No.1 News and Updates

As our friends in the Northern hemisphere countdown to the festive season, their days get shorter and a little cooler.

While we wouldn't trade our warm Kiwi holiday season, we do believe there's something quite magical about a winter Christmas.

Photo by Jamie Davies on Unsplash

With that in mind, we thought we'd share three dazzling (and totally festive reasons) to visit London this November.

1. Switched On Lights - 15th November sees the Regent Street Christmas Lights switched on, ready to kick off the festive season. Home to the largest lights installation in the capital, Regent Street is best known for its awe-inspiring ‘The Spirit of Christmas’ lights. These stunning suspended spirits were inspired by Regent Street’s very first Christmas lights, which were the first ever central London Christmas lights in 1954. Find out more.
2. Winter Wonderland - The Hyde Park extravaganza returns to the capital once again on 23rd November. Fast becoming part of many family traditions the event features shows, parties, an ice rink and Bavarian village. You can shop, eat and drink in a delightfully festive atmosphere. Visit the Winter Wonderland website.
3. Three Wine Men Christmas Tasting - It's the tasting of the year! Oz Clarke, Tim Atkin MW and Olly Smith are your hosts on 23rd and 24th November, when Lindley Hall is transformed into a wine wonderland. We'll be bringing some sparkling cheer to the occasion and can't wait to see you there! Buy tickets.

It's always exciting when a new restaurant opens just over the hills in Nelson. But the opening of Parts & Service (Hardy Street) at the beginning of November was doubly exciting as it's a new venture for our good friends Bronwyn Monopoli, Daniel Monopoli and Erin Palmisano of Boat Shed fame! They bring with them their Head Chef, Robin Goetzke, who has put together an excellent kitchen team, and Front of House Manager, Morgan Hawkins, who leads the bar and wait staff team. 

We caught up with Erin to find out a little more about Parts & Service.

Q: Why was the top of Hardy Street the perfect location for Parts & Service?
Erin:  This is our first business in Nelson city centre and everything about the location was perfect. Nelson is gaining a reputation as a food and wine destination for both tourists and local New Zealanders for weekend getaways. So, to be in the busy section of Hardy Street was always going to be an exciting venture. We have excellent neighbours, including Urban, Sprig & Fern, Char Bar, Arden and Casa del Vino. The combination makes Hardy Street as much of a food destination as the top of Trafalgar, which is always a great dining destination. 

Q: Can you tell us about the dining style at the restaurant?
Erin: Dan had a very specific vision for the style of the restaurant which has come together beautifully. It's slightly industrial yet simultaneously warm and cozy. Our focus is mainly on the food, though with our cocktail list, our “well-travelled” wine list, and high top/bar seat set up, we hope it will also become known as a place to just come for a nice drink as well as for dinner! Friendly, casual, yet professional service is what we aim for. 

Q: What sort of foods can guests expect to enjoy?
Erin: Our menu is diverse in flavour. From Middle Eastern, Indian, Asian to American influenced dishes. It features a section of bar snacks/small plates that range from fish ceviche, marinated watermelon salad, southern fried chicken and a Thai style pork hock! We have dishes that come from the smoker (currently a South American style short rib) but the main focus is the charcoal grilled fish, chicken, steak, and what we consider our speciality, our daily selection of cuts of meat (currently Picanha which is a beef rump cap and hunks of lamb leg) available in different portion sizes which are served to the table to share.

From the Parts & Service Grill - Lamb Leg, eggplant kasundi, coriander and drained yoghurt.

No.1 Rose features on your wine list, can you give us a few suggestions from your menu of dishes that it would pair with beautifully?
Erin:  Well there isn’t much the No. 1 Rose wouldn’t pair with beautifully! That being said, I had a bottle the other night and with it, we shared the Thai style market fish ceviche with crispy chicken skin, red onion, mint, coriander & red chilli dressing and the potato pancake with kervella cheese, caramelized red onion jam & wild rocket (a good vegetarian option). With the full-bodied complexity of the No. 1 Rose I wouldn’t hesitate to pair it with anything from the charcoal grill, most especially the grilled fish, half chicken, or the lamb. 

