KEY POINTS:
The Kumeu Heritage Wine Festival begins its fortnightly run this weekend with a host of events planned at the area's wineries. Just 20 minutes - on a good day - from Auckland, Kumeu is a well established wine-growing area and its vintners are ready to share their knowledge
at tastings, where the emphasis will be on fun.
First up is the Wine Options Evening at Soljans Estate this Saturday where a blind team-tasting will be held of six local wines and one mystery wine with a quiz about age and variety and some local trivia questions too. An Antiques Wine Road Show (just like the TV show - dust off your bottles and memorabilia for an expert assessment) is on the festival programme's final day and vineyards participating in a host of other events include Kumeu River Winery, Lincoln Wines, West Brook Winery, Matua Valley Wines, Kerr Farm Vineyard, and Coopers Creek Vineyard.
Local eateries will also be cooking up a storm and sessions will be held on topics including food and wine matching. The Kumeu Wine Country Heritage Case will also be available for purchase at all of the events and winery outlets throughout the Kumeu Wine Country.
To find out more about the festival go to the events section at kumeuwinecountry.co.nz
Inner westie
Westmere espresso bar Garnet Station is winning friends with its Chiasso coffee, organic and gluten-free cakes and fresh pain au chocolat each morning. Open nearly a month, the cafe in a character bungalow also serves Russian samovar tea and hot chocolate made with 72 per cent dark Ghana, pounded cardamom and fresh orange zest. And there's a selection of kitchen-ware and ceramics on sale. Garnet Station is open Wednesday to Friday from 7.30am to 3pm, Saturday from 8am to 4pm and Sunday 9am to 2pm.
Doubly good
The Langham's Partingtons was named restaurant of the year for a second time at the New Zealand Culinary Fare. This hands-on cook-off from a box of mystery ingredients involves 1000 competitors. It tests the skills of chefs and waiting staff outside their normal environments.
The Partingtons team was chef de cuisine Kirk McLean, chef de partie Ronesh Chandra and restaurant supervisor Mauricio Brunelli.
Off to London
Wellington bartender Lisandro Walfisch from PBRS Bar will represent New Zealand at next month's World Flair Championships in London.
He picked up the New Zealand title this month, showing smooth skills in mixing and mingling. Second place went to Duncan Crilley of Astrolab Bar, Tauranga and third place to Beany C of Auckland's Sixth Sense Bar.
Seal of approval
Sometimes vinegar and wine do mix, but just make sure it's wine vinegar, not vinegar wine. Foodie Peta Mathias is so enthusiastic about the former product from Prenzel that she's endorsed it, saying: "Anyone can make flavoured vinegar, but only one outfit in New Zealand can make proper aged vinegar according to the 'Orleans' method."
That method apparently involves using an old French technique that produces a deeply layered flavour suitable for vinaigrettes and marinades and adding to sauces or as a change from balsamic.
Now you can buy Prenzel gourmet vinegars by Peta Mathias in either sauvignon blanc or cabernet sauvignon varieties. Prenzel has tastings rooms in Whitford and Kumeu and can be found online at www.prenzel.com
Guilt-free snacks
Little children love chicken nuggets, and parents often worry they're serving up fatty fillers. But the Ingham Tempura Nuggets version now has the National Heart Foundation tick. They're also reduced salt, and made with no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. Available at supermarkets nationwide.
The new Sunday
Many bemoan the death of the Sunday family lunch, but research in Britain shows that Friday night is now often the favoured family meal time. It may be a meeting over takeaways, but at least it's time together.
Sunday, though, is out of fashion for sit-down dinners, with just 10 per cent of Brits regularly lunching as a family, whereas Friday is becoming the preferred time to catch up with the household gossip by reviewing the week past and planning weekend activities together.
