Monthly Archives: March 2020

In New Zealand and in many places around the world, it’s vitally important that we all stay in our bubbles this Easter.

It’s going to be a little different for everybody as we hunker down to keep our loved ones safe. Large family gatherings will no longer be on the menu, so in this year’s Easter blog we thought we’d focus on some traditional meals that you may already have the ingredients for.

A Kiwi Easter Brunch:

When it comes to a traditional Easter Sunday in New Zealand, a delicious brunch is often considered the perfect feast. With a smaller household to feed you might want to reconsider your menu choices. But there are plenty of ways, beyond the traditional smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, to enjoy a delicious brunch with a bottle of No.1 Cuvée. Here are a few of our favourites:

•    Smoked fish frittata
•    Avocado and poached eggs on toast
•    Pancakes with lemon and sugar (the Edmonds cookbook has a tried and tested recipe!)

A French Lamb Stew:

Lamb is always a firm favourite for Easter lunch. This French lamb stew serves four. If there’s just two of you in your bubble, cook the whole thing and freeze some for a later date.

French Style Navarin of Lamb:

•    8 lamb shoulder or neck chops
•    Salt and freshly ground pepper for seasoning
•    ¼ cup plain flour
•    1 tablespoon butter
•    2 tablespoons tomato paste
•    2 ½ cups of stock
•    3 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
•    1 stick rosemary
•    3 bay leaves
•    4 cloves garlic, chopped
•    400g can chopped tomatoes
•    250g baby carrots, peeled and topped
•    2 spring onions, cut into thirds
•    200g round green beans, trimmed
•    1 cup peas
•    300g baby potatoes, halved

Method

1.    Preheat the oven to 150°C.

2.    Season the lamb with a little salt and pepper. Place the flour in a bag with the chops and toss to coat.

3.    Heat the butter over a high heat in a large ovenproof casserole dish. Sear the chops and set aside.

4.    Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook for a few minutes on a high heat.

5.    Add the stock, thyme, rosemary stick, bay leaves, garlic and the tomatoes.

6.    Return the lamb to the dish and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.

7.    Steam the vegetables until tender. Add a little oil, salt and pepper then toss to coat.

8.    Serve the lamb stew in large bowls, topped with freshly steamed vegetables.

This stew will pair beautifully with No.1 Rosé. If you’d rather not polish off the whole bottle, save some for later in the week, just like the lamb. A good-quality stopper, like the ones we sell online, will keep your bubbles in good shape for a couple of days.

Wherever you are in the world we wish you a safe and healthy Easter from No.1 Family Estate.

Where to get your Easter bubbles while staying in your bubble:

Within New Zealand, you can order online direct from No.1 Family Estate HERE. There is no minimum order and all deliveries will be made contactless.
You can also order online from Glengarry.
In the UK, order online from Amathus.

Please enjoy No.1 Family Estate wines responsibly.

Even before the government announced that New Zealand would proceed to the Level 4 alert to contain the spread of COVID-19, we had made the sad, but sensible decision to close our cellar door.
 
Over the last couple of days, like many of you, our team have been setting up their ‘home offices’ and will continue to be online to keep you updated. Please follow us on Facebook or Instagram @no1familyestate.

This is a time in New Zealand when we must all care for each other, protect each other and offer support to each other, both practically and emotionally.

Common sense, compassion and not losing our sense of humour will, we're sure, be the order of the day for some time ahead. And, in fact, it always should be!

We would like to thank all our tour operators and visitors who have supported us over the busy summer season, and of course, our dedicated No.1 Family Estate team.

Some of our supermarket retailers around the country are still open.

Hopefully our bubbles will continue to add cheer to your household bubble!   

For now, it’s time to catch up on reading, movies and spring (autumn) cleaning!

Stay safe and healthy,

With very best wishes, Adele & Daniel.

Here's how to make your day brighter with bubbles!

Order online direct from No.1 Family Estate. There is currently NO MINIMUM ORDER and we are offering FREE SHIPPING throughout New Zealand.

Buy your wines HERE.

At No.1 Family Estate, we feel fortunate to be able to welcome many discerning wine lovers to our cellar door each year. We wouldn’t be able to do this without our stellar cellar door team. So, in this week’s article, we thought you might like to meet Jo, Donna and Delphine! Read on to find out more.

The Cellar Door Team - From left to right: Donna, Jo, Delphine.

Jo:

Jo joined the team in October 2018. With a background in hospitality, as a restaurant manager, she very quickly slipped into the role of hosting our visitors, who come from all over the world. Jo is now our cellar door manager, but she also supports the marketing team at various wine events around the country.

Jo’s favourite part of her job is witnessing the reaction of people as they taste the wine, she says, “They are always in awe of the fine sparkling wines we produce here.” 

Asked to share her favourite No.1 Family Estate wine, Jo finds it tricky to decide… She eventually concedes that No.1 Rosé is her favourite summer sip! When it comes to a food and wine pairing, she’s much more decisive, saying, “Anybody who knows me will be aware of my love of desserts. Adele’s Lemon Posset with fresh Marlborough raspberries and No.1 Cuvée is difficult to get past!”

Outside of work, you’ll find Jo in the garden, nose-deep in a good book or out and about enjoying the Marlborough lifestyle that she’s always known!

Delphine:

Delphine joined the team over four years ago. With a background in retail, (as a department store buyer), and also in hospitality management; customer service has always been high on her agenda, so, she is a real asset to our cellar door team. Delphine really fosters the friendly, welcoming experience we consistently aim to achieve for our guests.

Delphine is a fan of No.1 Assemblé, which she loves to pair with salmon and a fresh, garden salad. 

With an eye for detail and a keen interest in crafts, Delphine is also our go-to-girl when we need bespoke cards, decorations for a special occasion or simply to make our gift displays and cellar door look gorgeous.

Originally from the deep south, Delphine spent much of her adult life in Christchurch before settling in beautiful Marlborough, (much to our benefit!). Outside of work, she’s a busy woman. You’ll find her socialising with friends, joining in activities at the Lions Club or delivering Meals on Wheels!

Donna:

Donna moved to Marlborough in 2016 and joined the No.1 Family Estate family shortly afterwards. Previous to this, she had been based in Auckland, working for a global medical publishing company, where she ran the learning and development department, training young scientists to be medical writers. This background has armed Donna with a love of details, and our guests love to know all the interesting wine facts that Donna passes on. 

Just like Delphine, Donna’s favourite No.1 Family Estate wine is No.1 Assemblé. Firstly, because she loves the pronunciation of its name! But more importantly, because of its versatility. She says, “This wine stands alone as an aperitif, but also because of its intensity it holds its own as a food match.” On the subject of food matches, Donna thinks a few smoked salmon canapés and a glass (or two) of her favourite No.1 Assemblé is pretty perfect. 

Donna has fallen in love with the South Island, and when she’s not working, you’ll find her exploring, either by car or on foot!

When you are next in Marlborough, do call in to say hello to our stellar cellar door crew!