Visit the Parts & Service Facebook page to view the menu online and book your table!

Exciting news! Our wonderful glittering star, Cuvée Adele, is back!

The release of this wine has been highly anticipated, with some of our clients joining the waiting list over a year ago!

This limited edition vintage cuvée was originally crafted specially by Daniel as a proud tribute to his wife Adele on a significant birthday and first released six years ago.

This 2013 vintage is only the second release of this stunning wine. And, once again, Cuvée Adele is available in extremely limited numbers. The wine is blended from handpicked grapes which are whole bunch pressed, (80% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Noir).

This extraordinary wine sparkles with a tightly focused bouquet exhibiting light biscuity notes, toasted nuts and a firm mousse. It's also a sight to behold, beautifully presented in a wonderful gift box. With this latest release the gift box has been enhanced... In full Hollywood starlet mode, it lights up when you open it, illuminating the stunning Swarovski crystals on the bottle!

This is a perfect gift for the Christmas season, but be quick... We have extremely limited numbers and are taking orders through our cellar door only. You can phone or email to reserve your bottle. Contact us HERE.

The fabulous Taste of Auckland is once again on the menu from 1st to 4th November.

It's the tenth year for this sensory extravaganza that foodies flock too, and this year the event will occupy all of Queens Wharf in Auckland’s CBD. We'll be there to bring you a taste of No. 1 Family Estate wines. Find out more and buy your tickets HERE.

If you're heading to Auckland for the weekend and want to indulge in a taste of the city outside of this fabulous event, we asked our woman on the ground in Auckland, Virginie Le Brun, for her top tips for dining...

Virginie's Recommendations:

Breakfast with a view:

Takapuna Beach Cafe.

The food is fantastic! While it can be rather busy especially on the weekend if there's a wait you can take a walk along the beach. The restaurant will give you a  table pager, in the shape of a wee lobster, that will buzz when your table is ready! There's also a pretty modern gelato/ice creamery attached. The Takapuna Beach Cafe is unlicensed so if you’re looking for a 'sparkling' breakfast or hair of the dog, you'll need to look elsewhere. Visit website.

Mid-morning Pick Me Up:

3 Beans Coffee.

Located in the City Works Depot, Wellesley St. These guys have been around for a while but they’ve still got game... Their coffee means business. Visit website.

Lovely Lunch:

Giraffe in the Viaduct.

They’re open for breakfast lunch & dinner with a beautiful menu and wine list. A funky, yet child-friendly restaurant… And when they ask, yes I think you would like to see that cheese trolley. Visit website.

The Sawmill Brewery & the Smoko Room.

This is a Sunday favourite. And, although, it's not really in Auckland, the food & craft beer is definitely worth the drive. Luckily for the Taste of Auckland visitors this year the Smoko Room is exhibiting! So you can skip the hour drive north & taste what they have to offer down at shed 10. Hurrah! Visit website.

Delicious Dinner:

Ponsonby Road Bistro.

A long held favourite of mine. The impressive wine list, great service & menu in the stylish, yet cosy decor makes for atmosphere I never want to leave. Visit website.

Siostra in Grey Lynn.

Casual with a lovely menu and a beautifully considered wine list. Try the cheese filled crumbed jalapeño, sometimes spicy but always yum. Visit website.

Little Jimmy on Manakau Rd.

Great menu, the burger is my favourite! Plus a fantastic wine & drinks list. Visit website.

At No.1 Family Estate we think that all too often sparkling wine is reserved for special occasions.

We prefer to live life as Madame Lily Bollinger did, she is famous for saying, “I drink Champagne when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it, unless I'm thirsty.”

