After getting our car we drove 10 minutes to find our lodging for the night--a spectacular B&B called Broomfield House. We quickly settled in and then decided we were ready to explore so we walked about a half mile away to the closest winery, Cellier Le Brun, for wine tasting and lunch. (On our walk we passed a goat on the side of the road. He was chained up and had a little house. We don't really know who he belonged to or why he lived in his little house on the side of the road, but it was amusing.)
When we left California's wine country a few days before it was Fall. The leaves were beginning to turn and the grape vines were plump and ready for the harvest. Stepping forward into Springtime was a strange experience. We had completely forgotten that the seasons were flipped here until we saw all of the little baby vineyards.
Lunch at the winery was wonderful and introduced us to a New Zealand phenomenon. At home it's illegal for wineries to have on-site restaurants--something to do with separate agricultural zoning. A lot of wineries sell cheese and snacks, and most have great picnic facilities, but that's it. In New Zealand many wineries feature "blackboard" menus for casual dining and full dining facilities after hours in the tasting room (or "Cellar Door" as they call it). The menus are truly gourmet with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal, sustainable and organic. Needless to say wine tasting in these parts can be a real tease to your senses. The smells are intoxicating.
After lunch we stopped at Wairau River vineyards for more wine tasting and then followed the real river to explore some of the scenery. We ended up at a "forest park" on Mt. Riley that was absolutely beautiful.
We tried to have dinner at one of the local wineries but were unsuccessful. They're all quite small, it was kind of late and I think they must only do one seating per night. A hostess at Gibbs was nice enough to recommend her favorite restaurant, Whitehaven, and even called ahead to make sure we could get in. Whitehaven turned out to be a real treat, especially because we were the only people there so the lady dimmed the lights, lit a candle and left us alone. This is what we ate...
Lemon and mussel chowder
A creamy veloute of mussels, capers and bay leaf with crispy bread
Stewart Island Blue Cod
On coriander and green onion potato cake with mascarpone, dill and caper sauce
Risotto
Pistachio, pine nuts, red capsicum, fresh herbs, mushrooms and zucchini
When we left California's wine country a few days before it was Fall. The leaves were beginning to turn and the grape vines were plump and ready for the harvest. Stepping forward into Springtime was a strange experience. We had completely forgotten that the seasons were flipped here until we saw all of the little baby vineyards.
Lunch at the winery was wonderful and introduced us to a New Zealand phenomenon. At home it's illegal for wineries to have on-site restaurants--something to do with separate agricultural zoning. A lot of wineries sell cheese and snacks, and most have great picnic facilities, but that's it. In New Zealand many wineries feature "blackboard" menus for casual dining and full dining facilities after hours in the tasting room (or "Cellar Door" as they call it). The menus are truly gourmet with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal, sustainable and organic. Needless to say wine tasting in these parts can be a real tease to your senses. The smells are intoxicating.
After lunch we stopped at Wairau River vineyards for more wine tasting and then followed the real river to explore some of the scenery. We ended up at a "forest park" on Mt. Riley that was absolutely beautiful.
We tried to have dinner at one of the local wineries but were unsuccessful. They're all quite small, it was kind of late and I think they must only do one seating per night. A hostess at Gibbs was nice enough to recommend her favorite restaurant, Whitehaven, and even called ahead to make sure we could get in. Whitehaven turned out to be a real treat, especially because we were the only people there so the lady dimmed the lights, lit a candle and left us alone. This is what we ate...
Lemon and mussel chowder
A creamy veloute of mussels, capers and bay leaf with crispy bread
Stewart Island Blue Cod
On coriander and green onion potato cake with mascarpone, dill and caper sauce
Risotto
Pistachio, pine nuts, red capsicum, fresh herbs, mushrooms and zucchini
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