A new event showcasing premium New Zealand Burgundy and Bordeaux-style wines paired with exquisite cuisine is set to entice gourmands to the remote paradise of Glenorchy.
Food and wine lovers will delight in a two-day immersion in all things wine and food on the weekend of October 28/29, hosted at The Headwaters Eco Lodge.
Internationally-acclaimed lodge Executive Chef Pete Gawron has worked alongside two of the country’s most sought-after and international award-winning winemakers — Grant Taylor of Valli Wine and Phil Brodie of Te Mata Estate.
Together they have created a food and wine pairing experience that’s second to none, including an elegant six-course dinner on Friday October 28 where each course will be matched with either a Burgundy or Bordeaux-style wine.
Chef Gawron has created a flavourful menu showcasing local, seasonal produce that is perfectly matched to their respective wines, and the evening will draw to a close with the two winemakers joining guests for more informal conversation about the wines.
Following a restful night in one of the award-winning lodge’s rustic yet supremely stylish premium eco-chalets, guests will join Grant and Phil on Saturday for a ‘wine-pairing with food’ buffet lunch.
The winemakers will share their wealth of knowledge as guests journey through a sensory experience exploring two verticals of Te Mata Estate’s Bullnose Syrah with lunch, beginning with the inaugural 1992 Bullnose and covering seven outstanding vintages through to the current 2020 vintage.
This workshop offers foodies and oenophiles a chance to stimulate palates and enhance wine and food knowledge in a relaxed and fun setting.
Dinner on Saturday night will feature a three-course sit down meal with wine matches. Chef Gawron has created a Moroccan-inspired menu to open guests’ eyes to the wide range of cuisines and flavours that these wines can be paired with.
On the subject of the wines, international wine writers and connoisseurs have been effusive in their praise. Some have championed Te Mata as New Zealand’s greatest wine producer, and US wine expert Linda Murphy said the winery had a “remarkable track record” for age-worthiness. Wine writer Sam Kim described them as “extraordinary examples in the world of wine”.
Master Sommelier Cam Douglas has previously described a Valli Bendigo Pinot Noir as “distinctive, powerful, ripe, pure and intriguing” while New Zealand’s most acclaimed wine writer Michael Cooper described the Bannockburn Pinot Noir from the same vintage as a “fragrant, full-bodied and very ‘complete’ wine”.
Guests are invited to stay for one or both nights, and there are dinner or lunch-only options. Prices start at $150pp for the lunch and wine workshop on Saturday October 29, and up to $1960 for a two-person package that includes two nights’ accommodation with breakfasts, full dinner, lunch and all three wine matching events.
Reservations are essential. Head to https://bit.ly/food-wine-event to book.
ABOUT THE HOSTS
Pete Gawron is the former founder, owner, and head chef at Saffron Restaurant in Arrowtown for 17 years. Saffron was named one of Condé Nast Traveler’s “Top 100 Tables” of the world’s most exciting restaurants. Pete has staged at world-renowned and Michelin-star restaurants throughout Europe and Asia. He is inspired by the new organic garden and sustainable glasshouse taking shape at The Headwaters Eco Lodge, creating freshly prepared garden-to-table meals featuring ‘just-picked’ organic veggies and fruit.
Grant Taylor is the founder and winemaker at Valli. As one of New Zealand’s most awarded winemakers, he has earned a string of gold medal and trophy accolades throughout his long career. None surpasses winning the trophy for ‘Best Pinot Noir’ at the International Wine Competition in London an unprecedented four times – a feat achieved by no other winemaker in the world.
Grant established Valli in 1998 after eighteen years of winemaking experience in the USA, Australia, France, and New Zealand.
Phil Brodie Having grown up ‘on the land’ in northern Hawke’s Bay, Phil has a natural love and appreciation of the local terroir, the climate, rivers, soil, and sea, and its immense contribution to wine. He combines this understanding with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Wine Science. Phil is also a Senior Wine Judge and an extreme wine junkie. He joined the Te Mata Estate team in 1992 and has had vintage experiences at Clos des Lombrays, Burgundy, and at Chateau Margaux, Bordeaux.