Here are three reasons, why we believe that bubbles should be enjoyed more frequently:

• There’s always something to celebrate – Yes, life is full of milestone events… Significant birthdays, engagements, weddings, new family members. But there is so much more to celebrate in life than occasions. How about celebrating a mid-week catch up with your girlfriends? A change in season is certainly worth raising a glass for. We’d even endorse celebrating the fact that you’ve managed to find five minutes peace and put your feet up at the weekend. Celebrating the simple pleasures in life is just as important as celebrating the big moments!
  
• A glass of bubbles makes everything feel special – A mid-week supper of fish and chips becomes a gourmet feast with a glass of something sparkling. And who doesn’t want to feel special more often? We can thoroughly recommend the life-enhancing properties of a glass of No.1 Cuvée!
• Life is short – Buy the shoes, wear the fancy frock, eat the cake and drink the sparkling wine! Not necessarily in that order. There’s an old Chinese proverb that says “Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think.” We couldn’t agree more, bottoms up!

Buy your bubbles here!

Father’s Day is just around the corner, (Sunday 1st September), and we have a special competition running to mark the occasion.

We're giving you the chance to win this fabulous Father's Day gift for the person you think is the Best Dad in the world!

The BBQ Boss Kit includes:

• A No.1 Family Estate branded apron
• A fine set of BBQ tools
• A $50 New World Gift Voucher

All presented in a beautiful wooden gift box

To be in the draw you simply need to fill out a short form. Don't forget to share with your friends, because for every friend that enters from your unique referral code, you'll receive a bonus entry.

ENTER HERE

For a real celebration lunch add some fizz to your Father's Day BBQ.

If Dad has been fishing, choose the classic No.1 Cuvée to pair with fresh fish and seafood. But if duck or lamb is your preference, enjoy the seamless balance of subtle cherry and almond with No 1 Rosé.

Sometimes it's difficult to choose between the two! That's why we created Two for One, a bottle of No. 1 Cuvée and a bottle of No. 1 Rosé in an elegant presentation box. A perfect Father's Day Gift!

Buy Your Wine Here.

At No.1 Family Estate we’re rather keen on a little romance… Give us hearts, flowers and a love story and there’s only one thing we’d add… Bubbles!

There has long been an association between sparkling wine and love and romance. So, as you can imagine we’re rather delighted that August is Romance Awareness Month!

To mark this auspicious month, we thought we would share three ways to relight your fire with fizz!

• A night out – Date night is the perfect way to rekindle romance! Go old school with a movie and meal out… Check out this list to discover all the wonderful restaurants around New Zealand where you can treat your love with a glass (or two) of No.1 Family Estate bubbles. It goes without saying that all these marvellous eating establishments have been tried and tested by the team at No.1 and come highly recommended!
• A night in – Same premise, different backdrop. Nothing says I love you more than preparing a romantic feast of favourite foods for your lover. Keep it simple… The best date night suppers are. You don’t want to be elbow deep in washing up bubbles when you could be sipping No.1 bubbles instead!
• A surprise gift – Flowers are fancy, but certainly won’t last as long as your love. Chocolates are charming but choose carefully to be sure you select only favourites. Bubbles, however, are a brilliant choice! Something you can share together and create sparkling memories!

Buy yours HERE!

Every year we enjoy welcoming hundreds of visitors to our cellar door. We love being able to share our wines with you, and we also enjoy being able to answer your questions.

Because we know that not all of our No.1 fans are able to visit the cellar door, we thought we'd share some of the questions we get asked most frequently, and, more importantly, the answers!

Your Cellar Door Questions Answered

In what environment should I store wine?
Most wines should be stored on their sides to keep the corks moist, thus fully swollen and airtight. This is because, in time, the cork in a bottle stored upright will end up shrunken and dried-out, exposing the wine to air. However, when it comes to sparkling wine, the humidity between the base of the cork and the wine provides more than sufficient humidity to keep the cork moist and swollen. It's, therefore, unnecessary to store the wine on its side. All wines are affected by light, with sparkling wine being particularly prone. So, your wine should be stored in the dark, preferably in any wrapping or even inside a box. The temperature should also remain constant.
 
