Want to try something new, and not already a member? Come on your own, grab a friend, workmate or partner and join us for our next tasting. Take a look and see who's presenting. Scroll down to view the website.
We welcome you all to our mid-winter dinner at one of Wellington’s best restaurants. The recipient of a Cuisine Good Food Awards ‘Hat’, Field and Green offer seasonal selections to reflect European influences showcasing the very best of New Zealand flavours. Taking into account your feedback on previous dinners, this establishment is spacious, at ground level and close to public transport, being a 4-minute walk from Courtenay Place.
In keeping with their emphasis on seasonal food, the chef is creating a new Winter menu and we will be some of the first to taste it. The dinner will be announced at the Club’s Te Mata Tasting on 8th June and bookings will also be open that day. While we expect to be able to cater for everyone that wishes to come, the restaurant has a limit of 48, so bookings will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Do not miss this opportunity to dine at the restaurant which the Cuisine review says:
The lack of opulence that greets you as you step off the busy streets of Wellington into Field & Green belies the richness of the rustic culinary experience that awaits.
To get the scoop on the best way to bring your barbecue fare to life with wine.
Our January Cellar Club BBQ is going ahead on the last Sunday of this month and as previous, it will be a No Charge event requiring you to contribute a bottle of wine [ie its BYO] and food.
All wine is pooled so it can be enjoyed by others who appreciate the variety. We would ask people not to take wine away to individual tables, as this limits access to wines that people might want to try. Remember though that the Club provides no wine for this event, so ensure that you bring enough if you think the summer heat will make you thirsty.
For new and prospective club members, this is a great afternoon/evening to get to know the other Club members and join in to start off 2022 in a wonderful setting.
Also, if members have friends as prospective members, then this is an ideal time to see the club in action.
This year your committee is trying something different with the format of the BBQ and club members are asked to bring whatever they would like to nibble on for their appetiser. The idea is to share what you bring at whatever table you are seated at, and we will also provide popcorn [thanks Anne]. There will be no cheese or bread as that tends to be an issue on hot days.
We are also going to try venison patties with a cranberry sauce and gourmet sausages as the meat dishes this year, instead of using salmon and precooked sausages.
As in previous years, you are asked to please bring a salad if you are an even numbered house, or a dessert if you are an odd numbered house. This should be sufficient for about 8 people.
If you are bringing a dessert, because of a limited fridge capacity, could we please have some without cream or the need for ice cream this year. Thanks.
To get the scoop on the best way to bring your barbecue fare to life with wine
Picking wines that complement all of the tangy, salty, and sweet flavours of our favourite grilled foods can be a challenge. So many different types of palates to please! But before you throw in the towel and settle for a case of Bud Light and a few bottles of pinot grigio, we’re here to eliminate all of that intimidation. Seriously, you’ll be pairing burgers with Beaujolais like a sommelier just in time for the Fourth.
To get the scoop on the best way to bring your barbecue fare to life with wine, we consulted the experts at Vivino, the world’s largest online wine marketplace. Their vino pros helped us round up these recommendations for the top varietals for every type of grill fare. Whether you’re cooking pulled pork or tofu, we have something here that’ll sizzle harmoniously.
Hamburgers + Beaujolais
How to make the perfect burger. The Gentleman’s Journal
Burgers are summer grilling staples, so it’s only fitting that they pair with the number one summer barbecue wine: Beaujolais. Light, fresh, and fun, Beaujolais is extremely food-friendly. Expect peppy red cherry and strawberry flavors with a touch of earthy undertones.
Hot Dogs + Rosé
Pedernales Cellars Viognier and Rosé are perfect with hot dogs
The toppings make the hot dog, so the key is to find a wine versatile enough to pair with anything you can eat on a dog. It’s hard to go wrong with a dry rosé, but look for one with some character to it: minerality, acidity, or unique, savoury flavours.
Grilled Corn + Chardonnay
Sweet, salty, buttery grilled corn needs a wine that will accent—but not overwhelm—its flavours, which is why Chardonnay aged in steel or old oak is a natural match. Most unoaked Chardonnays still go through malolactic fermentation, which creates a creamy, buttery texture without oaky flavours of vanilla and baking spice (that would overwhelm the corn).
Grilled Seafood + Sicilian White
Rinazzu Etna Rosso Selezione Speciale
Embrace the essence of grilled seafood with a salty, zesty Sicilian white. Sicilian white wines, particularly those grown on the slopes of Mount Etna, have distinct volcanic minerality, lemon acidity, and a touch of salinity, which makes for an ocean-reminiscent flavour.
