No.1 News and Updates

Following the release of No.1 Assemblé, the first wine in New Zealand to be labeled as “Méthode Marlborough” instead of Méthode Traditionelle, we’re thrilled once again to be part of a Méthode Marlborough event.

One Night, Five Courses, Ten Sparklings

Following an immensely successful inaugural dinner earlier this year, this second spectacular dining event will take place at the Omaka air field.

Celebrated local chef David Anderson and his team will create a five course menu paired with the delicious and complex flavours of the region’s most prestigious traditional method sparkling wines, and served around a vintage spitfire aeroplane.

The evening will be hosted by a winemaker or representative from each winery.

WHEN: Saturday 21 November 2015 at 6.30pm.
WHERE: Aviation Heritage Centre, Omaka Aerodrome

Tickets are strictly limited. $150.00 per person or $1,350 for a table of ten.
Contact Nicola Clark on 03 572 6208 to reserve your tickets.

We’re all rather thrilled that No.1 Assemblé has been spotted “out and about” of late…

Here are a few reviews we’ve spotted this week.

Firstly, Yvonne Lorkin suggests that you go “au naturel” and invest the $35 you might have spent on a half-leg wax on a mouth-watering bottle of No.1 Assemblé instead… We couldn’t agree more! Read the full article HERE.

Then we spotted the following in Dish Magazine. Most of all we love that the article refers to Daniel as “New Zealand’s Grand Poobah of bubbles”!

Méthode actor

New Zealand’s Grand Poobah of bubbles, Daniel Le Brun, has crafted the country’s first sparkling wine to be labelled as Méthode Marlborough, instead of the more generic Méthode Traditionelle. Named “Assemblé” (ah-som-blay), it’s a blend of 60 per cent pinot noir and 40 per cent chardonnay and carries Daniel’s brand new No.1 Family Estate company logo. The Le Brun family is a foundation member of Méthode Marlborough Society (an organisation set up to protect the quality and heritage of Marlborough’s finest bubbles), and other members will soon be using the Méthode Marlborough brand on their labels too. – Dish Magazine

Wine and food writer, Ewan Sargent also reviews Assemblé…

No.1 Family Estate Méthode Marlborough

The key thing here is not so much the easy-drinking No.1 Family Estate bubbly, which has always been a bright, smooth, bready pleasure, but more the new name. This is the first of a series of bubbles coming out of Marlborough from a variety of companies which will drop the “Traditionelle” nomenclature. It marks another step in the march of Kiwi wineries to claim a greater sense of terroir in what they make. We should welcome this growing maturity within some of the world’s best wines.– Ewan Sargent

You can buy yours HERE.

In our last blog post we shared a 10 tip guide to ensure you bubble with happiness during the winter months… Tip number 4 was to “Stay Social”; tempting as it is to hibernate in winter, a social event with the family and friends you care for, is often a much needed antidote to the winter blues. If you still feel it’s too much effort to leave the warmth of your cosy home in the evening, try a day-time event…. We have the perfect idea!

A winter warming afternoon tea

Ingredients…

• Warm savouries – Think warmed mini cheese scones filled with apple and winter fruit chutney or tiny Welsh Rarebit fingers (find a recipe HERE)
• Traditional finger sandwiches – Cucumber, smoked salmon, chicken with mayonnaise… All the classics!
• Cakes and sweet treats… Perhaps a winter fruit cake for a distinctly festive feel, (try this RECIPE)
• Something chocolatey and delightful… How about Salted Caramel Choc Pots?
• Your best tea service… This is the time to use that beautiful china, handed down from Great Aunt Ethel, if you don’t have a tea service scour the op shops for cake stands and other pieces, they really don’t have to match!
• Winter warming teas – Harney & Sons Fine Teas have a wonderful selection
• Bubbles… Of course! Buy Yours HERE
• Great company

Method…

Combine all the ingredients… Mix well… Enjoy!

Here at No.1 Family Estate we’re proud to specialise exclusively in Méthode Traditionelle wines, all are produced from top-quality, hand-harvested grapes grown exclusively for making this style of wine and processed through the state-of-the-art equipment imported from Champagne.

Here are a few facts you might not know about the wine we produce…

• No.1 Family Estate produced the first non-vintage true Méthode Traditionelle on the market in New Zealand.
• During the second fermentation each bottle of our Méthode Traditionelle wine contains about 90 pounds per square inch of pressure, that’s the same as a tyre on a London bus.
• A cork can reach a velocity of about 64 kilometers per hour if popped out of the bottle.That’s why we recommend that once you have removed the tear tab, you take the top of the foil off and loosen the cage. Then hold the cork firmly in your hand and twist the bottle. Twisting the bottle rather than the cork means you exert force on the bottle neck not on the cork which would otherwise be more likely to break. You also have more control on the cork popping to prevent the explosive release of gas.