Oysters and bubbly a winning combination

Martin Bosley with the best wine and food combination Teo Point Oysters and Cloudy Bay wines.

JAN BILTON

Bon Vivant owner/chef Vicki Young and Tio Point Oyster owner Bruce Herne and with the winning dish. Bon Vivant Catering served Tio Point Oysters three ways (au naturel with Marlborough flaky sea salt, ground pepper and lemon; au naturel with rice wine vinaigrette and Marlborough salmon roe; and crisp fried in batter with roasted Marlborough sea salt). The oysters were matched with Cloudy Bay Pelorus Sparkling Wine.

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Oysters matched with crisp, bubbly champagne on a hot Marlborough day between the grapevines – to many, it sounds like heaven.

To the judges of the Supreme Wine and Food Match competition at the Marlborough Wine Festival, it was. They named Cloudy Bay's Pelorus NV (non-vintage) and Marlborough Tio Point Oysters by Bon Vivant Catering the winner.

The Tory Channel-grown oysters were prepared three ways: au naturel, with salmon roe and a vinaigrette, and deep-fried using a Cloudy Bay chardonnay in the batter.

The oysters were served with roasted garlic, lemon and basil sandwiches.

Judge Martin Bosley, of the acclaimed Martin Bosley Restaurant in Wellington, said the simplicity of the dish struck him.

"There was nothing fighting for flavour. That mineral flint of the oysters sits so nicely alongside the champagne. It was such a nice mouthful ... near-perfect."

Mr Bosley said the judges, who included wine consultant Belinda Jackson and Marlborough chef Maree Connolly, made sure that the oyster dish they were served was exactly what festivalgoers were getting, by using a "mystery shopper".

Mr Bosley said the quality of all 12 entries was extremely high, but he did find the flavour lacking in some out-of-season foods.

Cloudy Bay event co-ordinator Janine Carter said the wine company had matched Tio Point Oysters with the Pelorus NV for diners before.

She was pleased that the oysters were prepared in three styles to show how the diverse flavours matched the champagne.

The wine was very crisp, chardonnay-predominant and the more popular of Cloudy Bay's two sparkling wines, she said.

Vicki Young of Bon Vivant Catering said she wanted to offer customers the oysters in their natural state as well as cooked.

She was "absolutely stoked" to win the competition, and was struggling to keep up with customer demand for the oysters. "It could not be a better day."

Oyster grower Bruce Hearn, of Apex Marine Farms, said the oysters were grown sustainably and their flavour was boosted by the clear waters of Tory Channel, which flowed in and out of Cook Strait.

He was "over the moon" that the oysters won. "They're the best in the world."

- The Marlborough Express

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