Two Tails

Award Winning Wine

Create the perfect Christmas Feast then add a Mixed Case

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If you’re feeding a crowd this Christmas, you’ll no doubt want to create a feast that doesn’t leave you stranded in the kitchen, while everybody else is having a jolly good time. The key to this is often preparation, but there are also some dishes you can choose to ensure you can create a festive feast, while also maintaining the demeanor of a cool, collected and calm domestic god or goddess!

Here are the Two Tails suggestions for feeding a crowd this festive season:

Begin with a simple seafood platter; this is easy to prepare ahead of time and a real crowd pleaser. Prawns, salmon, oysters, and mussels all pair beautifully, with Two Tails Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

For the main attraction, barbecue something delicious, and, once again, have your salads prepared ahead of time. Swiftly becoming a modern classic, venison makes a perfect festive feast. Here’s how we prepare our Very Merry Venison…

  • Oil the meat
  • In a bag, add S&P & paprika, ½ tsp of each with 2 Tbsp flour & 2Tbsp breadcrumbs, mix
  • Add meat, shake and rub the dry mix into the fillet
  • Remove meat from bag
  • Place on BBQ grill
  • Sear on all sides, careful not to burn the breadcrumbs
  • Once seared and golden brown, remove to an oven proof pan
  • In a 200º C oven, place venison and cook for five mins or until centre of the meat is approx. 55oC
  • Remove from oven, cover and rest for 10 minutes
  • Slice and serve

If you’re looking for a salad to serve with your venison that can be prepared ahead, check out this recipe for a runner bean, pomegranate and honey salad, the jewel-like colours of the pomegranate seeds give it such a festive look. Pour Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir to enjoy with your venison.

Ditch complicated desserts that might keep you in the kitchen, and add a cheese board; especially if you’re drinking Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Gris, in which case, consider mild or nutty cheeses. Halloumi, Mozzarella, Edam, and Gouda all work well. Add some fresh or dried fruit or berries and nuts, to ensure your cheeseboard looks truly festive.

Complete the feast… Buy your Two Tails Mixed Case HERE.

Homemade bread day and perfect platters!

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Whether it’s artisanal sourdough or sliced white, we all love bread.  It’s Homemade Bread Day on November 17th, so we thought we’d inspire you with some ways to break some bread and (of course) share some wine with friends and family!

Our easy-drinking Two Tails Pinot Noir pairs beautifully with subtly spiced cured meats and sausages. Its aromatic and silky palate matches particularly well with venison, a mild chorizo or with cheeses. Why not create an enticing platter of Dukkah-coated venison back straps, make your own rub here; or home-made cured sausages (Russell’s recipe can be found here) add some delicious vintage cheddar to your platter, and now you just need a glass of Two Tails Pinot Noir!

The Irish classic wheaten bread goes perfectly with these party-friendly foods, and is, coincidentally, the easiest bread in the world to make!

Combine 500g of flour (we suggest half wholemeal, half white), 100g porridge oats and a teaspoon each of bicarbonate of soda and salt with 25g of butter. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients before stirring in 500 ml buttermilk. Bring the dough together very lightly, shape into a loaf and score a deep cross in the top. Bake this for 30 to 35 minutes at 200C/gas mark 6/fan 180C until the base sounds hollow.

Perfect for platters laden with meats, cheeses and of course Two Tails wine!

For a twist on your bread, try the New Zealand classic fried bread and add either a tangy goat cheese or a salty feta. Both are great partners for our crisp Two Tails Sauvignon Blanc. Truly, a match made in heaven – the crunch of the bread and the dry, sharp flavour of the cheeses are the perfect foil for the generous and juicy palate of the wine.

Two Tails Pinot Gris, like our Sauvignon Blanc, pairs well with seafood; we suggest serving a platter of flash fried and succulent prawns or calamari, add crunchy breadsticks or toasted rustic bread to accompany our silky, densely flavoured summer favourite. It’s also a great match for pork rillet with cress, fresh figs and a dollop of onion jam. And if you want to add some cheese, try Haloumi and Gouda!

