Russell

What’s in season? – In the UK… Jersey Royals!

May 5, 2016 by Russell

Here at Fairbourne Estate, our New Zealand summer may be coming to an end, but for all of you who enjoy our wine in the Northern Hemisphere yours is just beginning, and we understand it’s going to be a cracker of a weekend in the UK, where temperatures are set to sizzle up to 23C in weather hotter than the Mediterranean!

What better way to celebrate a beautiful early summer weekend than with a lunch time get together enjoying fresh, seasonal fare and great wine!

It’s about this time of year that delicious Jersey Royal New Potatoes are at their best… Their fabulous flavour comes from the unique growing conditions on the island of Jersey. The potatoes are often grown in fields too steep to be harvested mechanically, so are hand harvested, much like our Fairbourne Sauvignon Blamc grapes. Jersey Royals are a true seasonal delight, the crops are short-lived so enjoy them while you can.

We found this great recipe online, that includes Jersey Royals and delicious smoked salmon, we’re sure it will pair beautifully with Fairbourne Premium Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Jersey Royals with Hot Smoked Salmon, and Watercress Salad in a Horseradish Dressing

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients

500g Jersey Royal new potatoes
100g crème fraîche
1 tsp creamed horseradish
Juice of 1 lemon
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 hot smoked salmon fillets, skinned and flaked
1 bunch watercress, rinsed

Method

Bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the potatoes and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes or until tender
Mix together the crème fraîche and creamed horseradish. Add enough lemon juice and black pepper to taste
Drain the potatoes and leave to cool slightly. Add the spring onions and salmon. Stir in the crème fraîche mix until all the ingredients have a light coating. Toss in the watercress and serve, ether slightly warm or cold.

Head to your local Majestic Wines store in the UK to find Fairbourne Sauvignon Blanc; or shop online in New Zealand.

4 reasons that you should be drinking Fairbourne Sauvignon Blanc

April 22, 2016 by Russell

Fairbourne Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was recently recommended in an article by the Fabulous Ladies’ Wine Society. The post is a great read and reveals the truth that Sauvignon Blanc enjoys its reputation and popularity with the ladies.Read the full article HERE.

Fortunately, there are still many of you out there with good taste. A survey carried out last year in the UK, of 400,000 people found the Sauvignon Blanc grape is top choice in every British town, city and county – (except for some strange reason Berkshire).

If you haven’t yet discovered the delights of Fairbourne Premium Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc… Here are 4 reasons you should.

Fairbourne Premium Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, is terroir inspired from a single vineyard. What does that mean? Well, it means it tastes like no other Sauvignon Blanc you will have tried because the ancient clay gravel soils where the vines grow, define its unique style.
The grapes used to make Fairbourne Sauvignon Blanc are hand-picked for elegant and refined flavours. Most new world Sauvignon Blanc, including Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, is machine harvested. The difference between hand harvested Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and that harvested by machine is monumental. Flavour and palate texture from hand harvested Sauvignon Blanc is far more expressive and the wine has greater length.
Fairbourne Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc consistently earns 5* reviews… As an example our 2014 vintage scored 5*, (between 93-100 on the 100 point scale, and between 18.5 to 20.0 on the 20 point scale), from esteemed wine critics Raymond Chan, Bob Campbell, Wine Orbit and Michael Cooper.
Our wine is extremely versatile. It has the capacity to honour plain, simple seafood, fresh oysters and steamed mussels, as well as salmon. Pair it with white meats like chicken and pork, and even if these are served with herb sauces or rubs the Sauvignon Blanc holds it own. The wine’s vibrant flavors also compliment spicy and ethnic cuisines.

You can buy yours HERE, and we’ll deliver free throughout New Zealand.

Or contact your local Majestic Wines in the UK.

A French Inspired Hamper Giveaway

November 27, 2015 by Russell

Sarah and I are still reminiscing about our time in France earlier this year, the thing we miss most (apart from all the great friends we made) is the delicious food!

We’ve been searching for local suppliers of all things French, Sarah wrote an article on some that we’ve found HERE.

We thought we’d pop together a French inspired hamper and give it away to one of our Facebook friends, so we’ve set up a little competition, and all you have to do to enter is fill out a form… Simple!

The hamper is valued at over $40 and contains:

Bonne Mamon Conserve 30 g (mixed assortment)
Le Domaine d’Agthe Terrine de Faison aux Raisins 65 g (Pheasant pate with raisins)
Le Domaine d’Agthe Terrine de Campagne 65 g (Pork pate)
Valette Les Rillettes pur Canard 180g
A French cheese (style to be confirmed)

Enter HERE, Bonne Chance!

