Drink with Roger Jones

A hāngī is a traditional Māori method of cooking that involves digging a pit in the ground and using it to steam food. The pit is lined with hot stones, with the food placed on top. The pit is then covered with damp cloth and earth, which traps the heat and steam, cooking the food to perfection.

The Hāngī is a communal cooking method and is often used to cook substantial amounts of food for special occasions and events. It is a symbol of Māori culture and is often used to celebrate important events such as weddings, funerals, and birthdays.

PREPARATION

1. Selecting the stones and wood: The key to a successful Hāngī is to have good rocks and good wood. Volcanic stones are preferred as they absorb enough heat without cracking or exploding. Hardwoods like macrocarpa are excellent for creating a long-lasting fire that heats the stones to the required temperature.

2. Digging the pit: The pit should be deep enough to fit the hot stones and wide enough to accommodate the food baskets. It should be shaped like a wok, with the sides flaring out to prevent the hot stones from burning the covering materials.

3. Heating the stones: A fire is built over the pit with the stones placed on top. The fire is left to burn for several hours until the stones are white-hot. Alternatively, the fire can be built beside the pit, and the hot stones can be transferred to the pit once they are heated.

4. Preparing the food: While the stones are heating, the food is prepared and placed in wire baskets lined with leaves or aluminium foil. The meat basket is placed at the bottom of the pit, with the vegetable basket on top. If seafood is included, it is placed on top of the vegetable basket.

5. Covering the pit: Wet sacks or cloth are placed on top of the food baskets, and the entire pit is covered with earth. This traps the steam and heat, cooking the food over several hours.

6. Cooking and Serving: The Hāngī takes approximately 2½-4 hours to cook. Once done, the earth is carefully removed, followed by the sacks or cloth. The baskets are lifted out, and the food is taken to the kitchen for carving and serving.

I was served a traditional Hāngī in New Zealand with specialities such as mutton bird – think British teal (wild duck) but with a strong anchovy taste, crayfish wrapped in seaweed, abalone, shoulders of lamb, and waxy potatoes.

New Zealand boasts several top wine regions. In the North Island, notable areas include Wairarapa/Martinborough (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir), Hawke’s Bay (Chardonnay, Syrah, Cabernet), Auckland (Chardonnay), and Gisborne (Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Riesling).

In the South Island, key regions are Marlborough (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir), Nelson (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir), Waipara/Canterbury (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir), Waitaki (Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir), and Central Otago (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir).

New Zealand consistently produces high-quality wines across various varieties. While there is an abundance of good value Sauvignon Blanc, there is also plenty of premium quality, especially for those who prefer Pouilly Fume or Sancerre.
Aromatic whites like Pinot Gris offer a crisp, clean style, much drier and more linear than an Italian Pinot Grigio. Albariño, more famous in its natural habitats of Portugal and Spain, is a growing variety especially in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.

Rieslings in New Zealand can be a minefield as they produce both Mosel Germanic style and bone-dry Australian style. The Chardonnays are focused, fresh, and reminiscent of Chablis.

Sparkling wine is a growing style, and at best they are world class and similar to fine Champagne. For reds, the Pinot Noir provides a fresh, clean taste, balancing cherries and red fruit with umami flavours. A New Zealand Syrah is more akin to Rhône style rather than Australian Shiraz, and Kiwi Cabernets are delicate, refined, and fresh.

WINE RECOMMENDATIONS

• River T Pinot Gris 2024, Waitaki, North Otago: This wine features a saline nose and a fresh, clean palate with ginger spice and exotic notes. Its clean citrus flavours make it an exciting and vibrant choice.

• Church Road Blanc de Blancs Sparkling 2018, Hawke’s Bay: Top Champagne-style 100% Chardonnay sparkling vintage wine, great balance between fizz, brioche notes and stone fruit, seven years old but silky fresh with elegant notes.

• Church Road Grand Reserve Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Hawke’s Bay: Full-flavoured textured Sauvignon that has passion fruit, lime curd freshness balanced by a toasty brioche note, flinty.

• Monte Christo Riesling 2024, Central Otago: This Riesling is fresh and focused, with an Alsace style. It boasts purity, mineral/wet stone notes, and a bright, focused character.

• Monte Christo Pinot Gris 2024, Central Otago: This stellar Pinot Gris, in an Alsace style, offers attitude, mineral focus, and freshness. It has peaches and tangerine essence, with a linear, steely profile, making it a perfect summer aperitif.

• Burn Cottage Riesling Gruner Veltliner 2021, Central Otago: This wine features delicate perfumed floral notes that evolve into fresh, juicy apricots. Its minerality keeps it refreshing and moreish.

• Smith & Sheth, Albariño 2024, Hawke’s Bay: Vibrant saline wine that
has a lovely creamy texture but balances that well with a zingy oyster shell and citrus kick.

• Skeetfield Tony Bish Chardonnay 2002, Hawke’s Bay: This Chardonnay has magical poise, with essences of herbal ‘Jing’ tea, ginger crumbs, spice, saline, white peaches, and fresh citrus.

• Te Kano Land Chardonnay 2022, Waitaki, North Otago: This clean, fresh Chardonnay flows with ripe white peaches, gentle citrus freshness, and offers an appetising, mouth-filling experience.

• Burn Cottage Sauvage Pinot Noir 2021, Central Otago: This Pinot Noir offers dried strawberries and hints of truffle, with raspberry ripple notes and hints of mocha. It has zing and zang and will age gracefully into a classy wine.

• Rippon Tinker’s Field Pinot Noir 2021, Central Otago: Cocoa and spice balanced well with dark cherries, fresh, pure, focused finish with hints of forest floor, delicate truffles and moreish finish.

• Smith & Sheth Cru Omahu Syrah 2021, Hawke’s Bay: Remarkable refined Syrah, mocha, dark blueberries, granite, the purity, precision in this wine is pretty much perfect.

• Trinity Hill Homage Syrah 2021, Hawke’s Bay: Velvety silky, spiced tannins, loganberries, ripe dark notes, youthful, this will age for decades but rather good now.