The Edge - Escarpment Martinborough

The Escarpment Vineyard Edge range includes Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. It has been created to allow more fruit driven easy drinking expressions of these varieties. They are made without the use of oak and usually include small amounts of residual sugar. This means the wines are ideal for current vintage drinking and make great aperitifs. For this reason they are often found sold by the glass in restaurants.

All fruit for the Edge is from Martinborough and is processed in the same meticulous manner Escarpment wines are made.

These wines  age gracefully but make for great drinking in the first one or two years after bottling.

About Escarpment Winery:

Situated just 5 kilometres east of Martinborough village, Escarpment’s 24 hectares of distinctive alluvial gravel, terraced land stretches out along the banks of the Huangarua River.

Overlooking the vineyard are the Aorangi Ranges, the very hills made famous by Kupe the great Polynesian voyager who discovered New Zealand, according to Maori legend. Kupe left his three canoes, Nga Waka, on top of the range, giving rise to the now familiar landmark of the district, the “Nga Waka-o-Kupe” or three flat-topped hills on top of the range, which resemble unturned canoes.

Under Winemaker Larry McKennas leadership since Escarpment’s inception in 1999,  the Escarpment team aims to reward wine lovers with progressive and suggestive wines that encourage them to venture to the edge of wine loving and appreciation.

New Zealand Goat's Milk Cheese

Cranky Goat

Cranky Goat produce hand made goat cheeses using goat milk from their neighbouring farm in Marlborough Sounds. They focus on cheese that is made using traditional methods and recipes with a taste that is enjoyed by everyone, rather than focusing on people with a more discerning palette who prefer a stronger flavoured cheese.

Their varieties of cheese include soft cheeses ranging in flavours, feta and halloumi and are available from September to May.

Recently, the Cranky Goat team team have released a cow's milk cheese range, Moody Cow, made with Oaklands A2 Cows Milk and available from May-September in between the goat's cheese seasons.

The Drunken Nanny

The Drunken Nanny are based just south of Martinborough in the Wairarapa. All their milk comes from their own herd of milking doe and all milking and cheese making is done on site.

Their award-winning cheeses are clean, sweet and mild in flavour and include a smooth chevre style fresh cheese range, soft cheeses and feta.

The cheeses are available from September to around March.

Cranky Goat and The Drunken Nanny goat's cheeses are available from Moore Wilson's Fresh Markets when in season.

Tendertips Asparagus

Husband and wife Geoff and Liz have been growing asparagus and supplying New Zealand food grocers since 1980 and now their son Cam and his wife co-own the business with them.

They grow several varieties of asparagus, including purple asparagus, and all are grown within 20km of their packhouse, in Himitangi, Foxton and Poroutawhao areas. The geographical spread of crops provides some protection against isolated climatic events.

The Tendertips Asparagus season is typically 100 days, from mid September till Christmas and occasionally they will have a small amount of asparagus to sell from January to March.

Tendertips Asparagus is delivered and sold daily to food grocers throughout New Zealand. They also export to Japan. Their Japanese customers enjoy the sweet flavour profile of our asparagus as well as the fresh quality. They have received feedback that their asparagus is the sweetest in the world and they put this down to the temperate growing climate of the Horowhenua.

They have also more recently diversified into strawberry growing in polytunnels under their new brand Lewis Farm.

You can find Tendertips Asparagus and Lewis Farm Strawberries, when in season, in the Moore Wilson's Fresh Markets.

Scapegrace

Scapegrace was founded in 2012 by brothers-in-law Daniel McLaughlin and Mark Neal who both had a passion for premium gin and spirits and is now sold in almost 40 countries around the world. Scapegrace’s spirits are made at a distillery in Canterbury, using a 19th century copper pot still.

Now the fifth-highest selling gin in New Zealand, they have also branched out into making vodka after realising that the majority of the vodka available in New Zealand produced overseas.

Scapegrace vodka is distilled once, rather than four times as is common in some other brands. It takes about three or four days to make a bottle. The vodka has a velvety texture, super clean and balanced, with a slightly creamy and sweet finish.

Find Scapegrace gin and vodka online here and in store.

Siggy's Pies

Siggy Woolloff's pies started during her time as head chef at Plimmerton Boating Club. After she decided to put pies on the menu they gained contracts from the Plimmerton Rugby Club, and then at the Waikanae Golf Club. From there word spread and she was approached by food retailers and cafes wanting to sell her pies and in 2014 she opened her own shop making and selling pies.

Siggy never planned on becoming a pie maker nor opening up her own pie shop but now she boasts that they make the heartiest, tastiest and just downright bestest pies in the known universe...in Waikanae on the gorgeous Kāpiti Coast.