Grilled Tofu + Champagne
Vegetarians need barbecue options too, and creatively prepared tofu can be an excellent substitute for otherwise meat-heavy festivities. The bubbles in Champagne provide a nice contrast to the texture of tofu, while tart citrus flavours and focused acidity make it perfect for pairing with almost any flavour profile.
Pork Chops + Pinot Noir
Best Wine Pairings With Pork by Cut and Cuisine. LoveToKnow
Pork chops pair well with both red and white wine, but with a dry rub on the grill, red wine has the edge. Medium-bodied Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon has a little bit of everything that pork chops call for, flavour-wise, melding lush New World cherry cola-esque fruit with Old World earthiness.
North Carolina-Style Pulled Pork + Riesling
For a wine to stand up to North Carolina-style pulled pork’s vinegar-based sauce, two things are crucial: sugar and acid. Off-dry Riesling is the answer, with mouthwatering acidity and just a touch of residual sugar to keep the wine from seeming too austere.
Memphis-Style Pulled Pork + Zinfandel
Slightly sweeter than the North Carolina-style, smoky, spiced Memphis-style pulled pork calls for a wine with juicy, round fruit, like a classic California Zinfandel. While Zinfandel can be overly jammy and high-alcohol, the best examples balance body with acidity, allowing fresh red and blackberry fruit to burst onto the palate and complement the pork.
Ribs + Syrah
The full-bodied intensity of Shiraz pairs well with fatty grilled meats like pork ribs, beef short rib, and sausages of all kinds. Joie de Vivre
For a knock-out baby back rib pairing, embrace the flavours that make ribs so good with a wine that carries them. Full of smoke, meat, and black peppery goodness, Syrah from the northern Rhône is right on the money—as if someone took the smoked ribs themselves and put them into the wine.
Steak + Cabernet Sauvignon
Matching steak and Napa Cab is a no-brainer, but to take the pairing to a new level, look up the mountain. Vineyards situated within the mountain ranges that form the Napa Valley—such as Spring Mountain District or Chiles Valley—have the added benefit of elevation, creating a more restrained and elegant style of wine.
For the last 3 years, our November tastings have been a bit different with an emphasis on a foreign country and wine and food matches. November this year will be no different although this year it is a region, rather than a country.
Our presenter, Cenna Lloyd, departed after last month’s tasting for a 3-week tour of South American vineyards so her offer to return and give us her insight into the wine sub-regions we will taste was just too good to pass up.
The recipes have already been allocated and there will also be a special surprise that hopefully will add to a carnival atmosphere. Like last year, we will need to limit numbers to fit our catering. Unlike last year we will need to enforce that number or the risk will be the early bird may miss out on their worm. Ok, so it is a bad metaphor but you get the idea.
More information on how you can reserve your place will be released after this month’s tasting.
Moët & Chandon calls the salty, crunchy snack one of the best things to eat with bubbly, and our wine editor agrees.
Mike Pomranz | April 19, 2018
Everyone likes Champagne—if only because it’s the quintessential, upmarket celebratory drink. But for that exact reason, some people can be unsure when to drink Champagne. Weddings, graduations and holidays are obvious choices. And if you’re Biggie Smalls, when you’re thirsty also qualifies. But is ordering Champagne during an otherwise ordinary meal posh or just pretentious?
For bigtime Champagne producers like Moët & Chandon, this question is about more than just image: moving more Champagne boosts their bottom line. So clearly, it behooves the brand to remind drinkers that you don’t need to wait until your golden anniversary to pop a bottle of Brut. Along those lines, Marie-Christine Osselin, Moët & Chandon’s wine quality and communication manager, recently told The Drinks Business that one of the best possible pairings for bubbly is one of the most common sides on the planet: French fries.
According to Osselin, Champagne’s acidity and bubbles make for an excellent complement to fries saltiness and crunch. In fact, regardless of whether the cuisine is low-brow or high-brow, Osselin insisted that simplicity is the key. “Champagne is a wine that asks for simple ingredients, no more than three,” she was quoted as saying.
Of course, it’s easy to be skeptical: If you were trying to move $50 bottles of wine, you’d probably say they pair well with every food under the sun. But Food & Wine wine editor/guru Ray Isle actually completely agrees with Osselin’s assertion. “I’ve been saying this for years, as have many, many sommeliers,” he explained.
“Basically, salt and fat plus high acid and bubbles equals a great combo,” Isle continued, giving Champagne and French fries the mathematical treatment. “Fries, potato chips—hell—fried pork rinds would work too. But I don’t think you’re going to get the folks at Moët to suggest pairing their champagne with fried pork rinds—that’s too down-home for them, for sure.”
Moët won’t say it, but apparently we will. Grab your Champagne and pork rinds! Is it college football season yet?!
