New year, new start

Happy New Year!

It's been a little while since this blog was updated, but we're turning over a new leaf (which makes a change from plucking them I suppose) and will be here a lot more this year with our news, views and updates. 

We're looking forward to a great year ahead and are keeping ourselves busy with a lot of exciting new projects in the vineyard and the winery, so watch this space for more information about these. Vintage is also always on our minds of course, and 2014 is looking very promising; plenty of good quality fruit on the vines and all going according to plan thus far. More on this soon... 

First on our calendar though is our series of dinners and lunches at our occasional restaurant in Waterfall Bay between 6th and 9th of February. Anna Hansen, owner of The Modern Pantry in London is joining us to prepare what promises to be a delicious five course menu, based around local produce and designed to complement our wines. More information about the dinners can be found online or via our facebook page, and if you'd like to book you can call +64 3 572 9408. 

In the meantime, let us wish you all the very best for the coming year. 

“For last year's words belong to last year's language 

And next year's words await another voice.” T S Eliot, Four Quartets

Waterfall Bay Food & Wine Festival 2012

Nestled amongst native bush overlooking Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds, our occasional restaurant will again welcome guests to share in Seresin Estate’s Food & Wine Festival. Hamish Brown from ROKA restaurant in London is returning to the Waterfall Bay kitchen as our guest Chef for 2012.

Hamish spent his formative years growing up amongst Canterbury’s farming community. Learning the art and craft of food from his father, Graham Brown, a chef who has owned restaurants in New Zealand and Australia, Hamish developed a sense for the quality of lo cal ingredients and a passion for combining the Asian cuisines which make up the Western Pacific Rim..

After establishing himself in New Zealand, Hamish left New Zealand for England. His first employer was expatriate Peter Gordon at his London restaurant Providores where he worked for 18 months. Since 2006, Hamish has been at ROKA and has recently been promoted to Executive Chef, responsible for the London operations and future ROKA projects. Part of the worldwide Zuma-ROKA restaurant group, ROKA is renowned for its contemporary Japanese-inspired food.

“I missed out on Hamish’s previous stint at Waterfall Bay – so the only way to enjoy his food in New Zealand was to invite him back to Waterfall Bay. I’m sure our guests will agree”, says Michael Seresin.

Hamish adds “after my first visit to Waterfall Bay I was inspired by the Seresin ethos and really want to reflect that in this year’s dinners - using Seresin-grown organic salads and vegetables, combined with locally grown produce and, my favourite, foraging at Waterfall Bay itself”.

Tickets are $285 per person and are inclusive of a five course meal with matching wines and return boat transport from Picton. There is currently limited availability at Dinner on Thursday 9th February. Please contact us if you would like to make a reservation.

Reservations: Contact Moir Laird - moir@seresin.co.nz or +64 (0)3 572 9408

Dinners on Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th, as well as lunches on Friday 10th and Sunday 12th are fully booked.

2011 Waterfall Bay Food & Wine Festival - Chef Annoucement

Nestled amongst native bush overlooking Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds, our occasional restaurant will again welcome guests to share in Seresin Estate’s own Food & Wine Festival.  Guest Chef for 2011 is Liza Shaw from A16 restaurant in San Francisco.

Liza Shaw is Executive Chef and Partner in A16, a restaurant devoted to the food of Campania and named after the highway which runs from Naples to Canosa, Puglia. The food of A16 has its roots in the Mezzogiorno, commonly known as Southern Italy, and in la cucina povera, the art of wasting nothing whilst creating dishes that don’t sacrifice taste or goodness.

Liza Shaw says diners can expect a menu which celebrates local New Zealand ingredients, with a Southern Italian slant.  “My food is honest and soulful, with focused flavours that celebrate the seasons and ingredients at their peak. Handmade pastas, simple seafood preparations, house-butchered and cured meats, all enhanced by bright flavours and high quality ingredients.”

Dinners: Friday 11th, Saturday 12th, Sunday 13th and Monday 14th February
Lunches: Sunday 13th and Monday 14th

Reservations contact Moir Laird: moir@seresin.co.nz or Ph. +6435729408
Payment will be required to secure your reservation. 

Seresin Dinner at The Modern Pantry

For those of you in London, we are excited to announce an upcoming Seresin Dinner at Anna Hansen's restaurant The Modern Pantry.

We first met Anna in 1999 when she was Peter Gordon's sous chef at our inaugural Waterfall Bay Dinners, and she returned in 2005 as the Waterfall Bay guest chef. She then went on to open The Modern Pantry in 2008.

