Wayne, with Michael and Murray presenting to the Club
What a brilliant evening! Organised by Wayne, who purchased the winning wines in a timely manner so he could secure every one that he wanted, and part hosted by Wayne, with Michael and Murray added to the panel presenting to the Club members.
We had 36 members turn up for the tasting, so the reputation of this evening from last year has grown!
Wayne had tasting notes for each wine to refer to, and club members were asked what they tasted, liked and towards the end of the evening there was a vote on the best wine of the evening – it was a fairly close call on that point!
The below wines were what we tasted on the night, and may available from New World, The Good Wine Company, and other NZ locations.
2024 Leftfield Pinot Gris, Marlborough
2024 Wairau River Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
2024 Sileni Advocate Grand Reserve Albarino, Hawkes Bay
2023 Bladen Eight Rows Riesling, Marlborough
2022 Kirrihill Regional Series Clare Valley Shiraz, South Australia
2021 Church Road McDonald Series Merlot, Hawkes Bay
On receiving an email from FAWC [Food and Wine Classic] that this Hawkes Bay-wide festival was cancelled for 2025-2026, those of us who usually take in events with such pleasure were a little aghast!
But on reading to the bottom of that same email we were greatly relieved to find some new alternatives were featured. One of these was a dinner organized by Hastings’ Cellar 495 more than just a wine bar.
“Cellar 495 combines warmth and hospitality with world-class wine expertise. It blends wine bar, bistro, tasting room and wine shop – all led by the world’s 495th Master of Wine, Michael Henley.
Our wine selection represents the finest from around the globe, served alongside seasonal cuisine from Head Chef Carlita Campbell that captures the spirit of New Zealand.”
Cellar 495 partnered with a local farm business, Matangi, who are a boutique family-owned farming business producing premium 100% grass-fed Angus beef and chicory-finished lamb with a sole focus on eating quality and no comprises along the way. They have a Butchery and Showroom at 308 Heretaunga Street East, Hastings, or to find out more visit them at www.matangi.co.nz
MATANGI BEEF & BORDEAUX DINNER EXPERIENCE
This excellent evening was a collaboration between two Hastings businesses and was excellent exposure for the people who attended.
Both for Matangi Beef and Cellar 495 – the small seating restaurant the meal was held at.
French wines were matched with each course with everyone in attendance was exposed to different cuts of meat than usually consumed, rounded off by excellent cooking and presentation from the Chef.
As a bonus, everyone got to meet and talk with both the café owner and the Matangi Beef owners.
Matangi talked about their philosophy on their farming style, animal selection and why, and their seasonal butcher shop over the road from the restaurant Cellar 495.
The evening’s menu:
Steak Tartare, Sous Vide Egg, Pecorino – rump with herbs [tarragon and chives]
MATCHED WITH: 2022 Chateau de Seuil Graves – a white burgundy
Beef Shin Croquette, Horseradish Potato Cream
MATCHED WITH: 2020 Domaine de La Solitude – from the same sub-region as the above wine, owned by Nuns! This is a Merlot/Cab Sauvignon blend
Blanc Slow Braised Beef Chuck, Celeriac Remoulade
MATCHED WITH: 2015 Le Petit Vauthier Saint-Emillion Grand Cru – Merlot/Cab Franc
Then we finished with a lovely dessert wine: 2015 Bordeaux Saturn – smooth on the palate but not too sweet, golden kiwifruit/pear notes
Our table’s pick of the night for the wines was the 2019 Famille J.M. Cazes Saint-Estephe, smooth in the mouth, red fruit on the nose and well balanced with the meal.
The pleasant surprise of the night for those of us whose only exposure to steak tartare via the Mr Bean sketch from years ago, was the steak tartare – a delightful starter for the evening, well balanced and tasty.
We would recommend giving Cellar 495 a try if you’re in the Hawkes Bay, they’re at 319 Heretaunga Street East, Hastings; phone (06) 870 6308; email: enquiries@cellar495.co.nz
This was a fun, festive evening, hosted by Tammy, Mission’s Rep, who
along with Wayne, chose the wines for our evening.
We were fortunate to have two of their premier Jewelstone range, to
savour, along with a Rose’ from Stables to compare with a Jewelstone
Rose, plus Mission’s Brut Cuvee bubbles, made in the champagne way.
Tammy updated us with the news that the CEO for the last 30 years was departing for other pastures. So they now have at Mission a new CE, new-ish vintner and new web page with new motto – ‘History in the Making’! Exciting times!
This evening has left everyone with some thoughtfully selected wines to source for Christmas celebrations. As a reminder of what to put on your shopping list, the wines we tasted were:
Mission Fete Brut Cuvee – Pinot Gris from Mission’s Home Block at Taradale, zesty with delicate pear and apple and fine mousse.
