The recent Marlborough Wine Weekend was once again a great celebration of what Marlborough has to offer with delicious wines paired with delectable gourmet cuisine. The biannual event featured a fantastic line up of Pinots to taste in a rustic barn at Marlborough’s historic Auntsfield Estate as well as an amazing line up of Sauvignon Blancs both old (dating back to 2001) and new followed by an old-fashioned high tea at Rose Tree Cottage in the Awatere. A personal highlight was the Twilight Garden Party held in the beautiful grounds of Timara Lodge with fantastic local food offerings from Maree Connelly that were matched to local examples of Chardonnay, Aromatic varietals (Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewurztraminer) and Pinot Noir. Another stand out was the final night’s gourmet feast with Chef Ben Bailey’s amazing Goats cheese curd, salad of pulses and asparagus which we paired with the 2009 vintage Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc. This was one of those “WOW” moments – reminding you just how great Sauvignon can be when paired with the right food. I often prefer slightly aged Sauvignons with food – although they are not quite as zingy and fruit forward, they are often more textural, subtle and complex – as all good wines should be! The final highlight of the event was the selection of sweet, sweet dance moves busted out after midnight on the dance floor. Limbo and the Worm both made a brief comeback in Marlborough (you know how you are Parky)!
The Marlborough Wine Weekend continues to evolve and I do look forward to the next incarnation in 2013.
