Winterfest & Wineries

Pork Belly at Ben Lomond Restaurant

Yet another Queenstown Winter Festival has gone off with a bang. Queenstown was packed to the brim, it was an amazing weekend. I have heard rave reviews from fellow staff and guests about the fireworks, Jazz Night and Comedy Festival – basically, it was an amazing 10 days all round!

The launch of the new menu in Ben Lomond Restaurant has been a hit, so it was high time the Food & Beverage team mixed a bit of work with pleasure. We went out for the day on a tour of Gibbston Vallery Winery. Claudio took us through the vines as she explained the different varieties of grapes and how the growing conditions affect them. It has definitely built upon collective knowledge of the team, which is invaluable.

We went through the cave to see all the barrels of wine, tasting their Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and of course their Pinot Noir which they are so well-known for. We also stopped in at the Gibbston Valley Cheesery. This was very dangerous for our wallets, as after we got a taste of their amazing cheeses we were all queuing to stock up and take a stash home! If you are ever lucky enough to go there, a ‘must-taste’ is the Kawarau Blue – buy it, whether you think you like blue cheese or not!

Next up we ventured through the very modern and architecturally stunning Peregrine Winery. They explained how the design of the property is inspired by the structure of the Peregrine falcon’s wing. It’s a great space for holding concerts and events, testimony to some of the great past acts such as Dave Dobbyn, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Hollie Smith.