Feijoas help make NZ foodie hotspot

Saveur has labelled New Zealand as the place to go to next, ahead of runners-up Santorini, Greece and Osaka, Japan.

Our juicy feijoas and tasty bluff oysters have earned New Zealand the title of the next go-to foodie destination in a prominent US-based foodie magazine.

Saveur has labelled New Zealand as the place to go to next, ahead of runners-up Santorini, Greece and Osaka, Japan.

"While it's always lured tourists with its unreal scenery, New Zealand's incredible biodiversity - and ingredients like feijoa fruit and bluff oysters - are fuelling up-and-coming food scenes in Kiwi wine destinations like Hawkes Bay and Waiheke Island," the magazine said.

Hospitality NZ's Auckland branch president Kevin Schwass said he knew New Zealand's oysters were quite popular but was surprised to see feijoas on the list.

Nevertheless he said it was good to have a point of difference from other foodie nations.

"This certainly sets us apart," he said.

Mr Schwass credited New Zealand's success as a foodie destination in large part to the diversity it offered.

"We are able to glean so much from others and blend it into one." He said our wines, in particular our sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, were also right up there with some of the best in the world.

"Most menus around the world have a New Zealand wine on it," he said.

"We aren't new-world anymore."

As another sign of the growing prowess of our wines, Central Otago, Hawkes Bay and Marlborough were also listed in the upcoming edition of Lonely Planet's Wine Trails.

Katy Jameson, marketing manager at Cable Bay Vineyards, which had its restaurant in the Metro Top 50 restaurants 2015, said it was exciting to see the rest of the world recognise New Zealand.

"What epitomises the country's finest cuisine is the quality and integrity of locally grown ingredients."

Tourism New Zealand's director of marketing, Andrew Fraser, said the country's restaurant scene had benefited in recent years from a number of top-quality chefs.

"The growing interest from international visitors to experience our unique food and wine will provide further opportunities for industry to develop unique experiences."