Leading wine estate reinvigorates for Summer

With a new food offering and a diverse summer events calendar, Matakana’s Ascension Wine Estate is refreshed and ready for the season’s visitors.

The 16-year-old Spanish-mission styled vineyard, cellar door and entertainment venue has undergone something of a gastronomic makeover during winter.

Owners Darryl and Bridget Soljan are refocusing, spending more time front of house and there’s a new, more casual epicurean menu.

Ascension is the gateway vineyard to the bountiful Matakana area making it a prime landing point for day-trippers and the Soljans have been fastidious in listening to what their customers want.

“We’re very active in terms of communicating with our clients and listening to their feedback and their comments have played a big role in shaping our planning for the future,” Darryl says.

“While our family has made a living from wine and food for five generations the wines really are my first love. So I am spending more time front of house mingling with guests and talking about the wines and the new menu – more a ‘wandering’ winemaker than a ‘flying’ one.”

Darryl says the cellar door remains open but wine tasting is now also available at the table where he will mingle, answer questions and explain what makes Ascension’s vintages so special.

The food offering – now called The Larder - is more casual and has an artisan focus. Ascension’s renowned chef Predrag Jankovic calls on his Croatian heritage producing  cured meats, pates, terrines, breads, sweets, soups and the like on site.

“Predrag’s connection with the land is very strong,” Darryl says. “He was brought up with pigs and prosciutto like I was with grapes and wine.

“Our aim is to serve a high quality, affordable and relaxed food offering, a place to linger, sample the wines and enjoy a more comfortable and personal wine and food experience.”

Fine local cheeses are a feature of the deli cabinet including those from nearby Puhoi Cheese and the Whangaripo Buffalo Cheese Co which is just over the hill from Ascension.

The Larder also stocks a range of top French fromage, and Pedrag’s crusty beef bourguignon pies have been flying out of the kitchen (closely followed by his creamy celeriac and prosciutto soup and raspberry & mocha tart).

A visit to Ascension is an opportunity for wine enthusiasts to enjoy a number of rarer grape varieties. Plantings include some of New Zealand’s first Viognier grapes, the mystical Flora and stylishly rustic Pinotage.

Flora is a stunning variety similar “but superior to” Pinot Gris – ask Darryl to explain when you visit. Darryl and Bridget have also just planted Tannat, a “massive” red variety from the south of France.

Functions and weddings remain very popular at Ascension and the Soljans have developed an exclusive arrangement with leading Auckland caterers Dawsons and Urban Gourmet.

“Dawsons and Urban Gourmet really are two of Auckland’s foremost firms and the style and standard of cuisine for special occasions at Ascension is only enhanced with them on board,” Darryl says.

Ascension has a busy event season ahead with concerts planned by Bonnie Rait, The Village People, Greg Johnson as well as the Classic Hits Winery Tour and other international artists to be announced soon.

For lovers of things thespian, Melbourne’s Essential Theatre Company returns for Ascension’s annual ‘Shakespeare in the Vines’ outdoors among the vines on January 5 2013.

Always a popular day-drive destination, Ascension Wine Estate at Matakana is refreshed and ready for the summer season.