For the last seven years, Regan Jasper, director of Hospitality and Beverage for Fox Restaurant Concepts, has orchestrated the creation of a customized private label pinot noir served at all of the company’s restaurants. Known as Fox Block, the eighth vintage is going to be released in the new year. Those interested in a getting a preview, can do so with Jasper from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 23 at NoRTH in La Encantada.

“Our first restaurant was in Tucson, so we want to give Tucson the first taste of Fox Block Eight,” says Fox Restaurant Concepts CEO Sam Fox.
While many restaurants feature private labeled wines, often as their house wine, rarely do they feature the quality and caliber of wines that have been selected for Fox Block. Jasper has worked with some of the best pinot noir producers in the country for Fox Block. For this eighth edition, he has taken his palette abroad to create a wine from Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago, New Zealand.

As the popularity of Fox Block continues to grow, the challenge has been finding quality pinot producers that are capable and willing to commit a significant block of their vineyards to a Fox Block vintage. From producing 140 cases of the initial Fox Block One, Fox Restaurant Concepts will release more than 2,200 cases for the New Zealand Fox Block Eight.
In January Fox Block Eight will be added to the wine lists at NoRTH, Wildflower, Zinburger and Blanco Tacos + Tequila.

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The restaurant group’s unique wine program, driven by Regan Jasper, Fox Restaurant Concepts Sommelier, has worked closely with selected winemakers from leading wineries over the past eight years to craft a Pinot Noir specifically and exclusively for Fox Restaurant Concepts. The launch of Misha’s Vineyard Fox Block Eight represents the first time there has been a partnership with a winery from outside the United States.

“I choose Pinot Noir as our custom wine because it’s my personal favourite and it’s the most universal wine. The Pinot’s I blend have bright fruit and are high in acidity, so they are easy to drink alone, and they also pair well with food” said Jasper. Jasper flew to Central Otago in March 2011 to work alongside Misha’s Vineyard winemaker Olly Masters on a blend of Pinot Noir that was destined to be Fox Block Eight.

“Working with Regan to have a New Zealand Pinot Noir featured as part of his Fox Block program has been a very rewarding project but it’s particularly exciting for us as it’s also our first foray in the US market which is predicted to be the market with the biggest potential for premium New Zealand Pinot Noir” said Misha Wilkinson, co-owner of Misha’s Vineyard along with her husband Andy.

The fact that the Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir is the eighth in the series of Fox Block wines is very auspicious given the connection the vineyard has with Chinese gold-mining and the number eight which is a particularly lucky number in Chinese culture. “Our spectacular lakefront location marks the site where many Cantonese discovered gold in the 1880s and we have an uncanny recurrence of the number 8 on the vineyard” explains Wilkinson. Misha’s Vineyard is located on State Highway 8, on land that was originally known as Sheep Run 238 and the direction of the vineyard rows are at 288 degrees on the compass.

“We also have 8 clones of Pinot Noir on the vineyard, our first commercial vintage was in 2008 and we have 8 wines in our range. And as luck would have it, the Pinot Noir for this Fox Block wine just happened to be blended on the 8th March so of course it was destined to be Fox Block Eight” added Wilkinson.

The Fox Block wine program began modestly, producing just 140 cases in its launch year, but has grown to 2,200 cases for Fox Block Eight. Each year Jasper chooses a different winery to work with selecting them according to a set of criteria which requires the vineyard to own all of its own vineyard land and to be producing Pinot Noir at a very premium level. Jasper admits that it is getting more challenging to find the right wineries to enter into this sort of partnership. Prior to working with Misha’s Vineyard, Jasper worked with wineries from Oregon and California including Patricia Green, ZD Winery, Davis Bynum and Calera.

Misha’s Vineyard Fox Block Eight has just been launched and is now available at four outlets and by the beginning of next year it will be rolled out across all Fox Restaurant Concept establishments in the United States.

