May 26 marks International Chardonnay Day. Artisan winemaker Tony Bish is known in the industry as "The Chardonnay Man". He is the owner of Tony Bish Wines and The Urban Winery in Napier - the latter has now been open for nearly five years and in this time has evolved into a wonderful space to taste wines and craft beers, accompanied by a fantastic tapas-style menu and great service.
Bish says: "Our music performances have been amazing, and we have live music every Friday and Saturday night, providing a brilliant dance environment for people of all ages."
With another vintage safely tucked away in Bish's signature concrete eggs and barrels, the wine aficionado had some time to share with us some of his home culinary habits.
My kitchen at home is... Epic, with incredible sea views. We just finished building in Mahia last spring, so it's lovely being in a custom-built new kitchen. It features a massive handmade elm island with dovetail waterfall ends, by Emil Baer. It's beauty was such we made no intrusions, preferring to place the sink into the working section side of the galley. We have a Miele induction hob with downdraft extraction. Love this style, as I have never found hood extraction attractive or fun to clean, and the Miele extraction works great. Electrolux oven, F&P French double-door fridge, Rocket Apartmento Espresso machine and a functional scullery.
Some things you'll always find in my fridge... Wine and cheese. And butter. Lots of butter.
Some of my pantry staples are... Good dried pasta. We are a long way from a supermarket at Mahia. Vetro have a great range. Gin, because it's close to the ice and chilled tonic. Spices and spicy sauces, 'cause I like it hot!
My favourite ingredient to cook with is... Garlic and onions - the basis of most of my cooking.
The kind of dishes I most love to make are... fresh, seasonal, lots of seafood, veges and herbs from the garden.
My go-to meal in a hurry is... Panfried tarakihi or snapper in butter with a salsa and salad made with whatever is in the fridge.
If friends stop by unexpectedly I make...A cheese platter of yummy things, then grill some meat on our outdoor Flare fireplace. Most people haven't had ember-cooked meat in a while, and it's a reminder that gas may be convenient but nothing is as good as wood embers.
My choice of drink is... Chardonnay, hands down. It's my great love in wine, and at Tony Bish Wines we make wines exclusively from chardonnay, the king of white grapes. We have an awesome selection of other great HB reds and Italian reds, and there's always bubbles in the beer fridge.
I cook at home... Most often, but when in town (Napier) we love our local restaurants.
My favourite place it eat right now is... Hunger Monger on Marine Parade - a seafood-focused menu, relaxed vibe and very personal service.
The kitchen gadget everyone should own is... A juice extractor. We juice vegetables and fruit at least five days a week. Offsets the wine intake…
My food philosophy is... Just do it. There's nothing I won't try, and Google makes recipes so accessible. I always match wine, and that's so much fun, and it's such a pleasure when it really synchronises. Food is a very important part of the Bish family dynamic, I relish the time spent cooking and enjoying meals with my four adult children, who have inherited my passion for food and wine.
Urban Winery, 3 Ossian St, Ahuriri, Napier. Website: theurbanwinery.co.nz