Anna has developed a mouth-watering menu to match with Seresin wines for the upcoming dinner:

Morcilla scotched quail eggs, tomato relish, sweetcorn, tumeric, feta & green chilli fritters, with tamarind & palm sugar dipping sauce

2009 Memento Riesling

Grilled chicory, aubergine, pandan, date & pine nut salad with Seresin orange oil

2006 Reserve Chardonnay

Slow cooked octopus, curry leaves, tomato & ginger, caramelised coconut & vanilla cream

2008 Sauvignon Blanc

Seared venison loin, wilted wild garlic, chocolate jus

2008 Leah Pinot Noir and 2007 Rachel Pinot Noir

Seresin manuka honey & yoghurt bavarois, poached rhubarb, and fenugreek shortbread

2005 Late Harvest Riesling

This dinner will be held on 19 May, and tickets are £70. If you would like to book tickets for this dinner, please contact Dougal at The Modern Pantry on 020 7553 9210 or enquiries@themodernpantry.co.uk.

Seresin Landfall Residency

This new year, we are pleased to announce the second annual Seresin Landfall Residency. The Residency was established in 2009 with Otago University Press, giving a writer the opportunity to spend six weeks in either Tuscany or Marlborough.

The residency is the result of Michael Seresin's desire to support the work of Landfall magazine, and his commitment to the arts and creative endeavour. Michael says "I wanted to provide a place where writers feel comfortable and can write. We are fortunate to have access to two beautiful properties, which I hope will provide some inspiration for a writer during their six week stay."

Michael's father, Harry Seresin, was an early subscriber and avid reader of Landfall from the 1950's. The Seresin Landfall Residency honours his memory, and that of the Landfall founder, Charles Brasch, who helped establish New Zealand's first literary residency, the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago.

Prominent New Zealand writer, and the Residency's inaugural winner, C. K. Stead says "My association with Landfall goes back as far as 1951 when I first offered founder Charles Brasch poems and has continued ever since. I feel very enthusiastic about the idea of a Residency set up to honour both the magazine and Harry Seresin."

The residency is open to writers over twenty-one, working in any genre, who have been previously published. To read more about the Residency, or for information about how to apply, please visit the Otago University Press website.

Frances restaurant

We love good news (Who doesn't though, I suppose). And we especially love good news when it involves a friend of ours!

Melissa Perello (see left) is a chef who has received much acclaim for her time as Head Chef at Charles Nob Hill, and Executive Chef at Fifth Floor - both fine-dining restaurants in San Francisco. She lead the team at Fifth Floor to receive a Michelin Star in 2006.

In 2007 Melissa was Guest Chef at our Waterfall Bay restaurant, and she certainly left a lasting impression with her culinary masterpeices. MJ (our General Manager) often talks about one of her dishes - crayfish served with a strawberry consomme - and says it is among the most memorable dishes of his life.

Since then, she has been working towards opening her own restaurant, and this week doors opened! We are really pleased to introduce you to Frances, San Franciscos newest restaurant. The seasonal menu is inspired by local produce from artisinal farms, and dishes out modern Californian cuisine in a relaxed neighbourhood setting. If it is anything like the dining experiences she has created before, we are sure it will be extraordinary.

Our congratulations and best wishes go out to Melissa, and we can't wait to check it out!

The joys of Spring

The weather is noticeably warmer and its finally starting to feel like spring time so we thought we'd celebrate in style with a long lunch at our Waterfall Bay Restaurant.

Seresin’s favourite Cook, Marcia Chang-Hong, will prepare a four course menu of new season local produce; Asparagus, Marlborough Sounds Scallops, Spring Lamb and Strawberries.

Marcia first cooked for Michael Seresin, while working as Chef at iconic London restaurant Kensington Place, and we have been enjoying her food since she moved to Marlborough six years ago. Seresin staff will serve lunch and matching new-release wines in the relaxed setting of the small dining room on the water’s edge.

Lunch: Sunday November 15th
Tickets: Lunch with matching wines $120 per person, water taxi $40 return from Picton.
Boat departs Picton at 11.30am, limited to 40 people.
Reservations: Contact Moir Laird: moir@seresin.co.nz or Ph +64 (0)3 572 9408

And just in time for the long weekend a spring recipe from Marcia using freshly picked artichokes from our garden and Seresin Lemon Olive oil.

Artichoke and Goat's cheese dip
6 artichokes
2-3 tbsp lemon oil
4-5 tbsp goat's cheese. You can use either a hard cheese, grated or a softer creamy one.
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon

Bring artichokes to boil in a large pot of salted water. Simmer gently till artichokes are just cooked. Test by gently pulling at an outer leaf, it should just slip off with the slightest tug.

