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In a truly civilised world food shopping wouldn't be all about dashing up a crowded aisle pushing a trolley. We'd take time to stop and savour what's on offer. So while you might not get far asking to sample the goods at your local supermarket, at the Prenzel Tasting Room in Kumeu, west Auckland, customers are encouraged to nibble their way around the store, tasting glass in hand.
It's the perfect stop-off point for anyone heading to Muriwai beach or Woodhill Forest for a posh picnic, or just foodies in search of glorious new options.
Many of the gourmet products on offer come from the Blenheim-based Prenzel Distillery Company, established in the late 80s, and now famous for its range of fruit brandies, schnapps, flavoured oils, vinaigrettes and more.
There are Prenzel Tasting Rooms dotted around the country and at Kumeu, owner Mike Elsom likes to greet his customers with a shot glass of his signature drink, the outrageously good Rigid Richard - butterscotch schnapps topped with butterscotch cream.
Breads await on the counter ready to be dipped in olive and rice bran oils infused with things like lemon, butter, chilli, garlic or rosemary. And then there are the cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc vinaigrettes endorsed by celebrity chef Peta Mathias and created using the "Orleans" method. Instead of being manufactured over a few days in stainless steel vats like most commercial vinegars, they're matured the traditional way in oak barrels over three or four years. The result is a pure vinegar with a complex, layered flavour with no artificial colours or flavours.
Other chef's treats include the Prenzel Red and White Vincons, wine concentrates for flavouring sauces and soups in busy restaurants. Vincon is non-alcoholic (so the chef won't be tempted to swig it on the sly!), adds flavour without extra liquid and is far less costly than wine.
In colder months the Mulled Wine Mixer goes down a treat. With citrus flavours and a hint of brown sugar, a bottle of the concentrate makes three litres of comforting warm mulled wine. And for those coming warmer days there's a new Summer Wine Punch Mixer, a fusion of white wine, mango, raspberry, melon, cantaloupe and pomegranate. Serve over ice and fruit for the perfect barbecue cocktail.
Elsom, a former secondary school teacher, is passionate about boutique New Zealand food products, stocking his Tasting Room with all sorts of hard-to-find gourmet gems such as the Provisions range of preserves from Cromwell, Puhoi's Mustardmakers products and award-wining Bay of Islands Lemon Z limoncello.
"I think of this as a fine food and liquor store - a place you can come to find things that are a little different," he enthuses.
Prenzel was founded originally by a Marlborough visitor from Alsace in eastern France where small mobile stills have been a traditional part of village life for many generations. He fancied the plentiful Marlborough fruit would be perfect distilled into fruit brandy. Pear William brandy was one of Prenzel's first distillations and went on to win international awards.
Elsom is keeping the French tradition going. He has a liquor manufacturing licence and keeps a small still in the corner of his Kumeu store.
"Sometimes I put it out in the carpark and make a little bit of brandy from Kumeu strawberries. It's not the sort of thing you'd want to drink an entire bottle of," he chuckles, "but it's great sipped with coffee after a good dinner.
Prenzel Kumeu,
325 State Highway 16, Huapai, Auckland
Ph: (09) 412 7550
- Detours, HoS