At what temperature should I store wine?
While 11°C is supposed to be the perfect storage temperature, anything between 5°C and 18°C will suffice for most styles of wine, provided there is not great temperature variation over a relatively short period of time. However, sparkling wines are somewhat more sensitive to temperature than other wines. While it will be no problem keeping sparkling wine, for a year or two at a constant temperature between 12°C and 18°C, long-term storage does require a cooler environment, ideally between 9°C and 11°C.
 
How long can I keep a wine?
Generally speaking, a vintage wine will last longer than a non-vintage wine. A general rule is that a vintage wine will keep for anywhere from 5 to 10 years, whereas a non-vintage wine will keep for 3 to 4 years. There are also countless factors that affect the longevity of a wine, including the producer, the quality, the grape composition, but most importantly the temperature and the environment in which it is kept.
Our No.1 Cuvée and No.1 Rosé will continue to bottle age for another 8 to 10 years from date of purchase, however, No.1 Assemblé will age a lot faster due to the Pinot Meunier. The vintage wines will continue to age beautifully up to 18 to 20 years past their vintage dates. These estimates are based on correct storage conditions.
 
At what temperature should I serve my bubbles?
Anything between 4.5°C and 7°C is ideal for a slow release of the mousse.
 
What does Brut mean?
Brut is a term to indicate the sweetness level of a sparkling wine. Brut Nature  (0-2g/L sugar), Extra Brut (0-6g/L sugar), Brut (<12g/L sugar), Extra-Sec (12-17g/L sugar), Sec (17-32g/L sugar), Demi-Sec (33-50g/L sugar) and Doux (50  
What does Vintage and Non-Vintage mean?
Vintage is made from the harvest of a single year. Whereas non-vintage is a term used to refer to wines blended from multiple harvest years.
 
What does Cuvée mean?
Cuvée refers to the finest portion of the pressing, being the most acidic and highest quality juice. It is generally the first 2,050 litres from a 4,000 kilogram press.
 
Does a spoon in the bottle keep sparkling wine effervescent?
Many people have cited anecdotal evidence that a teaspoon, handle down, into the bottle’s mouth helps keep sparkling wines effervescent in the fridge for a day or more after opening. There’s just one problem. Belief in the spoon tactic, which is of uncertain origin but seems especially prevalent in Europe, appears to be misplaced. Much better to invest in a bottle stopper, or don't leave any wine in it... Enjoy with friends, instead!

At No.1 Family Estate you'll know we make only one type of wine but we make it exceedingly well... There's a reason Daniel is known as New Zealand's Grand Poobah of bubbles!

We're delighted to let you know that we've recently been awarded two new Gold Medals!

• GOLD for No.1 Rose at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships
• GOLD for Cuveé Virginie at the Sommelier Wine Awards

Latest Reviews

Elin McCoy (award-winning journalist and author who writes for Bloomberg News) for Decanter
 
Just before the annual Central Otago Pinot Noir festival in January, I was dutifully working my way through an Air New Zealand tasting in a boring hotel conference room in Queenstown, when I was bowled over by a sparkling wine I’d never heard of before. The non-vintage No1 Family Estate, Reserve from Marlborough had the fresh, complex, salty, biscuity-rich finesse you find only in Champagne – and very good Champagne at that. The experience reminded me how much pleasure I get from an unexpected wine discovery, and how many surprises New Zealand always seems to deliver. […]
 
I caught up with the maker of the No1 Reserve, Daniel Le Brun, at a sparkling wine brunch in Marlborough later in my trip. A native of Champagne (where his family had made Champagne for generations), Le Brun arrived in Blenheim in 1978, well before the region surprised the world with its new-style Sauvignon Blanc.