“It’s been a great partnership with the Fox Restaurant Concept team so far and we hope this auspicious wine brings us continuing success in the US market” says Wilkinson.

- ends -

For further information please contact:

Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited
Misha Wilkinson – Director/Owner Tel: +64 210 2200812 Email to misha@mishasvineyard.com

* Editors Note: A range of high resolution photos of Misha’s Vineyard is available on request.

About Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited www.mishasvineyard.com
Misha’s Vineyard is located on one of the most spectacular sites in New Zealand at the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare (140 acres) estate provide the optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and a range of aromatic white varieties. The ‘no compromise’ philosophy behind Misha’s Vineyard wines required an exacting sustainable viticulture regime, hand-picking of the estate-grown fruit and considerate as well as minimalist winemaking methodologies. Under internationally renowned winemaker Olly Masters, the highly anticipated range of Misha’s Vineyard wines won critical acclaim from their launch in 2008 and in 2010 they were named one of New Zealand’s Top 20 Producers by (UK) Decanter magazine.

About Fox Restaurant Concepts www.foxrc.com
Fox Restaurant Concepts (FRC) is the privately held parent company of a collection of unique concepts in Arizona, California, Colorado, Texas and Kansas. Founder Sam Fox began with a single restaurant, Wildflower in 1998, and today heads a dynamic, growing restaurant group now encompassing 12 concepts across 31 restaurants with more than 1,900 employees. The concepts range from upscale casual and fast casual, to mixed food service and retail operations. Led by creative visionary CEO, Sam Fox, FRC will continue to create, develop and build successful and innovative new and existing concepts in high-traffic centers in key markets. FRC is committed to supporting its communities and donates hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to various non-profit entities through donations, fundraisers, community partnerships, and special events.

Download PDF Press Release

“Setting out from Asia, our home for many years, we wanted to find the best place in the world to grow cool climate grapes and most particularly Pinot Noir – the “holy grail” of grapes and also the most difficult to grow”, says Misha Wilkinson of her impetus for starting he own winery in New Zealand seven years ago.

After 18 months and much walking over potential vineyard land, Wilkinson and her husband, Andy, found themselves standing on the dramatic lakefront terraces of Bendigo Station, a high country sheep station in the Central Otago region of New Zealand where some of the world’s finest Merino wool is grown. The couple knew instantly that this was the site for Misha’s Vineyards.

Download PDF. Wine Ways, Wine & Dine Magazine

Attending the dinner were journalists, sommeliers and trade buyers from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The meal was a series of perfectly prepared small plate dishes including seared tuna, goose foie gras, Hokkaido sea scallops and venison loin. The desert was an amazing Cherve Goat Cheese with Macaroon delight which matched perfectly with Misha’s Vineyard Limelight Riesling.

Chef Max Chin left the kitchen once the food was out to provide entertainment – including getting our winemaker Olly Masters to perform a very brief “Haka” along with Finlux owner CK Chew.

We were truly delighted to see such good interest in the wines and to have a growing interest in New Zealand wines as a serious category of wines within Malaysia. With Asia emerging as a wine market the pure expressions and delicate flavours of New Zealand cool climate varietals is a perfect fit with the cuisine and palates of the region.

For more photos and information visit Misha’s Vineyard on Facebook!

Attached is a review of the Pinot Noir masterclass in Wellington from prominent wine reviewer Raymond Chan which featured Misha’s Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Download PDF Raymond Chan reviews

A sensational menu prepared by celebrity New Zealand Chef Peter Gordon accompanied wines from Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago at The Providores and Tapa Room in Marylebone High Street, London on 3rd May. The menu was an eclectic mix of dishes with exotic spices and delicately prepared seafood and meats which matched the wines perfectly.

The Providores and Tapa Room, featuring a popular formal dining room and a cafe/wine bar in the heart of London, is the home of the most exciting and innovative fusion food in the UK, and Britain’s largest range of New Zealand premium wines.

Download PDF of Providores Menu

Central Otago is a phenomenon in the wine world – a region that produces an infinitesimal amount of wine in global terms but a region which is not insignificant in terms of its reputation.

