Portino Pop-Up
Little Kiwi wine brand, Squealing Pig, strive to do things differently. "Conformity is dull," they say. Sydney restauranteurs Ben Milgate and Elvin Abrahanowicz also like to keep people guessing. Together, they will be heating things up at Silo Park with a delicious pop up event next Thursday. Cooking around a traditional fire pit, Ben and Elvis will show off their flare for Argentinian-style food, including slowly cooking a pig, circling the meat around the heat for eight hours. They will also dish up green-lip mussels in chili and black bean, king salmon pastrami, crispy fried Brussels sprouts and grilled eggplant. The feast will be matched with Squealing Pig wines. Tickets to the event cost $150 and are available here.
Stoneleigh reveal limited early release wines
Stoneleigh celebrated the release of their Nature's Collection this week with a stunning five-course lunch served to guests in a harbourside penthouse apartment. The range includes four wines - Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Rosé, all from the 2014 vintage. Stoneleigh winemaker Jamie Marfell says the range shows off the purity of Marlborough. "Nature gives us our incredible fruit that is bursting with flavour and vibrancy ... We've explored different winemaking techniques that enhance these flavours, creating unique wines unlike anything we've crafted before." The nature theme is continued through the labels, each illustrated with one of New Zealand's natural wonders - flora, fauna, forest and coastline. The limited release Stoneleigh Nature's Collection is available now for $17.99 a bottle. (p.s The rose is our pick of the bunch!)
North Shores gets a taste of Spain
In what promises to be the "most authentic Spanish bar in New Zealand" Pepitos is a welcome addition to the hungry North Shore dining scene. We headed to the grand opening of the rustic eatery in Milford this week, took a seat at one of the unique barrel top tables with our foodie friends and made our way through most of the pintos that passed by. Pepitos brought back fond memories of the bustling pintos bars of Barcelona, with a live Spanish band strumming in the corner and all food and wine imported by passionate owner, Jose, straight from his homeland. Jose encourages patrons to select a vino from the bar (we fell in love with the gorgeous Terreta Rose) and perfect "the art of eating standing up" with one of the cold tapas that comes with your beverage. There's also a small selection of seasonal warm tapas on the menu - the crispy calamares a la Andaluza is our pick. Although, we'll have to come back - Jose tells us the eye fillet slider-sized sandwich with green pepper mayo is his signature dish - "Pepito" means steak in Spanish. Check out their website here.
