Issue 21 2012.pdf - New Zealand Corporate Traveller Magazine

queenstown feature
WILD EARTH – WILD FOODS
FOR QUINTIN QUIDER – international award-winning
Central Otago winemaker – wine on its own is like one
hand clapping. “Wine is the vehicle for entertaining”
he says. Wine becomes complete when matched
to perfection with food and for that reason, “Wild
Earthwines are made for food”, he says.
But it must be “wild food”. This former Californian
and Stewart Island diver and fi sherman specialises
in catching his own fi sh, hunting his own game and
harvesting his own produce and using them to create
dishes that are exquisitely matched to the very best
of his wines. That perfect match isn’t achieved
serendipitously. Each year Wild Earth winemaker Peter
Bartle identifi es the precise component fl avours in each
vintage. Quintin’s task is to fi nd matching foods, create
recipes and fi nally cook the foods to the exact piquancy
to complement the wine.
EICHARDT’S
EICHARDT’S PRIVATE HOTEL hosts fi ve luxurious Hotel Suites and four Lakefront
Apartments on a premium lakefront position at the heart of Queenstown’s café and
restaurant precinct with some of the fi nest international shopping labels an easy stroll
away.
Named in the ‘Top 8 hotels in the world’ by Tatler in its 2012 Travel Guide, the Hotel
refl ects contemporary provincial elegance, its modern features in perfect harmony with
distinctive antiques and luxurious furnishings. The Lakefront Apartments, just a few paces
away, offer stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and nearby mountain ranges.
Rated number #1 on Tripadvisor and named as one of the top 10 bars in the world with a
view, Queenstown’s premier lakefront address offers a welcoming and stylish environment
for sampling mouth-watering creations and timeless cocktails. Eichardt’s Bar oozes the
warmth, comfort and style of this beautiful old hotel with amazing views of the lake and
surrounding mountains. Visit eichardtshotel.co.nz
38 nzcorporatetraveller ISSUE 21
Quider has also invented a new form of barbecue in a
wine barrel that he uses to cook everything including
roasts.
Some 90% of the Wild Earth output is Pinot Noir with
production concentrated into an average 5 tonnes
of grapes per hectare. The 2006 vintage was judged
Best Red Wine and Champion Pinot Noir at the 2008
International Wine Challenge in London. That went
along with four other trophies in the same year. The
following year, the 2007 Pinot Noir was named Top
Pinot Noir by Cuisine magazine.
The Wild Earth vineyard and winery is in the internationally
renowned Felton Road at Bannockburn and the
company has recently opened a restaurant at the Gold
Mining Centre in the Kawarau Gorge.
Visit wildearthwines.co.nz