Within two hours, so he says, he was convinced he could make sparkling wine there. He’d trained with his father and grandfather in Champagne, and, he chuckles, ‘I was the renegade, the first to leave since 1642’.

New Zealand’s pioneer of making solely ‘traditional method’ cuvées learned to adapt to the country’s climate while keeping Champagne yeasts and ‘other technique secrets’. His first winery, which still bears his name, was sold in a complicated takeover in 1996; his first cuvée under the No1 Family Estate label debuted three years later.

An impromptu sampling – ranging from the quality, elegance and layered chalky crispness of the basic No1 cuvée, to a fragrant rosé, to the 2009 special cuvées Virginie (named for his daughter) and Adele (his wife) – showed the region’s potential for great sparkling wine. […]”
 
Go to full article: here

Alyssa Vitrano for Grape Friend

“[…] Although New Zealand is mostly known for still wines, the few wineries producing sparkling wine are worth noting. 8 wineries have even started Méthode Marlborough to promote their traditional-method wines. We had a brunch where they paired them to a plate of savory bites and then a plate of sweet ones, and they were all pretty good.
 
Two sparkling wineries in the country stood out to me the most, though. In Marlborough, I tasted through the whole lineup at No.1 Family Estate, the only winery in NZ totally dedicated to sparkling wine, with founder and winemaker Daniel Le Brun and his daughter Virginie. Daniel came to New Zealand in 1978 from Champagne, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about these wines – ie, they’re fantastic!
 
Aside from the fact that you can’t grow Pinot Meunier very well in NZ (that’s one of the three traditional Champagne grapes), everything else about Daniel’s wines are about as close to Champagne as you can get. I loved the rosé which was light, very dry, and full of elegant strawberry. My other favorite was the gorgeous 2009 Virginie, a vintage sparkling he made when Virginie turned 21, which was full of honey and fleshy baked apple with a rich mouthfeel. But the whole lineup was elegant and had incredibly fine bubbles. Expecting them to come in at Champagne prices, I was shocked when they said most of them were under $35 (though the vintage Virginie and Adele are more).
 
Only problem is that they don’t make much and therefore don’t export a ton to the US, which is too bad since restaurants would crush it if they had any of these by the glass. […]”
 
Go to full article: here

Is it time to sample some award-winning wine yourself? Shop online HERE.

At No.1 Family Estate we get lots of visitors to the cellar door, from both New Zealand and overseas. Almost everybody who visits us is keen to enjoy a glass of No.1 Family Estate wine, in the comfort of their own home!

Here are four of the most commonly asked questions we get asked by those visitors.

Is it safe to pack a bottle in my suitcase?
If you are wondering if the bottles will break on your flight, fear not. Although the plane's interior goes through small changes in atmospheric pressure, the cargo compartments are pressurized and heated. If they weren't, then all sorts of containers might explode and/or freeze. Nevertheless, to help ensure your wine gets home safely, we recommend that you place your bottle in a sealable plastic bag (try a WineSkin from our shop). After this, wrap the bottle to give it extra cushioning for the trip. Towels, sweaters, pants and shirts are good options. These will help protect the bottle from bumps and bruises during transportation. Finally, try to position the bottle snugly in the centre of your suitcase and surround it with more clothes.

Can I buy your wine outside N.Z.?
Certainly, you can. Here are the contact details of our distributors:

• Amathus - UNITED KINGDOM
• NZ Wine Navigator - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• Connexion Oenophilia Inc. - CANADA (Montreal & Ontario). Also available through the LCBO and SAQ Stores
• Village Cellars Ltd - JAPAN

Where can I buy your wine in N.Z.?
Download this PDF  to discover a list of all the stores and restaurants where you can find our wines in New Zealand. 

Can I buy your wine at the cellar door and have it delivered to my home address within N.Z. or overseas?
Yes. Within New Zealand we will send the wine for a freight charge of $8. For overseas deliveries, check out NZ Wine Exports.