In the February edition of Wine Business Magazine Misha looks at whether the quality of its wines live up to the hype! The article explores the region, the organizations and the fast transition from pioneering wine district onto the centre stage of world wines.

To read the full article download the PDF version below.

Is Central Otago Pinot as Good as it Gets? – Download PDF

To subscribe to WBM – click here

Download PDF ..or.. read more

The Misha’s Vineyard wines selected by Harvey Nichols for the exclusive promotion include “The High Note” Pinot Noir as well as two of their aromatic white wines, the “Dress Circle” Pinot Gris and “Limelight” Riesling. “What struck me was the purity of expression of these aromatic white wines from Misha’s Vineyard” said Ivan Dixon, Wine and Spirits Buyer for Harvey Nichols. “Central Otago is renowned for producing some stunning Pinot Noir but Misha’s Vineyard is proving that the region can also produce outstanding white wines as well”.

Named as one of the “Top 20 Producers in New Zealand” by Decanter Magazine, Misha’s Vineyard has just joined the portfolio of Indigo Wine, a boutique distributor specialising in premium wines to the UK on-trade and specialised retail sectors.

Twice winner of the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Specialist Merchant of the Year for a specific portfolio range, Indigo Wines is excited to now be extending their representation of premium wines from New Zealand. “The reputation and growth of New Zealand wines in the UK has been phenomenal and we have been looking to expand our offering from New Zealand and particularly keen to find some great Pinot Noir” said Ben Henshaw, Director of Indigo Wine. “We were intrigued when we heard about Misha’s Vineyard – top quality Pinot Noir but also beautiful Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and exotic Gewurztraminer, all lovingly crafted by Olly Masters, the former winemaker from the famous Ata Rangi Estate” he added.

Misha’s Vineyard was established by Andy and Misha Wilkinson to produce a range of high quality cool-climate wines on a spectacular lakefront site in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago – the Pinot Noir capital of New Zealand. A ‘no compromise’ philosophy has been implemented across the entire operation which requires an exacting sustainable viticulture regime, hand-picking of all their estate-grown fruit as well as considerate and minimalist winemaking methodologies.

The naming of the Misha’s Vineyard range of wines was inspired by Misha’s opera-singing mother and also Misha’s early career in the theatre which included a stint at the Royal Opera House. “The appointment of a distribution partner is a critical decision for any vineyard but we believe our partnership with Indigo Wine fulfils our ‘no compromise’ philosophy” said Misha Wilkinson. “And to launch our wines with an exclusive promotion at Harvey Nichols certainly hits ‘the high note’ right from the outset!”

Misha’s Vineyard wines are destined for fine-dining restaurants, premium hotels and specialist wine retailers across the UK.
The range of Misha’s Vineyard wines that will be distributed by Indigo Wine is:

• Misha’s Vineyard “The High Note” Pinot Noir 2008
• Misha’s Vineyard “Dress Circle” Pinot Gris 2009
• Misha’s Vineyard “The Gallery” Gewurztraminer 2010
• Misha’s Vineyard “Limelight” Riesling 2010
• Misha’s Vineyard “The Starlet” Sauvignon Blanc 2010

- ends –

For further information please contact:

Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited
Misha Wilkinson – Director Tel: +64 210 2200812 Email to misha@mishasvineyard.com

* Editors Note: A range of high resolution photos of Misha’s Vineyard is available on request

Indigo Wine (UK)
Ben Henshaw – Director Tel: +44 7799 671 648
Olly Bartlett – Marketing Tel: +44 7776 217 726
Trade Enquiries +44 207 733 8391 Email to info@indigowine.com

About Misha’s Vineyard Wines Limited www.mishasvineyard.com
Misha’s Vineyard is located on one of the most spectacular sites in New Zealand at the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare (140 acres) estate provide the optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and a range of aromatic white varieties. The ‘no compromise’ philosophy behind Misha’s Vineyard wines required an exacting viticulture regime, hand-picking and considerate winemaking methodologies. Under internationally renowned winemaker Olly Masters, the highly anticipated range of Misha’s Vineyard wines won critical acclaim from their launch in 2008 and in 2010 they were named one of New Zealand’s Top 20 Producers by UK Decanter magazine.

