Monday, June 22. 2009
Recent interview with David MacDonald, owner of Bladen Winery in Marlborough, New Zealand.
Christine and Dave MacDonald - Owners of Bladen Winery
Pioneers of the Marlborough wine growing region. Dave and Christine were one of only eight vineyards in the district in 1989. How things have changed!
1. Which is your favourite wine out the Bladen range? That’s a tough question…… Of course we like all our wines as we make them to suit our own palate This vintage however, I think my favourite wine is the Gewurztraminer. It was fantastic fruit on the vine and
the wine is amazing. It has just a small amount of sweetness giving the wine a lovely mouth feel and has fantastic delicate rose petal and lychee flavours. This is my first glass of wine for the evening!
2. Tell us a great food and wine combo for this wine? I think the best food wine combo there is, is with a dish Chris makes. A Thai green curry to die for! Just enough heat to know what you are eating but not so much you can’t taste anything else. The slight sweetness/spiciness in the wine compliments perfectly the sweet and sour of this dish. A match made in heaven.
3. What was the most memorable food and wine match/story in your life The most memorable food and wine experience we have ever had was at Grossi Florentino. A beautiful fine dining restaurant in Melbourne. We ordered the degustation menu of about 9 courses with a wine to match each course. The food and wines were amazing, made glorious by the fantastic service and knowledge of the waiter/sommelier.
4. If you had one wine you would like to try before you die which would it be? Domaine Romanee-Conti – just to know what it is all about
5. The best wine you have ever tasted in your life time? Château Margaux 1983. I bought this wine when my son Blair was born to drink at his 21st birthday. He turned 21 this summer and we opened it to celebrate the event. It is quite a celebration in itself to open a wine you have been lovingly cellaring for so long and hoping of course, that the wine will be in good condition after so long. Well it did not disappoint. It was amazingly rich, integrated and full of flavours and a fantastic wine for Blair to taste and feed his growing wine interest.
I have an ‘86 tucked away I can’t wait to try now…... probably when my daughter’s Deni turns 21.
6. What's your best bit of wine advice when purchasing a wine? I always buy 2 or 3 bottles of the same wine at a time. One I drink to taste it and the other I will either leave handy for drinking or I save it in the cellar to match with a special dinner or share with a special guest. The thing is if you have enjoyed a wine you have another opportunity to taste it again.