So why not order your mixed case of Two Tails wine and create your very own perfect platter combination?

 

Pasta, Pinots and Sauvignon Blanc

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What would we do without pasta? This versatile and universally loved mealtime staple has conquered the culinary world and since October 25th is World Pasta Day, we thought we would suggest some gorgeous Spring pasta recipes that go particularly well with our three Two Tails wine varieties.

Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir

  • This smooth, finely balanced red, with its gentle, ripe cherry and spice flavours, is a food friendly, easy drinking wine. When it comes to pasta sometimes the classic dishes are a great place to start… Give your traditional carbonara a twist, use Prosciutto instead of ham and truffle oil instead of regular olive oil. Cook your Prosciutto in a little olive oil for a few minutes, until it is crispy. Mix a couple of egg yolks, some cream and Pecorino cheese to combine, then season the mix with salt and pepper. Cook any spaghetti, fettuccine, tagliatelle or pappardelle you happen to have in your store cupboard. Drain and mix in the cream and egg mixture; add a little cooking water if required. Toss through the cooked Prosciutto and add just a couple of drops of delicious truffle oil before serving!

Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Gris

Two Tails Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

  • Crisp and zesty, with a citrus backbone and tropical-tinged taste, our Sauvignon is a sensational match with seafood, herbs, and tomatoes. It’s the ideal accompaniment to a Spring supper of new season asparagus Fettuccine, check out this recipe; or a wonderful seafood tomato pasta dish.

So celebrate World Pasta Day this month with Two Tails wine, we hope we’ve whet your appetite but the pastabilities are endless!

Be sure to buy your Two Tails Mixed Case here, so you can discover your favourite pasta and wine combination.

How to celebrate Pinot Noir Day!

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Pinot Noir Day is just a week away! Falling on 18th August, the day celebrates all that is required to produce Pinot Noir and the delicious bounty that unfolds.

The grapes for Two Tails Pinot Noir are grown in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. The vineyards are on north facing slopes with older river stones under clay gravels. The vines produce grapes with flavours of dark cherry and red currant. Once Sarah has worked her winemaker’s magic the result of those harvested grapes is a smooth bodied and easy drinking red wine with an aromatic and silky palate that defines premium Marlborough Pinot Noir.

If you want to join us in celebrating Pinot Noir Day, here are our top tips to help you enjoy the festivities!

  • Get your Goldilocks on – Temperature matters, you don’t want your Pinot Noir to cold, but you don’t want it too hot either. To get it just right serve and enjoy between 14 and 16°C (57 and 61°F).
  • Choose your vessel – When it comes to glassware, one size definitely doesn’t fit all! A wine’s bouquet, taste, balance and finish are all affected by the shape of the glass from which it is consumed. A wine will display completely different characteristics when served in different glasses. Red wines are typically served in larger bowled glasses. Because Pinot Noir is a fruity wine a glass with a narrower tulip style mouth can help to pull the fruit aromas together.
  • Don’t forget to dine – Two Tails wines are made to be enjoyed with food. But that doesn’t have to mean a fancy banquet. Enjoy a glass with a pie, sausage and mash or even a humble bowl of soup.

Now buy your wine!

It is sweetly lifted on the nose displaying red cherry, raspberry, mushroom and floral characters with a touch of mixed spice complexity. The palate delivers elegant fruit weight and intensity together with silky texture and fine tannins. This is very friendly and approachable, and offers attractive fruit flavours with subtle savoury notes.

Sam Kim – Wine Orbit reviewing Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015

For the ❤️ of pies!

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It’s no secret that us Kiwis love a good pie, and these flavoursome pastry topped pots of comfort food really come into their own mid-winter.

You can of course pick a pie up from almost any deli, supermarket or cafe, but there’s something quite satisfying about making your own. Pop it in the oven to bake and while the crust is browning nicely, open a bottle of wine and pop your feet up.

With that in mind, we thought we’d share our three favourite pies to match with our three favourite wines!

Shepherd’s Pie served with Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir.

