. Master Sommeliers Robert Bath and Cameron Douglas – the first and only Master Sommelier from New Zealand – will guide guests through the nuances and pairings of New Zealand’s finest vintages, while optional Crystal Adventures take guests to celebrated Cloudy Bay Vineyards, Hawke’s Bay and Marlborough. Sailing to Sydney, leading Australian chef and innovator Serge Dansereau will share regional specialties via cooking demonstrations, tastings and special menus, while top Australian food purveyor Simon Johnson will host tastings of artisanal cheeses and gourmet chocolate.

Read the rest of the story here.

Kiwi Store in USA

Here is a link to Koru Naturals that has a range of New Zealand foods including mustards, chutneys, and salts made with the finest organic ingredients, including Maori herbs, all available in USA –  check it out today!

Favorite New Zealand Recipe

Mark McDonough at Zarbo Deli in Auckland New Zealand has been crafting fun and tasty food for over 20 years. Here is one of his favorite’s that will delight on a cool winter evening along with a New Zealand Pinot Noir.

Serves 4-6 Lamb Shanks are always a favourite. They are really simple to prepare and if cooked slowly will be succulent and tender. Ras el-hanout is a traditional Moroccan Spice which we sell at Zarbo as Moroccan Rub.

6 lamb shanks                                                  

3 tablespoons ras el-hanout

2 large onions, roughly diced

1 head garlic, cloves crushed, peeled and left whole

2 teaspoons extra ras el-hanout

2 400g tins whole peeled Italian tomatoes

3 cups beef stock

1 cup red wine

1-2 teaspoons harissa paste (to taste)

Place the lamb shanks in a plastic bag and add the 3 tablespoons of ras el-hanout. Coat well and leave overnight.

The shanks need to be seared to seal in the flavours. Do this on the barbecue or heat a little oil in a pan and sear. Place the seared shanks in a large ovenproof dish. In a saucepan saute the onion in a little olive oil, add the garlic, 2 teaspoons of ras el-hanout, the tomatoes, stock, wine and harissa. Heat and pour over the shanks. Cover and bake in a preheated oven at 160C for 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and bake a further 30 minutes, turning the shanks a couple of times.

Remove the cooked shanks and keep warm. transfer the liquid to a saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce. Serve the shanks and sauce on couscous, rice or with roasted potatoes.

New Zealand Venison

Delicious venison from New Zealand is called Cervena. Here is a little of the story.

Formats available: Windows Media (.wmv), Flash Video (.flv), MPEG-4 Video (.m4v)

Tags: new zealand, food, new zealand venison, cervena

The New Zealand Wine Journey

Many years ago I saw a ROM exercise machine in a ski shop in Aspen and it seemed like something right out of the movie “Back to the Future”. ROM is a highly specialized, $14,615 retail, Range of Motion exercise machine that will provide a complete workout in four minutes. It has nothing to do with wine, it is the typical steps a ROM purchaser goes thru that is the inspiration for my story.  I recently saw a ROM ad and thought there are similar steps for most people who are learning about New Zealand wines and foods. (the ROM ad is at the end of the post)

Ten Steps Most People Experience in Discovering New Zealand Wine

1. Aware New Zealand is a country in the Southern Hemisphere.  
2. Encounters a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, most likely from a high volume producer and enjoys the experience.
3. Continues to passively explore other and similar offerings.
4. Plateaus out at this level for some time.
5. Revealation! New Zealand has so much more to offer, like Napa or Burgundy, has many facets of people and places. Moves beyond ratings and learns from retailers and sommeliers to explore and trust own palate.
6. Discovery process begins – Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Bubbles  – all handcrafted by individuals.
7. At this point, learns in the global wine business “family” is used by some of the largest wine companies in the world. Not bad – not good. Just an indicator that change is often taking place and highlights a marketing need to be authentic. The exception of course is when you can visit and look the winemaker in the eye, you know you are in the right place. This is goal – to discover the people and places.
8. Expands awareness of varietals, people, regions, terrior, foods and travel experiences. This extends the joy.
9. Now amabassador for “All Things New Zealand” especially food, wine and travel.
10. New era of enjoyment from sharing these New Zealand stories.

I first saw the ROM about 20 years ago, my New Zealand story began in 1984 when I met my wife Leslie.

I am at step ten. Where are you?

Exceptional handcrafted wines of New Zealand for enthusiasts across the USA. Wines for food, friends and memories.

Here is the ROM ad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allan Johnston’s Photo Exhibit

Here is a little news from Allan’s Johnston about his upcoming  photo exhibition at Amisfield winery. 

• – 15 Sep 08 Amisfield Winery Exhibition of Central Otago Vineyards for CureKids 

“We all have a voice, however, we use it in different ways to convey a message. I’ve found my voice via a lens. For me the best way to communicate a message or tell a story to the masses, is with the camera.  

photo credit ©Allan Johnston 2008

This body of work and exhibition is not just about promoting Central Otagos wine and vineyards industry. It’s about helping CureKids raise money to prevent life treating sicknesses.  

As an artist, this exhibition is to embrace the simplicity that we find in the natural lines of the Otago landscape and the way we see it.  

Simplicity, can be a hard thing to achieve at times and every where we look we see lines, whether it be a road running though a vista or a row of vines. Let your eyes flow through and be lead by the simplicity of lines in the images in this exhibition.  

I have used the natural and man-made lines in the landscape to draw your eyes into the photograph and lead you somewhere, such as a road or row of vines. What you see beyond the lines, nobody knows, as we all see something different, to take away a different piece of my world and what I see.”  

Thank you to all the sponsors:  

 

Amisfield             

ArtBay                

Alpine Choppers  

TradeScans  — www.tradescans@clear.net.nz

Kelp Design        

Nikon NZ  

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

“Make life an adventure”

Sir Ed Hillary

Moat Building

photo credit © Ron McFarland 2008

I recently had the opportunity to enjoy 8 days walking thru the Weminuchi Wilderness in Southern Colorado with two llama’s to carry the load.

This enabled us to enjoy cheeses from France, Spain and Colorado and canteens filled with wines from New Zealand, France and California. All very civilized.

As I enjoyed these foods and wines from around the world I thought about the evolving conversation concerning the need and in some cases urgency to “buy locally”. Is this really possible? Will we become villages with a cobbler, a butcher, a dressmaker and so on?

Is this even good for people and the planet to return to a mode of living from centuries ago?

As someone involved with importing and selling fine wine from New Zealand in the USA this has lots of meaning and implications for our young business. This is why I pay attention to this conversation.

We clearly are at a transition point and in a time of searching for solutions. My feeling is by becoming global collaborators rather than global villagers we will end up in a better place. By working together far more creative solutions will be found and at a faster pace.

Or should forward thinking people be planning to reinstate “moat building” to the curriculum?

photo credit © Richard Replin 2008

I think I know the answer and doubt we will give up our enjoyment of foods and wines from around the world or have stay at home vacations.

We do need to pay attention to the details to get this right.

Visual Magic

How does a landscape this stunning impact grapes grown in a location like this in New Zealand?

It certainly has to influence the people who work in the vineyards and wineries and lead to something special.

photo credit ©Allan Johnston 2008

www.allanjohnston.co.nz