Comfortable partnership a perfect match

Church Road winemaker Chris Scott and Dish Catering chef Jenny Parton have created an innovative wine/dine partnership for the summer. Photo / Supplied

Dish Catering's owner and executive chef Jenny Parton has worked with the Church Road Winery crew at several private functions through the years but this summer will be putting in a lot more time there.

She and chief winemaker Chris Scott have set up a dining and sipping partnership for the Hawke's Bay summer months, with a new menu set to be accompanied by the best-matched wines as picked by Mr Scott.

It was the past occasions she had worked with the winery which helped spark the new food and wine pairing.

"We have been catering for their private functions for some years, so we have developed a style of cuisine that matches perfectly with Church Road wines," Ms Parton said.

Mr Scott said the summer timing was right and was also looking forward to it.

"Great wine is all about occasion and creating memorable experiences," he said.

"That's best achieved with good company, outstanding food and it's even better if that experience is created in the place where the wine is made."

He said the team at the Greenmeadows-based winery had worked in with Dish Catering to create what he described as a menu which enhanced the character, complexity and texture of Church Road wines.

"The desire was to create a unique style of dining with a real focus on wine and food pairing."

He said the summer menu would be presented as sharing plates which would encourage a relaxed but high quality dining experience.

Ms Parton said she had gone for food which was "vibrant and flavourful" and with an emphasis on Hawke's Bay-sourced artisan products.

She said the menu, which includes dishes like seared tuna, apple fennel salad, pea dill dressing and preserved lemon aioli matched with Church Road Grand Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2011 and pork belly pancake, crispy soy poached pork with hoisen sauce and Asian salad with Church Road Pinot Gris 2013, reflected the winery's production philosophy of combining traditional influences with innovative flair.

The Church Road Winery Cellar Door and Restaurant opens on November 18 and will run until late March 2014.