Okay, we know pastry isn’t involved here… But this classic potato topped winter warmer is a firm family favourite. Juicy minced lamb with chopped hearty veggies. Check out Jamie Oliver’s recipe HERE.
Two Tails Pie Tip: For a more rustic Shepherd’s Pie, consider finely diced lamb rather than minced lamb. Same ingredients, just a twist on presentation!

Or if you’ve had roast lamb at the weekend, consider Russell’s Leftovers Shepherd’s Pie – Serves 6

  • 3 cups cooked lamb, chopped
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 3-4 cups vegeteables (no hard and fast rules whatever you have handy…)
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 x 400 gm tin tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • Chopped fresh herbs
  • Salt & pepper
  • Mashed potatoes to top
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
  2. Saute onion, carrot and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes
  3. Add vegetables, lamb, tomato paste and flour
  4. Mix over a low heat for 3 minutes
  5. Add red wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, salt and pepper
  6. Bring up to a boil
  7. Reduce heat to lower and simmer for 30 minutes until liquid has reduced
  8. Turn off heat and stir through peas and fresh herbs
  9. Place in a casserole dish and top with mashed potaoes
  10. Bake for 20-30 minutes

Chicken Pot Pie served with Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Gris.

Make this classic chicken pie recipe in individual pie dishes to serve for a dinner party. Find a recipe HERE.

Fish Pie served with Two Tails Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

Our favourite thing about fish pie is that you can use a mix of whatever fish you’ve caught, bought or stored in the freezer. Add some seafood, like scallops or prawns for a luxury version. If you’d rather follow a recipe a good place to start is with Annabel Langbein’s Lemon Fish Pie, find the recipe HERE.
Two Tails Party Tip: Use this fish pie mixture to fill vol au vents to feed a crowd!

Two Tails Pie Tip: If you don’t have time to make or roll pastry, keep some ready rolled sheets of Filo Pastry in your fridge. Scrunch these up, place on top of your pie mix and drizzle with olive oil. If you can’t be bothered to give your arms a workout mashing the spuds, finely sliced new potatoes will also serve as a topping!

We also love the idea of a pot luck pie themed party night. Gather your friends and buy your wine HERE.

Wine etiquette

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Etiquette is a word that can often have negative associations. It can represent a common code that may feel akin to being constrained by rules, and who wants to live life by the rules?

While some rules are made to be broken, some are there to enhance life. Here at Two Tails whether you’re drinking our excellent Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris or Pinot Noir, we want you to enjoy your wine and to help you enhance every sip we’ve composed a list of four simple wine etiquette tips to observe.

  1. Temperature matters – Serving your wine at the optimum temperature will ensure you enjoy the aromas and flavours that are unique to that particular wine. With each of our wines, you’ll find we recommend the perfect temperature for serving on our website; from the menu select the varietal you’re drinking, then the vintage and you’ll be able to view the tasting notes that will give you this valuable information.
  2. Choose your glass wisely – One sized glass is not ideal for all styles of wine; a wine’s bouquet, taste, balance and finish are all affected by the shape of the glass from which it is consumed. A wine will display completely different characteristics when served in different glasses.
  3. And pour appropriately – Don’t be tempted to show your guests your generous side by overfilling their glass. There are a couple of reasons for this; if you’re serving white wine it will warm up in the glass as they drink, but you also want to allow your guest’s wine the opportunity to breathe in the glass, releasing the aromas and flavours. No matter what varietal your serving or what wine glass you’re using, never fill it more than half full.
  4. Hold your glass by the stem – Here at Two Tails, we’re not keen on those fancy schmancy tumblers that are used in a certain style of dining establishment. We like a wine glass with a stem to hold on to! It ensures that your white wine doesn’t get too warm as you hold it and prevents your glassware smudging with fingerprints, so you can observe the beautiful colour of the wine you’re drinking. Remember wine should be a feast for your senses!

Now buy your wine!

