Wine & Food

The Heretaunga Plains, where most of Hawke's Bay's vineyards stand, is also home to New Zealand's largest orchards. Apples, pears, and in summer stone fruits like peaches and nectarines ripen just a few kilometers from the vine rows. The region calls itself the country's fruit bowl.

The area's best-known meat, though, remains lamb, from the hills inland. At Craggy Range Restaurant near Havelock North, it often arrives as braised lamb shoulder with shallots. A spicy Syrah from the Gimblett Gravels pairs beautifully with it. The wine's peppery aroma meets rosemary and browned fat, and each amplifies the other.

At the coast near Te Awanga, the food takes a different turn. Elephant Hill, right above the beach, often serves gurnard with braised fennel and citrus, a fish that can handle a bolder wine than most others. The estate's own barrel-fermented Chardonnay holds its ground with firm acidity, without overwhelming the fish.

The big Cabernet-Merlot blend, meanwhile, calls for red meat, beef from the hills south of Hastings or venison from the forest edges of the Kaweka Range, both with enough fat to soften the firm tannin. Too little meat, too much wine, and a blend like that turns austere fast.

Sweet wine remains the exception in Hawke's Bay, since the region is known above all for dry reds. Anyone still looking for something to pair with the summer peaches from the local orchards is better off reaching for an off-dry Riesling from elsewhere. A dry Chardonnay beside them would only taste sour and thin.