Earlier this year we set a long table in the back garden of Melba's house, opened a good number of bottles, and spent an afternoon talking about wine with the team from VEIL Magazine.
The occasion was our Kumeu Village range. The food came from Alfie Ingham, Executive Chef at The Wine Room, who put together a run of platters to go alongside the Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. It was, by any measure, a very good lunch.
What we found ourselves talking about, more than tasting notes, was the everyday. Which is fitting, because that is really what the Village wines are for.
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The wine that lives in the fridge
We describe Kumeu Village as the approachable wine you should always have on hand. Light, crisp, and ready to drink on release. Our Single Vineyard wines are made to showcase a sense of place, and the Estate wines are a blend drawn from our very best parcels. Village is the beneficiary of the fruit we do not require for those wines, made with exactly the same care, but built to be opened tonight rather than in five years.
There is little or no oak in the Village wines. The first job of a Chardonnay or a Pinot Gris is to be refreshing, and we want the fruit to speak for itself. As a family we always have them in the fridge at home. They have turned up at a few of our own weddings, too.
On weddings, and pouring for a crowd
VEIL asked us what makes the Village range a sensible choice for a wedding, and the honest answer is that when you are entertaining a large group you simply cannot cater to every taste. With a good Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, though, you get pretty close.
Our advice, for what it is worth: keep it simple, and allow for variety. You will not have the Ritz-Carlton wine service team on the night, so the list needs to work for your guests and for the people pouring. Bookend it with a sparkling wine at the start, perhaps our Crémant, and something bolder and richer at the other end, and the Village wines will fill out the middle nicely.
The bride and groom are the main event. The food and wine need to be good, but they do not need to be the star of the show. Solid choices that everyone feels comfortable with create a great feeling in a room. If Kumeu Village can help with that, we have done our job.
And the hand-drawn calligraphy on the bottles does look rather lovely on a table.
What to pour with what
We are very fond of crayfish, so Chardonnay and crayfish is the first recommendation we reach for. The Village Pinot Gris has a hint of quince and spice, and makes a good winter white that can handle a bit of heat in the dish. The Pinot Noir, like most delicate reds, is happiest alongside red meat or something rich in protein.
Beyond that, great friends and good conversation. The wine usually helps with the latter.
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Eighty years, and counting
Wine is a good time capsule. A bottle carries the feeling of the moment it was opened, and returns it to you later. We like that the Village wines are stocked widely enough around the country that you can reach for one of those memories without needing a cellar full of something rare.
We only get to do this job once a year, so it takes a while to really get it right. As our vineyards come of age and the winemaking is honed, the largest beneficiary of all that effort is Kumeu Village. The price has not moved a great deal over the years. The wine has improved considerably.
We are a family business, run by four siblings: Michael, Marijana, Milan and Paul. Our mother Melba is very much part of the story, as is our father and founder, Maté. At 89, Melba still lives at the winery, entertaining the vineyard team and Cellar Door visitors with stories from her years in the industry.
It makes us proud to see our wines received with integrity and authenticity, whatever the price point. World-class Chardonnay should not require a French budget.
Thank you to Margie Riddiford and the VEIL team for a lovely afternoon, to Hope Patterson for the photography, to Greta van der Star for the film, and to Alfie Ingham for the food.
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