How to tell if your wine’s gone past its prime…

November 9, 2015 by Russell

There are really two types of occasions when you might wonder whether your wine is still okay to drink…

You’ve only drunk a part bottle…

Doesn’t often happen to us very often, but let’s say, you’ve drunk just one or two glasses from a bottle and decided to pop the cap back on. When you come back to it, is it still good to drink? Here’s how to tell…

Use your eyes – Pour some into a glass, the following tell tale signs will often determine whether it’s better to pour your half drunk bottle down the sink… If the wine has turned cloudy or started to darken to a brown colour, or if a still wine has developed small bubbles.
Use your nose – If it smells acidic like vinegar, you can say goodbye to the rest of the bottle.
Use your taste buds – Don’t take a gulp, but with a small sip you’ll soon discover whether your wine is not fruity like it was last time, tastes like cardboard, is nutty or at worse tastes like vinegar.

You’ve discovered a special bottle of wine that was gifted to you.

These bottles invariably lurk at the back of cupboards or in the garage, having been stored for a special occasion. If you stumble upon one by accident, make that the day for your special occasion!

You can use the same sensory processes above to determine whether your wine is a cause to celebrate.

Whilst it’s true that many white wines, should be drunk within a year or 2 after the vintage date, Fairbourne Premium Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is slightly different. Our wine is naturally lower in sugar, and less acidic, so the complex layers mature gracefully. You can cellar a Fairbourne Premium Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for up to ten years.

A great way to discover how a really good Sauvignon Blanc matures is to sample our Vertical Tasting Case, buy yours HERE.

Fairbourne – A Super Savvie

October 1, 2015 by Russell

Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, has recently published a list of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines that he expects to be super savvies, and we’re pleased to say we’re on the list!

Bob says that he expects Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc from 2015 to be a very special vintage, and we couldn’t agree more.

Read his article HERE.

Screen Shot 2015-09-30 at 11.26.54 am Sarah & I feel like we’re double dipping as far as vintage goes this year. Having had a wonderful New Zealand harvest earlier in the year, we’re thrilled to be ensconced in Chavignol, Sancerre for another harvest.

We’ve been part of the third earliest harvest in the region since 1976! We’ve been earning our keep… Picking is completed by picking into a bucket, once full, these are transferred to the Hotte, (pronounced ‘OT’).
Then the Hotte is emptied into the trailer. The Hotte carries an average load of 65-70 kg, 80 kg if full!

Sarah’s been helping with the processing, and getting a regular dose of cellar envy…

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It won’t be long before we head back to New Zealand and we’ll be bringing some “old world” knowledge from Sancerre; that we know will translate into another stellar Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc…

Recipe Inspiration from our visit to Rick Stein

September 25, 2015 by Russell

Well we promised you some foodie highlights from our European adventures, and though we’re firmly ensconced in Sancerre now, there is a stand out gastronomic delight from our time in the UK.

Sarah and I went to Rick Stein’s restaurant in Winchester, and dined on Dover Sole!

Sarah-RS

Dover Sole is not a fish we have in New Zealand, but we do have several varieties of flat fish.

Lemon Sole
New Zealand Sole
Sand Flounder
Yellow Belly Flounder
Brill
Turbot

A good freshly caught flat fish needs little in the way of fancy ingredients, just a little butter, lemon juice and parsley to whip up into a sauce and you’re away.

Wash and dry your flat fish fillets and season both sides with salt and white pepper.
Place some flour on a plate and season it with a little more salt and white pepper.
Coat the fillets in the flour and shake off the excess.
Heat some butter in a large nonstick pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the flat fish fillets until lightly golden on each side, about 3 minutes.
Place the fillets on a baking sheet and keep them in a warm oven while you make your buttery sauce.
Wipe the pan clean and place over a medium heat. Add 12 tablespoons of butter to the pan and let it melt, foam, subside, begin to bubble again, and turn a nutty brown. At this stage remove from the heat and carefully add the lemon juice (the butter will spatter when you add this so do take care), parsley and a little more salt and white pepper to taste.
Serve the fillets on warm plates and spoon some of the delicious buttery sauce over each one.

This makes enough sauce for 6 fillets.

Serve the fish with baby new potatoes, peas and Fairbourne Hand-Picked Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc… Delicious!

Buy your wine HERE.

What is Terroir?

August 17, 2015 by Russell

Have you ever wondered what Terroir means? Look it up in a dictionary and you’ll be given a definition that reads something like this…

The complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate.

But Sarah and I believe it’s more than that, as well as a sense of place, our interpretation of the word includes a sense of behaviour and a sense of culture.

Whilst it’s true that in terms of terroir, a wine’s flavour and structural characteristics can reflect soil types and climate; it can also reflect the nature of the winemaker and importantly the processes they adopt.

When we introduced Fairbourne to the discerning London market, the client was looking for a new world wine to bridge the gap between the popular “Marlborough style” and their serious Sancerre wines of the Loire Valley. Looking for a wine that represented where it was grown, the ability to age gracefully and some of the vibrancy of new world Sauvignon Blanc. Fairbourne was the wine they chose to meet that new market segment and we have been supplying for the past 6 vintages. Consistency is also sought after by buyers looking at super premium wines.