About Indigo Wine www.indigowine.com
Indigo Wine was established in 2003 by Ben Henshaw who was inspired by his family’s purchase of a vineyard in the Languedoc and so decided to move from technology to a career in the wine trade. Focussing initially on a Spanish portfolio, Indigo Wine has since grown its agency business with terroir-driven and family-run vineyards from France, Portugal, Italy, Austria and more recently New Zealand. Working with some of the most renowned winemakers in Spain from both the well-established to the ‘up-and-coming’ wineries has resulted in Indigo Wine winning the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Specialist Merchant of the Year for their Spanish portfolio for the last two years. With a focus at the on-trade and specialised retail sectors, Indigo Wine has gained a solid reputation within the trade with Jancis Robinson commenting “We British wine drinkers should be grateful for the sleuthing skills of importer Ben Henshaw of Indigo Wine”.

What better way to kick off the Year of the Rabbit than by eating one? Herewith the Wandering Palate’s rabbit casserole, perfected over a lifetime and inspired by a national overabundance of rabbits and wild thyme as well as excellent pinot noir in Central Otago, New Zealand.

In my formative years down on the farm in Te Awamutu in New Zealand, rabbits were in plague proportions and weekly night-time shoots were necessary to keep them at bay. The hares were so big that they used to open the farm gates themselves.

There were no animals whatsoever in New Zealand prior to the arrival of humans. As the last country on earth to be settled, it was totally isolated for 80 million years and inhabited only by birds, insects and marine life. Rabbits were introduced to New Zealand in the 1830s largely for game sport, to remind the British settlers of home.

With no natural predators they bred out of control, but never made it on to the top of the menu either, assumedly due to an abundance of affordable chicken, lamb and beef. The irony is that today New Zealand white rabbit is the most popular breed of eating rabbit in the world.

It would be entirely different if there were a larger contingent of Italian and French inhabitants, as assuredly rabbit would be a staple and cooked in every way imaginable. You do see rabbit on the menu of top New Zealand restaurants, sometimes as a terrine, or rabbit loin is popular, roasted with bacon wrapped around it, as it is such a lean meat that it needs the fat to keep it moist.

Being so lean and healthy, literally there is very little fat on a rabbit, making normal roasting difficult unless pot-roasted with wine, chicken stock and vegetables. You can grill it successfully if marinated in oil and herbs and ragouts are certainly the best method for flavour.

My recipe is an adapted casserole and a one-pot dish that is so simple it’s embarrassing to make such a fuss about. The thing is it is so damn good that whenever I cook it, people hound me for the recipe.

I have to mention from the outset, like all good casseroles and curries, if you have the opportunity, cook it the day before as there is no substitute for a night in the fridge to let the flavors infuse the meat with a seemingly more profound overall flavor.

If it’s not overnight, you will still need to plan and start well ahead as slow braising is required, cooked to quickly the rabbit will be dry and tough. Around 4 hours is sufficient on very low heat, but you can get away with 3 or so if pushed.

I know some people cannot stomach rabbit. For some it’s the fluffy bunny issue, others think it’s going to taste gamy or simply strange, (like frog) as an unknown. The fact is it tastes a lot like free range chicken or turkey, perhaps with a little more depth and frankly, a superior flavour to most poultry.

When you buy your rabbit from the butchers, ask them to chop it up into large pieces, normally 6 to 8 pieces, partitioned into leg/thigh/ribcage. Wild rabbit is better if you can get it, otherwise farmed will fine.

