Taste Jazz: The flavour of fun

News release
March 18, 2009

Taste Jazz: The flavour of fun

Food and wine to delight will be the perfect accompaniment to an afternoon of live jazz in the picturesque north quadrangle of Christchurch’s Arts Centre next month.

New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival director Jodi Wright has selected some of the region’s finest gourmet producers to take part in the inaugural Taste Jazz event on Sunday, April 19, from 11am to 5pm.

The event is designed to appeal to food and music lovers.  It will give people the opportunity to sample gourmet food and wines as they listen to some of the country’s most talented jazz musicians.

Arts Centre Director Ken Franklin says the north quadrangle in combination with the Great Hall is the perfect place to enjoy some of the best product that Canterbury has to offer.

“Food and music give people so much pleasure that we wanted to create a memorable event to combine both, and these beautiful buildings and grounds will provide that perfect environment."

Among those confirmed to take part in Taste Jazz are:

•    Restaurant Schwass, the Christchurch restaurant set up by renowned local chef Jonny Schwass, which has quickly established itself as one of the Garden City’s must-visit restaurants.

•    Petrini, a Ferrymead restaurant, delicatessen and wine bar that plays homage to the founder of the Slow Food Movement. The restaurant serves dynamic, modern, European cuisine and the deli provides a comprehensive range of quality dry goods, wines, oils, vinegars, and other local and imported delicacies. There is a cheese room and European baker onsite, and Petrini is home to an amazing wine selection.

•    The Richard Till Grill, with TV chef and Kiwiana cookbook author Richard Till, who during his time in the restaurant industry, has also cooked for Stevie Wonder, U2, Miles Davis, Simply Red, Jimmy Barnes, New Order, the English cricket team, and thousands upon thousands of kiwis.

•    Daniel Schuster Wines, which produces finely crafted, organic and classically structured Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay from its winery nestled on the sunny limestone-rich slopes of its Omihi Hills Vineyard in Waipara.

•    Black Estate Winery, a family owned vineyard on the warm, sunny slopes of the Waipara Valley, where the wines are hand crafted using artisan techniques to create exceptional Waipara Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling

•    Torlesse Wines makes stylish and distinctive wines from specific vineyards in Waipara. All its wine making from crushing, fermentation and barrel maturation, through to bottling is completed on site at Waipara Village.

•    Waipara West produces wines from its own low yielding vineyards situated on terraces along the Waipara River. Wines produced include Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Ram Paddock Red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

•    The Twisted Hop is the only brewery producing traditional English style cask conditioned ales in Christchurch. A selection of real ales are brewed onsite in the Poplar Lane brewery, bar and restaurant.

•    New Zealand’s first cupcake shop, The Cupcake Parlour, opened in Victoria Street by cousins Annabel Newman and Kirsten Taylor in 2007. It has become a favourite haunt for those with a sweet tooth and a hankering for glamorous, individualised cakes.

•    She Chocolat, set in beautiful Governor’s Bay and the ultimate destination for chocaholics wanting to taste, touch, temper, tantalise and treat themselves to the best chocolate experience.

Mari Schuster of Daniel Schuster Wines, says she sees wine and music as working hand-in-hand and the marriage of the two at an event like Taste Jazz makes perfect sense.

“We hope that by taking along local wines we can further enhance people’s enjoyment of the performances,” Mrs Schuster says.

Cupcake Parlour co-owner Annabel Newman is excited about being involved in Taste Jazz. “We play jazz in our parlour and to be part of such a great Christchurch festival - a festival that we personally revel in - is wonderful. For us it’s the frosting on the cupcake!

“Being able to enjoy delicious treats and cool jazz makes for a complete sensory experience,’’ Ms Newman says.

Providing the music at Taste Jazz will be: Sacha Vee, Samson Nacey Haines Trio, Courtenay Washington, Pacific Underground, Naomi Ferguson, and the Stu Buchanan Quintet.

For details of the full festival line up and ticketing information go to www.jazzfestivalnz.com

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