Some like it hot…

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Not the wine… The food! We often find that it’s common for people to reach for a beer when they’re eating spicier dishes, but not in the Two Tails kitchen! Our wines are terroir inspired, supple on the palate and highly reviewed. They’re also easy drinking and easy to pair with food, even spicy or Asian inspired dishes. Two Tails wines are keenly sought by professionals for restaurant wine lists where affinity with food is important.

We’re not daunted by reaching for the chilli peppers when we cook up a storm, and you shouldn’t be either. If you like it hot, you may want to try any of these three recipes…

Prawn Linguine with Chilli, Tomato, Rocket & Lime – Served with Two Tails Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Cook some linguine (or spaghetti) al dente.

Add some onion to a frying pan set over a medium heat, until it is softened, but not browned. Add some garlic, chilli, halved cherry tomatoes and a handful of raw juicy prawns and cook through.

To serve, toss the pasta with the tomato and onion mixture, add some rocket, salt, pepper, lime juice and parmesan. Pour your Two Tails Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, if you haven’t already!

Chilli Salt Squid – Served with Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Gris

Clean and prepare your fresh squid for cooking.

Combine some plain flour, chilli powder and salt in a large bowl. Throw in your squid and toss to coat, shaking off any excess flour.Heat oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly. Add half the squid and deep-fry for about 1 minute, or until just tender and beginning to colour. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper. Repeat process with remaining squid.

Deep fry your coated squid in batches for about a minute, in a wok or deep pan. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper.  Cook two large red chillies (that have been halved and deseeded) in the same hot oil for about 30 seconds. They will turn a deep bright-red colour; remove with a slotted spoon and drain well.

Serve your squid, garnished with the fried chillies, some spring onion and coriander, don’t forget your Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Gris.

Spicy Duck Salad – Served with Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir

Make a dressing by whisking together some lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and chopped Thai green chillies.

Toast some cashews in a dry frying pan, and mix with some chopped red onion, chopped pineapple, and chopped coriander.

Score the skin on the duck breasts and season well with salt. Put the duck in a cold pan before turning the heat up to cook to your liking, then thinly slice it. Mix the duck in a bowl with your pineapple and nut mixture. Pour on your dressing and toss to combine.

Serve with a glass of Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir.

Now buy your wine!

 

 

 

How to host a social wine tasting party…

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At Two Tails we love to share our wines, and have hosted many tastings for stockists, sommeliers and critics. If you’re looking for a fun way to explore new wines with your friends we can thoroughly recommend a social get together that incorporates wine tasting.

Now we really are talking a fun and casual wine tasting party, so we’re not going to get all stuffy about top notes and tannins, although you can if you prefer to. But this is all about fun and being the perfect wine tasting host or hostess. So with no further ado…

Here are 5 steps to hosting the perfect social wine tasting party:

  1. Choose your theme – There’s no right or wrong here, but we suggest different wines from Marlborough, at Two Tails we make that easy for you with our mixed case!
  2. Gather your supplies – Wine (that’s a given…!). Glasses, white napkins (so your guests can view the colour of the wine against a white background), bread or crackers as palate cleansers, pens and paper for each of your guests, water.
  3. Give your guests the knowledge – Go through the 5 simple S words to help your guests appreciate their wine, see, swirl, smell, sip and savour. Find out more about these here.
  4. Add food – At Two Tails our wines are made to be enjoyed with food, and those palate cleansers just won’t cut the mustard for the entire evening. You might find this article from our archives on wine and food matching useful.
  5. Don’t forget the play list – A party isn’t a party without a little music… Here are our top three tracks for wine tasting inspiration… Heard it through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye, Red Red Wine – UB40, Only the Wine – David Gray.

We’d recommend the Two Tails Mixed Case for your wine tasting party. Purchase one HERE and we’ll deliver anywhere in New Zealand FREE! Cheers!

Looking for the perfect summer wine, that’s NOT Sauvignon Blanc…?

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Here at Two Tails we love Marlborough Sauvignion Blanc, it has always had a special place in our hearts. But we’re also aware that there are a lot of red wine drinkers out there who search for options in summer, and often venture down the Rosé route… If that sounds like you then read on, because we have the perfect summer wine for you! Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir.

