Winter F.A.W.C! Fine wines accompany dish to savour

Beef carpaccio, goat's cheese panna cotta, crispy capers, drunken mushrooms and rocket leaves.

June heralds the beginning of winter but that's no reason to stay indoors, because Winter F.A.W.C! is back and, along with it, F.A.W.C! by 5.

From this Friday until July 9 you can dine your way around Hawke's Bay with spectacular deals from some of the region's top restaurants, cafes and bars.

FAWC! by 5 is all about food, wine and excellent value for money with menu selections in $5 offerings.

So grab some friends and make a date to enjoy some delicious food, wine and beer at one of the participating venues.

I will be previewing some of the meals so you know what you have to look forward to.

Church Road Winery
150 Church Rd, Taradale

Beef carpaccio and a glass of Road Reserve Syrah, $30

Excellent food is even better when it's accompanied by top-class, friendly service.
We had the pleasure of being looked after by the same two staff members at Church Road Winery as we did at last year's F.A.W.C! by 5.

Restaurant Manager for Dish at Church Road, Jenna, was our waitress and Daphne the wine expert.

Before we ate, we tried a couple of wines. Daphne said that rosé had enjoyed an amazing comeback in the past couple of years.

"Our rosé is stunning and made from premium red fruit. It's great when you are hosting people at home and are busy.

"You can have a little sip, then park it. Doesn't matter if it gets a little warm or sits for ages, it still tastes great.

"We get lots of women asking to taste and we call it Brosso for the men," Daphne said with a laugh.

It was lovely and delicate - really nice. We also had some bubbly, which was divine. Only available at the cellar door, the Blanc de Noirs is made from red grapes with the skin taken off - what's called white on black - to produce a stunning white bottle of delicious bubbles.

Then it was food time. Jenna told us the entree dish had been a popular choice on the menu when Dish Catering opened Red Barrel in Havelock North in summer.

"So we decided to bring it back for F.A.W.C! by 5. We had a great response to last year's dish.

"F.A.W.C! is a fantastic event for Hawke's Bay."

Beautifully presented, this year's dish is beef carpaccio, goat's cheese panna cotta, crispy capers, drunken mushrooms and rocket leaves.

The flavours and textures in this dish made for mouthfuls of delight. The dried capers were crispy and salty against the smooth creamy goat's cheese panna cotta. The meat was cut into delicate strips and was subtle.

The mushrooms were packed with flavour and the rocket leaves added a refreshing taste to a wonderful dish. We also had crispy potatoes with a tabasco sauce and one of the yummiest slaws I've had. The red cabbage slaw with sesame dressing was fresh, crunchy, colourful and tasty.

Often slaws are so heavily dressed you can't taste anything else. This one was lightly dressed, allowing the vegetables to shine. The potatoes delivered the promised crunch.
Daphne brought us a glass of Church Road Grand Reserve Syrah.

Smooth, with bold flavours, it was so nice we couldn't resist buying a bottle to take home.
As part of Winter F.A.W.C! Church Road is hosting a Canapés and Tom Tasting. It's sold out but Daphne told us Tom is the winery's top tier of wine.

"It's only made from the best of the best grapes. It's been made two years in a row now, which is amazing."

I love the ambience of Church Road. The huge space filled with wine barrels, the tables tucked away here and there with the soft glow of candles - it has a warm and friendly feel to it.

*To book, phone 06 833 8234.