The Wine Party of the Season - Ash Ridge’s 2024 Bordeaux Bash
And what a party it was! On July 12th we held our first ever Bordeaux Bash at the beautiful St Georges Restaurant in Havelock North. It was an evening of true decadence, with time spent tasting thoughtfully crafted wines that showcase the best of Hawke’s Bay and Bordeaux, and savouring equally impressive dishes.
Chef Francky and Leith pulled out all the stops and truly curated a pairing menu that was harmonious, with the flavours, aromas, and textures of both the food and the wine complementing each other perfectly. The night's menu was a true reflection of both businesses philosophy — real food and wine tastes better — which means every dish and bottle curated has an emphasis on fresh ingredients, sustainable practices, unwavering quality & local provenance.
The first course paid homage to the ever so important varietal Sauvignon Blanc. Here attendees sampled a vertical tasting flight of three wines of varying ages: Junction 2010 Free Run Sauvignon Blanc, Chateau du Seuil 2022 Graves Blanc, and our 2023 Ash Ridge Estate Sauvignon Blanc. It was impressive to see both the regional and vintage differences amongst the flight; not very often does one get to try a Sauvignon Blanc that is 14 years old! And the Chateau du Seuil 2022 Graves Blanc was certainly a crowd pleaser, with it being remarkably smooth and flagrant.
The Sauvignon Blancs were paired perfectly with three bite size horderves; crispy chicken, prawn jelly, and tempura pickled turnips and were the perfect start to the night's pairings menu:
- Pork Cheek with apple puree and cider jus paired with our 2021 Estate Merlot
- Crusted Salmon with beetroot and red wine jus paired with our 2021 Premium Malbec merlot Cabernet Sauvignon
- Beef Fillet topped with slow cooked brisket, potato press and sauteed carrots paired with our 2021 Premium Cabernet Sauvignon.
Dessert was amongst the favourite pairings of the night where our palates were delighted with two beautiful dessert wines–The Winston NV Ruby Syrah and Junction’s 2009 Late Charge–and a caramel tart accompanied by raspberry sorbet and a chocolate mousse. It was during this late night aperitif that Leith and John entertained everyone with plenty of rugby and wine stories, but more importantly, about the history of honey mead…
Our 2024 Bordeaux Bash was a night that will most certainly be remembered and is an event collaboration that will hopefully continue for years to come, as it is an event that not only celebrates the best of the bay, but also our spectacular wine club members. If you are interested in learning about how to become a wine club member or are interested in attending more wine events such as these, visit our club membership page on our website or give us a call. For our current members and especially those who came out for the day (we hope that you truly enjoyed yourself as much as we did. Keep an eye out for our upcoming wine events: a meet and greet in Auckland and our Salute to Sparkling! More details will be headed your way soon.