EVENT || Cloudy Bay First of the Season

Images captured by Nikki To 

Each year, on the 1^st of October the widely acclaimed and internationally renowned New Zealand vineyard ‘Cloudy Bay’ launches their latest drop of Sauvignon Blanc. In true Marlborough fashion this season's Sauvignon Blanc absolutely overshot the competitor benchmark and is one to be proud of!

The usual characteristic of a ‘Cloudy Bay’ Sauvignon Blanc was truly apparent within the new wine; a fine structure layered with vibrant citrus and stone fruit flavors giving the wine a sense of crispness and delicacy, with a lovely acidic note to finish.

With the first of the season wines poured, Jim White (Cloudy Bay viticulturist) in collaboration with Hotel Centennial Woollahra, took us on a tour through the sensory garden which had been created for us to delve deeper into the individual elements and aromas working together to create the wine in hand.

Handfuls of kaffir lime leaves, aromas of peaches and plums, lemongrass concoctions and juices of blood oranges were all a part of the enchanting aromatic ‘garden’. Once the fragrances were taken in, sip-by-sip the individual layers of the wine began to emerge.

And we all know there is nothing more satisfying than a glass of wine accompanied by its perfectly matched dish. Head chef Justin North of Hotel Centennial took on the task of matching not only each individual aroma but the ‘Cloudy Bay’ wine in its entirety. 

The menu was an accumulation of complementary flavors from crab brioche and prosciutto with golden peaches, to Cloudy Bay clams with a Vietnamese dressing and snapper with fennel and ginger puree. Each dish was seasonally inspired and aimed at showcasing the quality of our local produce to complement the 2015 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

After being one of the lucky few to sample one of the actual first drops of the 31^st vintage of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon I think an enormous ‘Cheers!’ is in order for all the makers, creators and collaborators within and associated with Cloudy Bay. A perfect match for your next summertime summertime picnic perhaps. 

Words by Kaitlin Gordon - Eat, Read, Love contributor