Only a handful of restaurants in New Zealand have received the accolade in the influential magazine’s 2014 wine awards, which applauds restaurants with a wine list of over 100 that accurately match the restaurant’s food and character.
Millbrook Resort’s food and beverage manager Russell Heron said the win once again reflected the restaurant’s attention to detail and ability to “create beautiful food harmonised with wine that perfectly complements the flavours.”
It’s just fantastic news that we’ve won this award for the third year running. We’re constantly searching for new and exciting wines to add to our list, which has an impressive array of organic and sulphate free wines and well-loved classics and vintages not usually found on New Zealand wine lists."
We also incorporate the more traditional French varietals such as Chenin Blanc, Semillon and Viognier, said Mr Heron.
Our fantastic team of chefs -- led by Andi Bozhiqi -- work incredibly hard with restaurant manager Lenka Hejrova to ensure all our wines match the seasonal menu and also reflect the history, ambience and feel of The Millhouse.
Delivering the ultimate culinary experience for our guests is our number one priority. We’re proud of the food and wine offering we create and love finding new produce, techniques and styles to ensure we always offer sublime food, balanced with the perfect wine in the most magical setting, he said.
We craft contemporary-style dishes utilising the best locally-sourced seasonal produce, complementing wild game and fresh seafood in dishes blending European concepts with a Central Otago influence.
We use only the freshest local ingredients in our dishes and the menu changes seasonally to reflect not only the amazing produce we’ve sourced but also the wines on our list. Ensuring a perfect harmony of flavours with food and wine is always our goal.
Wine Spectator began its program to recognize and honour the world’s best wine lists in 1981. This year the 3,748 award winners span all 50 U.S. states and over 80 other countries and territories.
Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken said:
The commitment of this year’s winning restaurateurs to building high-quality wine programs has been extraordinary. There has never been a more exciting time to be a wine lover.”
The magazine’s executive editor Thomas Matthews added:
As wine consumers’ knowledge and interest continue to expand, wine directors are taking advantage of new opportunities to develop inventive programs that put the world’s most interesting wines on the table.”
We’ve been delighted to see the emergence of a growing number of bold, diverse wine lists, both large and small,” he said.
Mr Heron agrees and said that while there was a focus on local Central Otago and New Zealand wine that matched the tastes of Central Otago on the menu, The Millhouse also catered for the tastes of the resort’s many international guests to ensure variety within the range.
We cater to all our guests and incorporate specific wine regions and varietals including Australian Syrah, French, Italian favourites and of course champagne for those special occasions,” he said.
We also firmly believe that good wine shouldn’t cost a fortune and everyone should be able to enjoy the perfect wine matched with the food on our menu. We work closely with local wineries and always look out for new and exciting labels and varietals.
Being recognised by one of the world’s most celebrated and well-known wine magazines is a huge privilege. It’s in direct recognition of the passion and dedication of executive chef Andi Bozhiqi and restaurant manager Lenka Hejrova who put so much into conceiving great food and wine matches.
One of Chef Bozihqi’s favourite wine and food matches is the restaurant’s Wild Hare Loin and Confit Leg accompanied by Jerusalem artichoke, oyster mushroom, cavolo nero, and granny smith slaw served with a Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir 2009 Central Otago.
The stronger gamey flavours of the hare perfectly complements the rich complexity of the Pinot Noir. It’s a stunning infusion of flavours, said Chef Bozhiqi.
Situated amid 500 acres of pristine grounds, with rolling hills and babbling brooks, the Millhouse Restaurant is perfectly positioned in the centre of Millbrook Resort.
Brimming with character part of the building is the original wall from the old mill house which operated when the resort was a wheat farm during the gold rush era. The mill house water wheel still works today and adds to the historic ambience.
To find out more about the Millhouse Restaurant please click here
Picture captions:
Russell Heron and Andi Bozhiqi
For more information and high resolution images contact:
marketing@millbrook.co.nz
OR
Naomi Lindsay
Southern PR
T: 03 441 1117
E: naomi@southernpr.co.nz
W: www.southernpr.co.nz
About Millbrook Resort
Millbrook is one of the world’s most celebrated hotels and resorts and was voted the Best Golf Resort in Australasia at the World Travel Awards in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and the Best Resort in New Zealand for 2011 and 2012 and 2013. It also won the title of Best Luxury Wellness Spa Australasia and Oceania in 2013.
Millbrook Resort received the Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Award for Top Hotel in New Zealand in 2013 and 2014 and also received the #15 Top Hotel in South Pacific, #22 for romance hotels in New Zealand, and #23 for luxury hotels in New Zealand in the 2014 awards. Set in a natural, alpine amphitheatre against a backdrop of snow-capped mountain ranges on the outskirts of world-renowned tourism destination Queenstown, Millbrook was formerly a wheat farm with a 150-year history.
Many of the resort’s heritage features remain today including the original Millhouse, rustic buildings and a majestic avenue of trees, over 150 years old.
Millbrook, which celebrated its 20th Birthday last year, is a multi award-winning resort that features various levels of five-star accommodation, world class dining, the Spa at Millbrook (ranked among the Top Ten in the World by Conde Naste), a fully-equipped health and fitness centre, a championship 27-hole golf course, covered driving range, swimming pool, outdoor spa pools, tennis courts and kilometres of biking and walking trails.
Nearby you can enjoy the gold rush era village of Arrowtown with its many restaurants, cafes, museum and boutique shops. Queenstown is a year-round paradise with attractions including world-class wineries, five ski areas, great nightlife, multiple golf courses and award-winning restaurants and bars.
Millbrook Resort will once again play co-host to the 2015 NZ Open golf tournament, along with The Hills Golf Course in Arrowtown, from March 12 to 15 2015.
About Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is the world’s leading authority on wine. Anchored by Wine Spectator magazine, a print publication that reaches more than three million readers worldwide, the brand also encompasses the Web’s most comprehensive wine site (WineSpectator.com), mobile platforms, and a series of signature events.
Wine Spectator examines the world of wine from the vineyard to the table, exploring wine’s role in contemporary culture and delivering expert reviews of more than 15,000 wines each year. Parent company M. Shanken Communications also publishes Cigar Aficionado, Whisky Advocate, Food Arts, Market Watch, Shanken News Daily and Impact.
