Last week I had the privilege of attending a 6 course degustation dinner featuring Silere alpine origin merino. Yes not only do these high country sheep produce remarkable wool but they taste pretty good as well. Hosted by Silere at Hummingbird Eatery & Bar in Wellington with the very talented Chef Glen Taylor in the kitchen we were in for a treat. Over the 6 courses we tasted a variety of cuts including fillet, sweetbreads, saddle, rack, shortrib, belly & shoulder and the dessert featured sheep’s milk of course. The meat has a very fine grained texture and is lean and tasty. Where did Nautilus fit in? Well great food needs great wine (& vice versa) and more specifically Merino needs Pinot! We showed a different vintage of Nautilus Pinot to go alongside each of the principle dishes. Starting with Nautilus Cuvee Marlborough Brut NV (75% Pinot) with the 1st course we then moved on to Nautilus Pinot Noir itself. The 2010 vintage was fresh & vibrant alongside the Sweetbreads dish that also featured salmon & beets. Then came the 2009 with the saddle dish and the 2008 with the rack & belly/shoulder dish. We finished with the 2007 alongside the shortrib. As the dishes got more savoury & complex so did the wines with the 2007 looking just spectacular. This was a truly unique experience and I can highly recommend Silere alpine merino – particularly with a Nautilus Pinot Noir to match.
- webadminwix
