Prepare your palate for a month of gourmet burgers and Champagne.
In a fusion of global luxury and local flavour, renowned Champagne House Veuve Clicquot is set to shake up the landscape of food and wine pairing in Aotearoa this spring. Running for four weeks from October 18, the Veuve Clicquot Burger Challenge involves an estimated 24 restaurants across the country tasked with crafting a unique burger that pairs to perfection with Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. From classic to daring, these creations will cater to a diverse range of tastes, ensuring there’s a burger for every palate.
Veuve Clicquot’s rich heritage dates back some 250 years but it was a 1964 advertisement in The New Yorker, depicting a Veuve Clicquot bottle next to a classic burger, that this new challenge drew its inspiration from. Champagne and burgers, once considered an unconventional match, have evolved and the Veuve Clicquot Burger Challenge underscores the notion that luxury can be found in simple pleasures — a symbiotic meeting of accessible and aspirational.
Now chefs across New Zealand are reimagining the pairing, each infusing it with their own distinctive twist.
Take Auckland’s Bar Celeste offering — chef Nick Landsman has come up with a burger that owes a firm nod to his go-to burger order of a Filet-O-Fish, but with all the sophistication punters have come to expect from this K Road stalwart. The Filet O’ Market Fish is an uber-classy take on an iconic and beloved fast food classic, using great-quality ingredients, chef techniques and house-made sauces. The perfectly balanced fried fish sandwich with tangy tartare sauce, watercress and Swiss cheese on a steamed bun is beautifully aligned with the strength, aromatic intensity, freshness and silkiness of Veuve Clicquot’s Yellow Label Brut.
Down at Auckland’s Viaduct, Oyster & Chop, too, have stayed with the seafood theme with their burger celebrating one of the greatest stories of Māori literature — the fishing up of the North Island by Māui and his brothers. Their take on the classic fish burger involves a soft milk bun filled with iceberg lettuce, tomato and OC burger sauce accompanied by a burger patty comprising snapper (tāmure) and scampi (koura rangi). A couple of crispy crumbed oysters (tio) on top and you have a burger perfectly paird to the fresh notes of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut.
Milenta, the much-raved about South American-inspired, open-fire restaurant in Victoria Park Market, has gone the meat route with their offering, taking inspiration from the traditional Argentinian “Choridog”, using wood fire as the main element for smoking and cooking. House smoked and grilled spicy Argentinian chorizo on a grilled bun with chimichurri pico de gallo, smoked aged cheddar, black garlic and miso mayo and fried shallots are cut through and counterbalanced beautifully by the effervescence and vibrant acidity of the champagne.
With participants spanning from Auckland to Dunedin and all the main hubs in between, and options from prawn to wagyu to venison, there’s a burger match waiting for you wherever you go. Your support of your favourite will go towards finding a winner of the challenge. Head to Clicquotburgerchallenge.co.nz to vote for your favourite creation and the venue could be in to win a prize valued at $5000 for the most votes.
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Advertise with NZME.What makes this challenge especially enticing, aside from the epicureanism that awaits discerning palates, is the heartening support of an international luxury heritage brand for some of New Zealand’s beloved neighbourhood eateries. The elegance of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label meeting the creativity of New Zealand’s finest chefs is indeed something to be celebrated. So enjoy the moment, indulge your senses, and cast your vote for the most extraordinary burger and Champagne pairing in New Zealand.
Find the full list of participating eateries, and cast your vote at Clicquotburgerchallenge.co.nz to make sure your favourite comes out on top. Bon appetit.
