The Wellington Wine Scene
Wellington’s already sophisticated restaurant scene is made even more so by the city’s love affair with wine. Matching food, be it a tapas style platter or gourmet main course, with superb wines is achieved with panache by the city’s many specialty wine bars and restaurants.
An outstanding example is set at Arbitrageur Wine Bar, in Featherston Street, where the absolute modus operandi revolves around the belief that wines exist to be matched with food. Acclaimed for its wine list in international wine magazines, and winner of the New Zealand Wine List of the Year 2005, Arbitrageur caters for both discerning wine drinkers and those more hesitant about trying different wine and food matches.
A breath catching wine rack is stocked with wines from all over the wine making world, and a colour-coded menu guides patrons in selecting wine matches for their corporate lunches, after work platters or evening dinners. Mixing downtown city chic with classic European styles in décor and food, Arbitrageur is open Monday to Friday from 11.30am till late and from 5pm on Saturdays.
Beaujolais Wine Bar, tucked away at the top of charming, historic Woodward Street also has a passion for wine. Their sommelier keeps a sharp watch on the latest New Zealand and overseas wines, and the establishment is renowned for its exceptional cellar. The ambience inside is warm, inviting, and slightly French, while tables on the paved street outside offer an alfresco wine and food tasting option. Beaujolais is open Monday to Friday 9.30am til late evening, and weekends by arrangement.
Wellington lies close to two of New Zealand’s most renowned wine regions, Wairarapa and Marlborough, and restaurateurs and sommeliers have developed close relationships with wine makers from these regions. They understand well what the wine makers are looking to achieve in the flavours of their wines, and share this knowledge with their patrons.
Wairarapa produces some of New Zealand’s finest pinot noir, plus its many boutique, family wineries have earned an enviable reputation for other varietals. Marlborough, just across Cook Strait, is New Zealand’s biggest wine region with an international reputation for its sauvignon blancs.