Tag: france

Posted on

5-Course French Degustation Dinner at Tartines Café, Eastbourne, May ’25

The French dinner, advertised to the Club by Murray, who couldn’t attend, was hosted by Mission wines. As a follow up the Mission evening in March, a few of us went along to enjoy Mission’s Jewelstone brand of premier wines, matched with each of the five courses.

We opened with a tasting of Blue Cheese Mousse, Caramelised Pear on Toasted Brioche, which was delightfully smooth in the mouth. This was paired with Mission’s Fete Brut Cuvee NV. We were looking forward to the next course!

The next course was Salmon, Sashimi, Soya Jelly, Ginger Syrup, Wakame Salad, Washabi Mayo & Sesame Seeds – a tribute to the chef’s days at the original Hummingbird restaurant in Courtenay Place, when this was a stable on the menu. This was paired with Mission’s Jewelstone Rosé 2023. The Rose was pinky gold in colour and was amazing with the dish.

Our third dish was Goat Cheese Cannelloni, Cramed Leek, Walnut Cream and Caramelised Walnut. Paired with Jewelstone Chardonnay 2022.

The mix in this course went down very well, with the caramelised walnuts a
really lovely addition to the smoothness of the rest of the meal.

It was a beautiful evening, with a starlit sky outside and as the air began to cool the braziers were lit. It all added such an atmosphere to the evening.

Next, we moved to the red of the evening, Jewstone Antione, Cabernet Sauvignon 2020. This wine is from their Gilmett Gravels vineyards, and is small-batch, barrel
fermented. It paired excellently with the Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks Bourguignon, Parsnip Puree, Roasted Baby Carrots. Rich, creamy and so tasty.

To round the evening off we were served Lemon Curd, Pannacotta, Braised Pineapple & Passion Fruit Coulis, paired with Mission Estate Late Harvest 2024.

Tammy from Mission came around during the meal to check how things were going at tables, as well as giving us commentary on the different wines were  sampling and titillating us with the story behind the wines, such as the  Jewelstone Antoine.

A plus, we were able to order Mission wines if we wished to, after the meal. It’s great Tammy is in Johnsonville, as she is delivering any orders received on the night.

Related posts

Posted on

Looking Ahead

Mid-year dinner

July is your Club’s mid-year dinner. This July it is to be held at Le Bouillon Bel Air Restaurant in Tory Street, Wellington CBD.

  • The event cost is $85 per person, and there will be Club bubbles on arrival at the restaurant as usual.
  • You are encouraged to bring your partner – even if they are not a Club member, they are more than welcome to come along to both your club’s meals.
  • This July’s meal is a good time to get out those French wines that you have in your wine cellars to share with friends at the meal.
  • We don’t have the menu at this stage, as the restaurant changes its menus every two months, so you get variety and season’s pickings all through the year. We won’t know the menu until it comes out on 23rd June, but please look at the present menu for a sample of what they offer to patrons.
  • There will be a notice sent out separately that will detail the new menu and payment details. This will require a response by July 4th.

Please read an article featured in Cuisine magazine: Le Bouillon Bel Air – Cuisine Magazine – From New Zealand to the World: “Princely dining for Paupers – Entering Le Bouillon Bel Air one finds oneself set down in a fancy Parisian restaurant, circa 1895. A bow-tied, black-waistcoated waiter leads you past mirrors decorated in the same sinuous Art-Nouveau style as the pierced wooden room divide…. The menu, too, is inspired by Chartier, so rather than being subjected to culinary experimentation as a paying lab rat, expect a comforting sense of tradition.”

August

Gibbston Valley, Central Otago

September

TBC

Related posts

Posted on

Looking Back – Dinner at Le Bouillon Bel Air ‘July 25

This new-ish French market was easy to get to and was pleasant when everyone arrived. We were seated upstairs as a group and the bubbles was swiftly handed around by the staff, who were personable and efficient.

It was well organised in a totally full restaurant, and the three courses rolled out in a timely fashion.

The entrée and dessert were well received, but unfortunately some of the mains were not so well received.

Please give the restaurant a go to experience it for yourselves, as most of your committee will be returning.

Related posts

Posted on

French wine crisis ‘one of most serious in history’, warns industry

Many winemakers have been facing a ‘catastrophic’ economic situation with rising costs and full cellars, industry leaders warned as they met France’s agriculture minister this month.

Chris Mercer, Decanter | July 18, 2025

French vineyards, Credit: wilatlak villette / Moment via Getty Images
French vineyards, Credit: wilatlak villette / Moment via Getty Images

French wine is in a crisis that constitutes ‘one of the most serious in its history’, with both structural and cyclical challenges, industry bodies warned this week as they met with the country’s agriculture minister, Annie Genevard.

Winemakers currently face a ‘catastrophic’ economic situation, said the groups, including the Association Générale de la Production Viticole (AGPV), and Jeunes Agriculteurs, which represents young vintners.

Consumer markets are saturated, many cellars are ‘full to bursting’ ahead of the 2025 harvest and costs are rising, they said.

Producers are also dealing with repeated climatic hazards and international trade issues.

Calling for more urgent measures to help ‘save our wine sector’, they warned the industry is at a turning point and the choice is to either support it or witness its collapse.

France’s government has already offered to compensate growers to rip out vines to reduce supply. In late 2024, growers applied to grub up around 27,00 hectares in total, using around €109m of the €120m budget.

Most of the money left over will be used to create an emergency fund for young winemakers, the trade bodies said following their meeting with the agriculture minister this week.

Other measures were also discussed, such as protecting farmers’ income and the possibility of grubbing-up more vines. The trade bodies praised the minister for listening to their concerns.

French wineries aren’t the only ones facing difficulties. At the EU level, the European Commission recently proposed reforms to help make the bloc’s wine sector more competitive.

Proposals include efforts to promote wine but also to allow member states to pay producers for ‘green harvesting’, to cut supply.

Funds have previously been released for crisis distillation of excess wine, and this policy has made a return in some EU countries in recent years.

Several vineyard regions worldwide have also been grappling with oversupply, from parts of California to some areas of Australia.

Global wine consumption fell to its lowest level since 1961 last year, albeit this still constituted 214 million hectolitres (mhl), said the International Organisation of Vine & Wine recently.

Related posts