  • When you’re thinking about cracking the cap of a summer red, it’s a good idea to look at alcohol content. The lower the alcohol content the fresher and lighter your red will taste, making it perfect for summertime sipping. At 13.0% Vol, Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir offers a silky and succulent palate with ripe raspberry and cherry flavours.
  • Keep things chilled… As dedicated red wine drinkers have begun to shun the obligatory summertime Rosé, it has become fashionable to chill red wine. Now we’re not talking ice cold! Don’t leave your bottle of Pinot Noir in the fridge for longer than half an hour… Ideally, chilled red wines are served at a temperature around 13 – 16°C (55 – 60°F). We recommend that Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir is best served between 14 and 16°C (57 and 61°F), so keep it at the lower end in summer to sit very comfortably in the middle of the chilled red wine bracket of temperatures.
  • Think about your food matches. Pinot Noir exhibits good acidity and very fruity characteristics. Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir is no exception. It’s packed with raspberry and cherry flavours, these pair beautifully with lamb, duck and cured meats. For summertime think lamb skewers on the barbecue, or an Asian duck stir fry for a mid week supper. If you’re feeding a crowd, throw together a summertime platter with Russell’s Dry Cured Sausages, olives, sun dried tomatoes, home baked bread and some mild blue and wash rind cheeses.

Buy your perfect summer red HERE.

A Two Tails Barbecue Feast.

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Hurrah! Summer is here so it’s time to get the barbecue fired up… We’re encouraging you to look beyond the sausage and steak with a Two Tails barbecue feast!

To start

You need very few ingredients for delicious barbecued mussels. Simply, melt some butter with crushed garlic, parsley, lemon juice and a little salt and pepper. Once you have de-bearded your mussels, place them over the flames, cooking them until they open. Once they’ve opened spoon the buttery, garlic mixture over them, heat for just a little longer, before enjoying them with a glass of Two Tails Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. Delicious!

The main event

Robust red meat like lamb can easily stand the heat of a barbecue. This Jamie Oliver recipe is a favourite, and although it starts off in the oven, the magic happens on the barbie!

Ingredients:

  • 3 sticks lemon grass
  • 5 cm piece fresh root ginger , peeled and chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic , peeled and chopped
  • 6 lime leaves
  • 1 good pinch ground cumin
  • 1 lemon , zest and juice of
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 quality leg of lamb , boned and butterflied
  • a few sprigs fresh mint , leaves picked and finely chopped
  • fat-free natural yoghurt
  • 1 lemon
  • rocket , to serve

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6 and light your barbie.
  2. Slice the lemon grass sticks in half lengthways and bash them in a large pestle and mortar with the ginger, garlic and lime leaves. Add the cumin and the lemon zest and juice and smear it all over the lamb with a few good pinches of salt and pepper.
  3. Place the lamb in a snug-fitting roasting tray and cover tightly with a double layer of kitchen foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes if you like your meat pink, or longer if you prefer it more well done.
  4. Take the lamb out of the roasting tray and drop it on the preheated barbie. It will sizzle and there might even be a few flames, but move it around the grill to stop it burning. After 10 or 15 minutes you’ll have a lovely smoky, crispy surface on the meat.
  5. Let the lamb rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, add your chopped mint to the yoghurt with a good squeeze of lemon juice and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Stir well and serve alongside the lamb.

Crack open a bottle of Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Noir to bring out the flavours in your lamb.

And finally…

Ditch the dessert for some deliciously salty cheese. Skewer some Halloumi and then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and thyme, grill the skewers for two to three minutes each side and serve with Two Tails Marlborough Pinot Gris.

Happy grilling and don’t forget your wine! Buy your Two Tails Mixed Case HERE.

 

Sauvignon Blanc

Here at Two Tails we make premium Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The word Sauvignon is a derivative from the French word Sauvage meaning wild or savage and of course the word blanc is the French word for white. The wild or savage white wine grape … Read More

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