On Monday 21st November we had the pleasure of hosting Enotria & Coe, our UK partners. With the growing season steadily on its way this was the perfect time of the year to show the magic of our Raupo Creek vineyard.
We spent the morning touring the site and tasting barrel samples amongst the vines. We encouraged our friends to take a deep dive into biodynamic practices, and they didn’t hesitate a second! After this excursion, it was only fair to reward the guests with a beautiful lunch cooked by Giulio Sturla.
Originally from Chile, Giulio is well known in New Zealand since the opening of Roots restaurant in Lyttleton. Roots achieved three hat status, the highest accolade in New Zealand hospitality, and Giulio himself won ‘Chef of the Year’ in 2018. It has been pure joy to partner with Giulio through the years, and Monday’s lunch was no exception.
Cooking over an open fire, Giulio moved with grace and precision to deliver unique culinary experience he is famed for. Snacks of pan de yuca followed by kingfish with pickle accompaniments were served alongside our 2022 new release whites, with vibrancy and texture the key aspect here. To follow, locally hand dived crayfish with Seresin grown pine nut milk sat alongside our Mārama Sauvignon Blanc and charred new season asparagus, beautiful!
With Seresin raised beef ribeye, cooked over the fire alongside slow barbequed cabbage, the main course was designed to impress. Our Rachel Pinot Noir 2017 and Sun & Moon 2015 were the perfect match here.
Finally, a light dessert of kefir semifreddo and Seresin honey, whipped up in our vineyard kitchen the night prior, sat beautifully against the light sweetness of our Memento Riesling 2016.
It was a true joy to host the Enotria team, a group of some of the UK’s finest wine professionals who visit top estates all over the world. Also, very humbling to see them absorb the magic of the Raupo Creek vineyard, and appreciate the vineyard teams efforts to create such a thriving biodiverse environment.