Monday, June 7th, 2010
WAR: The Noble Rot vs. New Zealand
One of the Man O' War vineyards on Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Good Monday Morning To You,
On Friday, June 4th, we (The Noble Rot) waged war on New Zealand. Armed with five courses of food, we aimed at pairing them with five wines that originate from Waiheke Island, a small piece of pristine land situated in the north-east of New Zealand. The idea was to exploit Micro-Terroir and all it’s raging glory. Located at the eastern end of Waiheke Island, in New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf, Man O’ War vineyards is spread across 4500 acres of rugged coastal farm-land. Their location and varying terrain results in pockets of different soils, temperature, and elevation, and with 150 acres of vines planted, Man O’ War vineyards boasts multiple grape varieties and a dedication to the Old World Style (aka Jackson-Five Era wines).
Okay: so, in a loft space on Bond Street in Manhattan, graciously offered up by a friend and wino-maniac, we indulged in six wines throughout the eve. They were:
- Pinot Gris ($16)
- Sauvignon Blanc ($16), paired with Raspberry, Trout Roe, Lime, Coriander
- Valhalla Chardonnay ($20), paired with Confit Tuna pickled compressed fennel, arugula,
- White Label Bordeaux Blend ($19), paired with Braise Oxtail Ragu, fennel tagliatelle with crème fraiche
- White Label Syrah ($19), paired with Lavender Smoked Lamb Loin, Sautéed brussel sprout leaves
- Black Label Syrah “Dreadnought,” ($33) paired with Blue cheese, strawberry black pepper jam, dark chocolate and toast
In solidarity we marched upon the Man O’ War with shouts of joy and pomp as our guests reveled in the delights of this wine. Joining us from the vineyard was Bronwyn Skuse, Ambassador to MO’W. Bronwyn tactfully handled all of my accusations and exclamations: “This wine is in the New World! (Crowd cheers!) But this wine is made in the Old World Style! (Crowd Cheers!) What do you say to that?!”
Bronwyn: I say you are correct! (Crowd Boos!)
JC: Shut up! Shut up! (Suddenly pies are thrown across the room and into all our faces)
New Zealand is a land The Noble Rot had yet to tackle, and the wines we tasted were certainly less bombastic than many New World wines vying to dominate a sloppy and sweet American Palate. We are working hard, one wino at a time, to change that palate, or at least to instill confidence in it. The three white varietals were deliciousness, especially the Pinot Gris which is the perfect sipping wine on a hot summer afternoon —- Say, you’ve just returned from the hay-fields. You’re parched. You reach for a glass of water, but there’s no bouquet. And situated amidst bails of freshly packed hay, you see an ice cold bottle of Waiheke Island Pinot Gris. No corkscrew necessary, as the top twists off and you pour the crisp liquid down, down, down… Returning home from the fields, a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and Valhalla Chardonnay awaits. The Blanc is typical of NZ and you sip it and consider surfing. Maybe not today, but perhaps tomorrow. The Valhalla tells you it is French, but you know it is not the case. You say, “Malolactic” and it guffaws, “How dare you… not a chance… everything is temperature controlled… there isn’t a conversion within me for miles.” The sun sets and we turn our heads to New York City:
A dinner party on the UES. The players: White Label Bordeaux (made of Malbec, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv), White Label Syrah, and Dreadnought (grown on one mother of a steep hillside). The Bordeaux blend delights each guest, dredging up fond child-hood memories of Fruit-By-The-Foot and late night bike-rides in parking lots. The Syrahs go at it, as if players in a Shakespearean play from before Shakespeare’s time. Dreadnought, smooth and peppery declares its love for you, while the White Label Syrah teases and plays hard-to-get.
We enjoyed all these wines immensely. It is wholly worth your time to peruse Man O’ War’s website and to read about the different climactic pockets and elevations, because it allows them to grow varietals incredibly well that typically would not be grown in NZ, such as Pinot Gris and Malbec, right? Maybe.
Damian Gutierrez of Cabriniwines.com helped pour, waltzed with me to “Che Syrah, Syrah, Whatever Will Be, Will Be” played so fantastically by our musical guest Miwa Gemini, and offered discounts to the folks attending (see, there are hidden benefits!). Brian Quinn made one hilarious joke at the end of the night, then took off, leaving me to clean-up his mess. In the Kitchen, were three superstars who perfectly executed all of the dishes, which had been written my Michael Cirino of A Razor, A Shiny Knife: Eugene Edele, a personal-chef-extraordinaire (who is available for your dinner party needs, so if you might be interested, send us an email to info@thenoblerot.com and we’ll put you in touch), Christine Wells, student at the French Culinary Institute who destroyed minds with her perfectionist attention to detail in the kitchen, and Mike Lee of Studiofeast, who showed up because he “works nearby” and wanted to get dirty serving it up. An amazing team, and we are grateful to them as well as to Bronwyn, Damian, to our friend Andrew who lets us light his apartment on fire (with awesomeness), and to Keith Regelmann for loading a 4GB camera up with photos of the event. Please enjoy his handiwork, and know that color photos are coming… so check back in tomorrow for that:
Mike Lee, Christine Wells, Eugene Edele in the Kitchen- photo by Brian Quinn
Bronwyn Skuse, Ambassador to Man O' War - photo by Keith Regelmann
Man O' War - Syrah - photo by Keith Regelmann
Our friend Katarina taking matters into her own hands! - photo by Keith Regelmann
Jonny Cigar talking "Micro-Terroir" to the winos - photo by Keith Regelmann
Can you spot our friend Angelina? - photo by Keith Regelmann
Damian pours - photo by Keith Regelmann
Eugene, Mike, Christine, plating away - photo by Keith Regelmann
An attentive crowd - photo by Keith Regelmann
In battle, Jonny attempts to steal a bottle of Man O' War while Brian who bet on Bronwyn to overcome watches in horor - photo by Keith Regelmann
Our friends Travis and Josh sipping the eau-de-vino - photo by Keith Regelmann
Miwa Gemini and band! - Photo by Brian Quinn
Oh, Valhalla, milady, Valhalla (Chardonnay) - Photo by Brian Quinn
Tags: A Razor A Shiny Knife, Brian Quinn, Bronwyn Skuse, Christine Wells, Damian Gutierrez, Eugen Edele, food and wine pairing, Jonny Cigar, Man O' War, Mike Lee, new world wine old world style, New Zealand wines, Studiofeast, The Noble Rot