2025 Stables Rose – made from a mix of grapes, to be used as an aperitif, cheap and cheerful
Jewelstone Rose [noting that 2024 has recently been released and is now called Blanc De Noir], This will cellar well for another five years if you want to. Handpicked whole bunch pressed organic Merlot grapes from Mere Rd in the Gimblett Gravels.
2022 Jewelstone Chardonnay – these grapes were from their Green Meadows site in Taradale, made up of two clones, hand harvested and gently pressed, the firstly placed in French oak before spending time in neutral barrels.
Mission Reserve Syrah – Gimblett Gravels grapes, a nice light-ish wine, from a single vineyard. Can be kept for up to five years.
Mission Reserve Malbec – light, dry and on oak for 12 months, this can be cellared for five more years if you wish.
Mission Estate Late Harvest Riesling – this was a nice light-ish desert wine, and as well as going well with our Xmas fare provided by Wayne, it would pair nicely with lemon meringue pie.
Askerne Hawkes Bay
267 Te Mata Mangateretere Rd, Havelock North
Presenter – John Loughlin, Co-Founder and Director
Wednesday 11th February 8 pm start
Door Price: to be advised later
Askerne Estate winery commenced in April 1993 when wine lovers John and Kathryn Loughlin purchased the original 11.6 hectares site in Te Mata Mangateretere Road. John and Kathryn had studied winemaking and viticulture in the previous years with Kathryn, as the more diligent student, achieving the higher grades.
They called the property Askerne, being the olde English name of Kathryn’s birthplace, Askern in Yorkshire, England.
Sauvignon Blanc vines were planted in late 1993, Semillon and Riesling in 1994, Chardonnay in 1995 and Gewürztraminer in 1996. The first wines were made at the Waimarama Estate Winery (then owned by Dr John Loughlin, John’s father) in 1996.
In February 1997, the Askerne cellar door was opened to the public, and it also sold Waimarama Estate’s red wines, including the then famous Waimarama Dessert Cabernet.
The 1997 vintage produced very fine wines from Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay which confirmed the potential of the site. Askerne commenced exporting with wines from the 1997 vintage. It was a complete surprise to us when our Sauvignon Blanc won an award in The Netherlands as the best match with a cigar. It was not something we thought of in making the wine, nor have subsequently aspired to.
In 1998 Dr John Loughlin sold Waimarama Estate Winery and from the 1999 vintage, Askerne’s wines were made on site. The cellar door building was expanded to accommodate winemaking activities. The first red wine grapes were planted. Also, in 1999 the first Botrytis Semillon wine was made, and the first componentry was created for the Noble Noir wine which was first released in 2013.
In the significantly frost-affected 2001 the first red grapes were harvested, and a Cabernet Merlot Franc blend and Dessert Cabernet were made. Both these red wine styles were encouraging examples of the desired styles. A Chardonnay from the 2001 vintage won Askerne’s first gold medal.
In 2004 a new purpose-built winery was completed, only hours before it was used for vintage. The 2005 vintage saw the first multi-awarded wine with our Gewürztraminer winning double golds. The 2006 vintage saw the first trophy which was taken by our Noble Semillon. The 2007 vintage saw Askerne produce a Gewürztraminer that won 5 gold medals and a trophy.
Large vintages in 2008, 2009 and 2010 coincided with the global financial crisis and a downturn in business as customers changed and downsized and the market moved to cheaper price points. Export channels also dried up for Askerne. They launched their first white and gold label Rouge and Blanc blends as lower tier responses and sold them directly to consumers. Most of the fruit from the 2011 and 2012 vintages were sold as we sought to rebalance inventories with demand.
In 2014 Askerne commenced an exporting relationship in China with Beijing Touch World International Trading Company.
The 2018 vintage proved to be a great one and saw the launch of two of the planned new wine styles being a Sauvignon Blanc / Sauvignon Gris / Semillon blend and the first of the Icon series of wines in “The Archer” Chardonnay.
Cairn Coghill
2018 also saw the 25th anniversary of the Askerne venture and was a time to think about the past and present The 2019 vintage was another excellent one which saw a second Icon wine produced in a Syrah called “Tere” which speaks of our site on Te Mata Mangateretere Road, adjoining the Tuki Tuki River.
The 2020 vintage was spectacular in terms of climate and quality. It was also unusual in terms of vintage operations which coincided with the covid-19 global pandemic, but Askerne was able to operate as an essential business.
From the 2020 vintage we added a new product to our range, being the first Sérieux rosé which was made from a blend of Carménère and Mourvèdre.
In January 2021 Cairn Coghill joined the Askerne team as winemaker.
Askerne Tasting – Main Event
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