We committed Fairbourne to varietal specialisation and sustainably managed vines to grow consistent, site specific premium Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Our grapes are hand-picked from a single site and grown on a hillside vineyard with clay gravel soils. Restraint is the key influence of the Fairbourne winemaking philosophy. Grapes are fermented as site batches with neutral yeast to capture their individual fruit and site expressions. Fermentation is managed in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks over a four week period. The batches are carefully blended, including a small portion barrel fermented in new French oak, this creates a silky entry, which generously ascends across the palate with a supple texture and dry finish.

Because our wines are terroir inspired, it probably serves as no surprise, that Sarah and I have always been intrigued by Sancerre; we’re excited to be heading to the Loire Valley in a few weeks time to ensconce ourselves in a French harvest. We’ll be sharing our travels on the blog, so stay tuned… There will undoubtedly be some culinary delights to share!

LoireValley

The benefits of screwcaps

June 11, 2015 by Russell

fairbourne For almost fifteen years New Zealanders have become used to opening wine bottles in the absence of a cork screw. Indeed, many of you will likely have to delve to the back of the “rarely used” kitchen cupboard or drawer to locate a device that has become defunct in many households!

In 2001, a New Zealand Screwcap Wine Seal Initiative sub-committee of Marlborough Winemakers was set up to evaluate screwcap closures as an alternative to traditional corks, and since then screwcap closures have pretty much been adopted nationwide.

However, today some 80 percent of the world’s 20 billion bottles of wine produced each year are still sealed with cork; so the cork versus screwcap debate still goes on.

To that end, we wanted to give you a quick summary of why we think the Stelvin Lux Screwcap closures that we use on bottles of Fairbourne hand-picked Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc are awesome….

They’re easy to open!
You won’t open a bottle that has “cork” taint; caused by contamination with TCA (the chemical compound 2,4,6-trichloroanisole) that’s present in cork.
Your wine will reach you in premium condition.
Your wine will age consistently and reliably, showing the wine’s development exactly as Sarah intended.

If you’re still not convinced, take a read of this article from Washington State University, where Thomas Henick-Kling (Director of Washington State University’s Viticulture and Enology program), extols the virtues of caps versus corks.

A vertical tasting with visitors…

March 27, 2015 by Russell

This week we were lucky to host some overseas visitors. A group of restaurateurs and sommeliers visiting us from Melbourne…

Now when you’re wining and dining a group of professionals associated with restaurants like;

You’ve really got to show them a good time!

We decided to include our friend Jan Bilton, who created, prepared and served a delicious lunch that we enjoyed with a vertical tasting of Fairbourne Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Fairbourne 2013 & 2012

Salmon Tartare & Ripe Pear
Bluff Oysters
Gazpacho

Fairbourne 2011 & 2010

Tartlets with Goat Cheese, Tomatoes & Pesto

Fairbourne 2009 & 2008

Crayfish Risotto topped with Karengo, Saffron Aioli & Watercress

If you would like to enjoy your own vertical tasting, purchase your Vertical Tasting Case HERE. You can also purchase Jan Bilton’s wonderful recipe books directly from our ONLINE STORE for your own menu inspiration.

A Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Inspired Valentines Menu

January 29, 2015 by Russell

If you’ve decided a romantic evening in is the way to go for Valentines Day, suffice to say you’ve probably got better things to do with your time than race around cooking a four course meal, so let’s keep things real simple and think about what can be prepared ahead of time…

Now you’re obviously going to choose a premium, elegant and hand-picked Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for your wine, it’s vibrant and expressive with a smooth finish… You probably want your evening of romance to hit the same description, so you’ve already given it a fighting chance by picking the right wine!

To Start:
Oysters are a natural choice. You can shuck/prepare them prior to your love arriving so you can focus on him/her rather than thinking about what needs to be done in the kitchen. Plus you don’t need to add any fancy accompaniments, just a dash of lemon juice, and those natural flavours will shine through. (Top Tip – If you don’t know how to shuck your oysters, check out the video in this previous post.)

The Star Attraction:
Should naturally be your loved one… You also don’t want to serve anything too heavy, it could play havoc with the rest of the evening’s entertainment. Try Jan Bilton’s Summer Herb-Crusted Salmon.

The Final Fling:
Skip the dessert, your loved one is truly sweet enough. Instead go for a cheeseboard with a selection of delicious cheeses think Camembert and aged Cheddar and Chevre. Your cheeseboard can also be prepared ahead of time, and should be, you want those beautifully flavoured cheeses at room temperature.

Enjoy! Remember if you’d like to deliver a beautiful bottle of gift boxed Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to your lover, we can help. BUY YOURS HERE.