Drain and cool the artichokes. Peel off the tough outer layers till you get to the heart and use a teaspoon to scoop out the hairy centre. Puree the hearts with coarse sea salt, pepper, cheese, lemon juice and lemon olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve with crusty bread or as a spread on sandwiches. Will keep up to a week refrigerated.

Enjoy!

New Release Dinner

On Saturday evening, in perfect weather, 40 people gathered at Michael Seresin's private dining room at Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds to celebrate Seresin's new release wines.

A special 5 course dinner was prepared by Guest Chef Jason Dell, with each course designed to complement a selected new release Seresin wine. Seven wines featured during the evening:

1. After boarding at Picton, guests enjoyed the 2007 Memento Riesling on board the launch Legacy for the quick trip across Queen Charlotte Sound to Waterfall Bay.


2. On arrival at Waterfall Bay, a glass of 2007 Sauvignon Blanc complemented a range of canapés including a selection of featuring assorted California sushi roll; parmesan tacos with crayfish; and dukkah lamb croutons.


3. The Glazed Duck with asian slaw and citrus miso went beautifully with 2007 Gewurztraminer.


4. A sneak preview of the yet-to-be-released 2007 'Reserve' Sauvignon Blanc was matched with Risotto, fine herbs, goats cheese, asparagus and lemon oil (oil also from Seresin, of course).


5. Wood-roasted Marlborough Sounds King Salmon, pearl couscous, chermoula, fennel, and grapefruit was a perfect match for 2006 Chardonnay Reserve.


6. Juniper-crusted Elk venison, sweet potato, blackcurrants and a blackcurrant-pinot noir jus was served with another sneak-preview wine, the new 2006 Pinot Noir (to be released February 2008).


7. Riesling poached pears, toasted macadamia and sticky toffee was accompanied by Seresin's 2004 Noble Riesling.

Jason is Executive Chef at Blanket Bay, which, earlier this year received accolades from Conde Nast Traveller magazine; awarded the ‘Best Hotel for Food in the Australasia and South Pacific Region’. Jason’s has just released a solo cookbook, ‘SAVVY’ featuring recipes for some of the dishes mentioned above.

If you want to know more about Waterfall Bay Dinners planned for 2008, please email Jan Whillans or phone +643 572 9408.

Photographs from Bill Floyd used with thanks.

Jason Dell serving dukkah lamb croutons to Seresin's Assistant Winemaker Carlos Ortega-Orgiles, pictured here with his parents Orgi and Maria-Louisa, visiting Marlborough for the first time from Spain.

Guests visiting from Christchurch for the New Release Dinner (from left) Dr Nigel and Wendy Gilchrist, Shelley and Brian McCauley. Service (with a smile) from Clare Burton and Kara Guilford.

Waterfall Bay February 2008

We are very excited to announce that Brad Farmerie will be our guest chef for the 2008 February Dining Series at Waterfall Bay. Brad is the chef behind the celebrated PUBLIC restaurant in New York and serves a style of cuisine described by Peter Gordon as “the magpie approach to food, a free spirited fusion of international flavours”.

Brad moved to the UK in 1996 to work under some of the most influential chefs shaping the culinary revolution taking place in Britain. He obtained the 'Grande Diplome' at Le Cordon Bleu and then worked at such acclaimed restaurants as Coast, Chez Nico and Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons. Most influential to his own style was his experience working with Peter Gordon at The Providores and Tapa Room. Brad has travelled extensively throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa and Southeast Asia resulting in his creative, global style of cuisine that New York magazine has described as "free spirited fusion" and a menu that the New York Times raves "swings for the fences with each and every dish".

The dining series coincides with the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival. Dinners will be held on Friday 8th, Saturday 9th, Sunday 10th and Monday 11th February with lunches on Sunday 10th and Monday 11th.

Tickets are $265 per person (incl. GST) including return boat travel from Picton, and a five course wine and dinner match. For reservations contact Jan Whillans: jan@seresin.co.nz, (03) 572 9408

Phone 139M

In the 1950's and 60's, Waterfall Bay was run as a holiday campground by the Burdekin family and, before them, the Millsons.

The leaflet shown here was given to us by Olive Burdekin who believes it was produced in the mid 50's.

Not only what the leaflet says, but also how it is said, gives a lovely feeling for New Zealand in that era.

While a lot has changed since then, Waterfall Bay remains a magical and much treasured place. To paraphrase; we ourselves feel it deeply and like it well.

>> Click on the picture of the leaflet to get a bigger, readable image.