An Amisfield Afternoon
the most stunning afternoon light
fresh crusty bread and delicious white bait
white bait and Lake Hayes pinot gris
lovely inside and out
the BEST risotto I have ever tasted!
late afternoon light on the mountains + Amisfield rose
All photos by Natalie Hayllar {eat read love}
EAT: Just found these photos from a trip to Queenstown in NZ late 2011 and thought I would share. An afternoon spent at Amisfield vineyard with friends was something I will remember forever. Amisfield Winery and Bistro is in Pisa, Central Otago about 15min drive from Queenstown. The restaurant is housed in a beautiful historic church building, surrounded by vineyards, mountains and Lake Hayes. Recommended to me on twitter and some other NZ locals, I thought we should try for an early dinner on our first night in Queenstown. It was a very good decision to indulge in the famous 'trust the chef' set menu, a selection of share plates. Being with fellow 'foodies' meant we spent the afternoon discussing the produce, the ingredients and the menu and trying everything with perfectly matched local wines. The standout dishes for me were the crusty organic sourdough, crispy west coast white bait, fresh ripe tomato salad and the best risotto I have ever tasted, seriously!
After dinner we played Boules into the evening sipping on 2011 Amisfield Rose and taking in the magical view and the late afternoon sun setting on the mountains, reflecting a perfect pink hue across the entire vineyard (and given it doesn't get dark until about 10pm it felt much earlier than it really was). I hope you get a sense of the relaxed and beautiful surroundings from these pictures, and next time you are in NZ be sure to add this hidden gem to your 'must do' list. A great little find!
I also just found the Amisfield Blog online too, if you are interested in NZ wine making and the surrounding areas.