Camping it up on a culinary Kiwi tour

People go to New Zealand for lots of reasons: the outstanding scenery; the skiing in the South Island; the beaches in the North; the delusion that they're going to encounter a hobbit. But there was one thing that no one, ever, went for - the food. Until recently, if you had asked for Kiwi cuisine you would probably have been served a sloppy shepherd's pie or a throat-laceratingly dry roast. Any local could tell you that there were 10 times more sheep than people on the two islands, but that didn't mean they knew how to cook them.Thanks partly to its wine boom, and partly to a generation of Kiwis with well-travelled tastebuds, New Zealand has begun to realise its own potential, from its wealth of seafood to its locally reared farm produce. My friend Matthew and I have arrived for a two-week road trip with a simple plan: to spend a week exploring the local flavours before attempting to recreate them ourselves.

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Roll out the red carpet and a limo for tour of wineries

Limousines and wine are synonymous with romance. And at the lake, residents can couple these for a romantic afternoon of wine tasting in Bedford County.

"We are the official limousine service of the Bedford Wine Trail," said Elizabeth Harrington, who co-owns Premier Limousine Service with her husband Doug.

In the office, the Harringtons have dedicated a room to the five wineries in Bedford County. The staff has visited each winery, collecting brochures, taking photographs and compiling a variety of display bottles for their wine room.

"We sit down with you, and we customize the packages," said Elizabeth Harrington. "For three hours, you could see two or three vineyards. It just depends on what you want to do."

To conserve time, she suggested those interested in taking the tour by limo meet at a central location to be picked up by the chauffeur. Harrington also contacts the wineries before the visit to let the owners know who will be coming by for a tasting.

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A musical party welcomes the new Cetrella

Cetrella restaurant in Half Moon Bay has a new look and a new feel, and Coastsiders can come take a look Thursday, Jan. 24.

After a major overhaul, which Cetrella music director Michael O'Neill characterized as "a complete gutting," Cetrella is back with a grand opening that will present noted jazz singer Kim Nalley and a drive to help local nonprofits.

Gone is the bistro feel of its inception, replaced by coastal accents, said advertising and marketing manager Jennifer Kyriakakis.

"We're getting away from the bistro and café feel and toward a more elegant dining feel," she said.

The changes will be lauded Thursday, Jan. 24, with a party from 6 to 8 p.m. with champagne, wine and appetizers.

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London restaurant learns the risk of selling old, expensive wine

Anyone who spends the price of a new car on a single bottle of wine deserves the best _ but a connoisseur at a Michelin-starred restaurant recently found his fancy vintage to be sub-par, and possibly a fake. It happened at London's Zafferano restaurant when a regular customer ordered an 18,000 pound (US$35,000, euro24,000) magnum of 1961 Petrus wine last month. But when the cork was removed, it was not stamped with the standard mark proving where and when it had been made. The customer said "`This could be a fake'," said general manager Enzo Cassini. At Cassini's request, Corney & Barrow, an upmarket wine bar chain in London that acts as agents for Petrus, later examined the rejected bottle. "We think it's genuine, but it's impossible to confirm because neither we or the chateau have records going back pre-1964," said Adam Brett-Smith, the chain's managing director.

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Wine grape harvest up slightly for 2007

BERKELEY, Calif. -- The California wine harvest came in at normal levels for a second year in a row in 2007, and brokers say the industry is heading back into balance after the curve thrown by 2005's bumper crop.

Preliminary figures released by state agriculture officials Friday showed the overall grape crop, including table grapes and raisins, totaled nearly 3.7 million tons in 2007, up 5 percent from the year before.

Looking at just wine grapes, the increase was smaller, 3.2 million tons in 2007 vs. 3.1 million tons in 2006.

The 2007 total is "probably right where we need to be," said John Ciatti, of San Rafael-based Ciatti Company Wine & Grape Brokers. "It feels much better out there."

Prices to growers in 2007 dropped, decreasing about 2 percent for red wine varieties and 4 percent for white, which Ciatti said reflects the industry working through '05 inventory.

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Case Studies

Light herb, citrus and a hint of stone. (Grape Expectations)

Viu Manent 2006 Sauvignon Blanc; $6. From Chile's Colchagua Valley come many fine sauvignon blancs, but few as cheap as this. Bone dry and grassy, it's not for those who like their sauv blancs to taste more like chardonnay. But it is clean as a whistle, with lovely dried grass and herb qualities that linger through the finish. (Grape Expectations)

Oak Grove 2006 Viognier; $7. I don't believe a decently made viognier has ever hit this price point, but this California offering shows genuine varietal character and enough concentration to warrant some attention. Scents of lemon oil, sweet nut skin and citrus follow through in the mouth. There's a little bit of heat to it, but overall it's nicely balanced.


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Mark your calendar:

Mark your calendar: Gordon Lightfoot, Masquerade Ball

Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 1 at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines. The balladeer weaves tales of love and longing in eloquent musical masterpieces that have become enduring standards. Tickets cost $42.50-$52.50, on sale Friday, available at the Civic Center ticket office or through Ticketmaster.



An Evening of Reflections

The Greater Iowa Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association will host An Evening of Reflections from 6 to 10 p.m. March 15 at the Scottish Rite Consistory, 519 Park Ave. It features music by MidLife Crisis, plus art and food. Local artists will showcase decorated mirrors. These mirrors as well as gift baskets, wine, dinners and more will be offered during live and silent auctions. Local restaurants, wineries and other food enterprises will have with samples.

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Your Easy Guide to Washington Wines

You can find Wine Trails (which costs $19.95) at Elliott Bay Book Co., the downtown Barnes & Noble, select QFC stores, Capers in West Seattle and Fremont, Verve Wine Bar in Columbia City, and the Chateau Ste. Michelle tasting room. You can also buy the book directly from the author at www.winetrailsnw.com. Keep it in the car, next to your 100 Hikes books, and never be thirsty on the road again.
mdutton@seattleweekly.com

Wash. wine industry worth $3B to state

YAKIMA, Wash. ” The good news keeps coming for Washington's grape growers and winemakers: A new study shows the industry contributed $3 billion to the state's economy in 2006.

Industry leaders say the report released Thursday confirms that the state's wine industry is leading to increased visibility for Washington's wines and driving efforts to tout the state as a tourism destination.

"One of the important messages is the fact that we need to routinely measure ourselves and stand up and be counted," said Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers. "Without this kind of proof of our economic impact to the state, it's difficult to continue growing."

Washington's wine industry has exploded in the past two decades, from fewer than 20 wineries in 1981 to more than 500 today.


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