Generally I cook this more often when I have access to wild rabbit, when we are in Provence or Tuscany staying at a villa with a decent kitchen, or in Melbourne where you can get it readily from the Chicken Pantry at the Queen Victoria Market. Commercially farmed rabbit is becoming more widely available in Asia, generally from France or Holland.

It is certainly more inspired by Provencal flavors, with lots of wild thyme and sage, which is redolent in the air, the oils and scents released in the summer heat. Central Otago has this very same scent in the air. The hills and vineyards are carpeted in wild thyme, which is fabulously pungent and aromatic and great to cook with. Just like the rabbits, thyme was introduced and as a non-native, was considered a weed. Yet both of these are the core ingredients to a wholesome casserole.

The other core ingredient is red wine, and while the original recipe calls for a bottle of Pierre Clavel Le Mas Coteaux de Languedoc (grenache, carignan, syrah) with its infusion of dried herbs in aroma and flavor, this adaption is calls for a young and spicy Central Otago Pinot Noir, purposely intended to get the region’s winemakers and all those pinot noir enthusiasts, no matter where you are, to embrace this menu.

And for those of you who balk at using a good bottle of red for cooking, all I can say is, any successful dish starts with the very best ingredients.

While this recipe caters for around eight people, any leftovers can be used the following day and what I like to do is remove the meat off the bone, shredding it by hand and adding it and the sauce to fusilli pasta as a dish. You can also freeze the remaining leftovers, always handy to heat up for one or two people for diner; otherwise it is simple enough to pare the recipe down to one rabbit.

Equipment

* Large heavy, deep casserole dish with lid, for stove top cooking
* Large white bowl or deep-side platter for presenting at the table (or you can just plonk the casserole dish in the middle of table on a wooden board)
* U2 Under a Blood Red Sky – Live Recording at Red Rocks (played loud)

Ingredients:

* 2 Rabbits (caters for up to 8 people)
* Olive Oil
* Plain Flour
* Salt (preferably Maldon Sea Salt) and pepper
* Dijon Seedless Mustard (two tablespoons)
* Sherry Vinegar (optional)
* Garlic (several cloves)
* Brown Shallots (several, sliced)
* Fresh sage (large bunch)
* Fresh thyme (dozen sprigs, be generous)
* Brown Button Mushrooms (welcome to use wild mushrooms)
* Kalamata Olives – about 400 grams, more if you like (preferably pitted)
* Flageolet beans – optional (tinned ok)
* 1 litre Chicken stock (organic please)
* 1 bottle (750ml) Central Otago Pinot Noir
* 1 bottle Pinot Noir Rose – to drink whilst cooking!

Accompaniments

* Sour dough baguettes (good bread is imperative)
* French Beans
* Butter Beans
* Spiral Pasta (optional)
* Mash Potato (optional)
* Cous Cous (optional)

Preparation: Plan and start well ahead! Cooking time is around 4 hours
Even better cook the day before and leave overnight in the fridge

Preparing ingredients (put U2 on, loud!)

* Peel and slice your shallots, not too fine, and be liberal – I like to use the large Australian brown shallots
* Wash button mushrooms – I like to use brown ones and add whole but you can use any mushroom you like really, indeed when we are in Italy or France I use whatever local fungus I can get my hands on!
* Peel garlic and bash the cloves with the back of a heavy knife to split
* Rinse your thyme and sage and pat dry
* Open the Central Otago Noir – pour yourself a good sized glass purely for tasting purposes. Open the Pinot Noir Rose and drink liberally throughout the cooking process – seems to make it all come together easier

Preparing and searing the rabbit:

It is important to sear the rabbit to seal in the flavour, but do not cook, you just want it to be sealed and look a little browned on the outside.

* Pre-heat your casserole dish on the stove and add good couple of tablespoons olive oil
* Put flour , salt and pepper in a bowl, plenty of grinds of both, mix together
* You will need a dish to transfer the brown pieces of rabbit into
* Coat the pieces of rabbit in flour one by one, placing in the casserole dish as you go. Do not crowd the pan, you will not be able to cook all at once, do in batches.
* Retain the cooking oils in the pan – everything is about keeping the juices and flavour
* Put you seared pieces of rabbit to one side and make sure you pour in all the juices when returning to the casserole.

