Top Auckland Wine & Food Match

Te Motu Vineyard and Toto Restaurant were named winery and restaurant of the year at the Hospice North Shore Vintner’s 2013 Brunch held at the Sky City Convention Centre last Sunday. Te Motu’s Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2006 was matched with Toto’s house made duck tortellini with mushroom ragu and truffle.

This was the 18th annual staging of an event initiated in 1996 at the suggestion of Bill Spence, of Matua Valley Wines, who had attended a similar event in Vancouver. It brings together 12 of Auckland’s leading restaurants, each of whom creates a dish to be matched with a wine from well known wineries. For the past few years, the Vintners Brunch as been a sell-out, with a significant waiting list. A feature of this year’s brunch was the presentation of a plaque to Bill Spence, now an ambassador for Matua, to recognise his initiative and continuing support for the concept. In making the presentation on behalf of Hospice North Shore, a long-serving former trustee Terry Dunleavy said that over the 18 years, the event had raised almost $2 million for hospice funds.

“The standard of food and wine was exceptional this year. Creative new dishes matched with stunning wines surpassed the many delights of the previous 17 years of this event. This feast represents the very best that our New Zealand paradise has to offer and the bonus is that $160,000 was raised for a great cause. The good people at Hospice North Shore dedicate themselves to easing physical and emotional pain of those who are approaching the end of their time with us.” said master of ceremonies Vic Williams.

Te Motu and Toto were selected winners by vote of the 450 wine and food enthusiasts at the event. Runner-up was Number 5 Restaurant’s mandarin pannacotta matched with Selaks Reserve Gewurztraminer Riesling Desert wine.

Other food and wine matchings were: Hotel de Brett Kitchen’s milk-fed goat lasagne and Gem Wine Judd Vineyard Chardonnay 2007; Ebisu’s wagu beef tataki andMan O’War Ponui Island Warspite; Non Solo Pizza’s carpaccio di salmone and Poderi Crisci Rose; The Grill by Sean Conolly’s steak tartare and Mill’s Reef Elspeth; Ile de France’s braised pork shoulder and Villa Maria Cellar Selection Grenache; Café Hanoi’s sesame crusted beef was and Distant Land Gibbston Pinot Noir; Prego’s braised beef and Kumeu River Estate Pinot Noir; Monsoon Poon’s goat and Babich Wines “The Patriach”; The Esplanade Bar & Grill caramelised beef short rib and Matua Matheson Vineyard Merlot.

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