Preparing the casserole

* Return casserole pan to low heat and add in slice onions and soften, never brown onions, just a gentle, slow cooking to make then soft and concentrate the flavours.
* Add Pinot Noir to the pan, which is what is called deglazing, effectively getting all the brown bits off the bottom of the casserole and allow to simmer (never boil) for 5 minutes.
* Add in the chicken stock, mustard, garlic, thyme and sage – note on the herbs, throw in whole, no need to worry about plucking leaves or tying a la bouquet garni, I just trough them in stalks and all and fish out what left (the stalks) before serving. Continue simmering and stir for a few minutes
* Return the rabbit to the casserole dish ensuring that the meat is submerged as best you can. Add another few pinches of salt and some more pepper -grind until your arm aches, more the better!
* Place lid on casserole with slightly ajar, and that’s just a tiny gap to allow reduction of the sauce. Set heat/gas flame at the lowest simmer possible, and cook for around 3 hours, checking constantly that it is cooking SLOWLY and turn the rabbit pieces, giving a good stir.

Reducing the sauce:

* About 3 hours in, remove the rabbit pieces from the casserole and set aside.
* Add in the olives and mushrooms and a couple of slugs of Sherry vinegar – optional, but I love this stuff, it gives a tangy element to the sauce similar to what balsamic does with oil and salads.
* Leave lid off and turn up heat to a more constant simmer – NOT boiling and reduce the sauce to desired consistency, about another 30 to 40 minutes. The thickness of the sauce is a personal thing. I don’t care much for really thick sauces with this type of casserole and never add any thickening agents, buggars up the flavours.
* Add back the rabbit pieces (gently, carefully, as they will be very tender by now, and make sure all the juices go in). Add in the flageot beans, couple of cans, and simmer very gently for another 15 minutes. You don’t need to cook the beans; well they are already cooked if from a tin, just warm through. They are also optional and I tend to only use them if I am intending this to be a one course dinner, fills out the dish.

Accompaniments

You should be preparing these whilst the casserole is cooking and there are several options in terms of what you can serve alongside the casserole depending on if it’s a one course meal, or part of banquet, where you would reduce the accompaniments.

* Sour dough baguettes – imperative to have good bread to dunk in the sauce and wipe the plate clean
* French Beans – sort of mandatory with these types of dishes, and you got to have your greens. I like to use the small, freshest organic beans I can find and cook in a pan with garlic. Another option is to slice the beans finely and mix with some finely sliced shallots, toss with olive oil and lots of pepper grinds, salt and place in ceramic baking dish and cook until soft.
* Butter Beans – I love butter beans as a side dish, but don’t serve these if you already have flageot beans in the casserole, a bit too much beans!
* Spiral Pasta (optional) – always an easy, well received accompaniment.
* Mash Potato (optional) I could live on mashed spuds, and it’s wonderfully cuddly if its winter and the mashed potato soaks up the sauce – very filling though.
* Roasted Sweet Potato Mash (optional) – Good old kumara, I like the softer, orange fleshed variety and they taste even better roasted then mashed, skin and all.
* Cous Cous (optional) – This goes well too, in the sense of soaking up the sauce and really easy – i.e. use the pre-cooked 2 minute version.

Summary

There is no question, the best dishes are the very best of ingredients cooked simply and yet it is not necessarily easy, with the devil in the detail and slow cooking obviously requires planning and patience.

This is the sort of dish that is great for convivial, casual dinner parties and I tend to cook it with the intention of there being no starter, maybe a bit of terrine to nibble on prior to setting down. Personally, I find it much more enjoyable following on with some really good cheese than fussing over an entree.

And the wine…

Needless to say, Misha’s Vineyard “The High Note” Central Otago Pinot Noir is mandatory with this dish.