Siggy's make both meat and vegetarian pies, as well as continuously creating new a delicious flavour combinations.

Find a range of Siggy's Pies in store at Moore Wilson's.

Massimo's Italian Cheeses

Massimo and his wife started Massimo's Italian Cheeses in 2010 after moving here from Puglia and they realised there was a gap in the New Zealand market for fresh Italian cheese. They started selling their cheese at La Cigale market in Auckland and have since grown to sell their products in supermarkets and grocers nationwide.

They have won multiple awards for their hand crafted cheeses. Their range includes buffalo mozzarella, cows milk mozzarella, bocconcini, cherry bocconcini, burrata, stracciatella, ricotta, tvorog and some rare varieties such as caciocavallo.

Find a wide range of these cheeses in store at Moore Wilson's.

Whitestone Cheese

Whitestone Cheese was founded in 1987 as a diversification during the 1980’s rural downturn and a series of crippling droughts. Bob’s experience in livestock trading was quickly applied to cheese trading. The original factory was set up in Oamaru in a converted garage with milk sourced from local farms and one variety, Whitestone Farmhouse was launched. The business slowly grew as an extension of the farming operation until todays purpose built factory was commissioned in 1998. Son Simon joined the business bringing a new set of skills and the farm was sold to concentrate on growing the exciting family enterprise.

Whitestone Cheese source their milk locally where possible. The fresh cow’s milk comes from North Otago Fonterra dairy farms and goat’s milk is sourced directly from a single Washdyke farm just north of Oamaru. All of their milk is delivered fresh and raw to be pasteurised at the factory to produce export certified cheese.

They utilise traditional cheese making methods which is true to the heritage of cheese, the process is natural as are all ingredients. Their range of award winning cheese includes, blue, soft, semi soft, feta and vintage cheese.

Moore Wilson's stocks a wide range of all types of White Stone Cheese.

Kingsmeade Artisan Cheese

On the outskirts of Masterton in the Wairarapa, Miles and Janet King have been making ewe and cow's milk cheeses since 1998 and have since won many awards.

Kingsmeade makes 14 different varieties of cheese, half from ewes' milk and half from cows'. All are uniquely hand crafted, ranging from the aged hard varieties to the deliciously soft.

Miles is heavily involved in all aspects of the farming and cheesemaking with daily milking, cutting and packaging. Each batch of cheese is hand made in the factory on the farm, right next to the family home. Janet runs the Kingsmeade shop and dispatches orders all across New Zealand.

They have 200 East Friesian sheep. Traditionally, this breed of sheep have been used as milking sheep mostly in Europe. They are known as friendly, clever, robust, highly fertile (they usually have twins or triplets) and are good milkers. Sheep's milk is extremely high in nutrients compared to other kinds of commercially available milk. In many cases, it is more readily digestible to people who suffer from lactose intolerance. Evidence suggests it can also help people with eczema and other allergies.

Here at Moore Wilson's we stock a range of Kingsmeade cheese:

• Castlepoint Feta
• Mt Bruce Havarti
• Ngawi Brie
• Opaki Manchego
• Sunset Blue
• Tinui Blue
• Wairarapa Jack
• Woodside Emmental

Over The Moon

Based in Putaruru, South Waikato, Over The Moon is a boutique cheese factory making a wide range of specialty cheeses from locally sourced goat, cow, sheep and buffalo milk. They have been producing cheese since 2007 and have since won many awards world-wide. They make around 24,000 kilograms of cheese each year and are committed to developing and promoting New Zealand dairy using international research, development and innovation.

Their cheese making is done using traditional processes, paying homage to the great time-honoured methods of cheesemaking internationally. Their cheese range includes traditional hard cheeses like Cheshire and Romano through to the soft cheeses, blues, halloumi and washed rind.

Here at Moore Wilson's we stock a range of Over The Moon cheese:

• Aroha Camembert
• Black Truffle Brie
• Camembert Goats Milk
• Creamy Blue
• Double Delight Brie
• Galactic Gold
• Goat Camembert
• OMG Triple Cream Brie
• Ricotta

Clevedon Buffalo

Just south of Auckland on the shores of the Hauraki Gulf is where Richard and Helen Dorresteyn run their family business, owning and operating 200 head of Riverine water buffalo. They produce multiple award-winning fresh buffalo mozzarella, bocconcini, ricotta, yoghurt and marinated buffalo cheese from their fresh buffalo milk.

Clevedon Buffalo started when Richard and Helen decided they needed a cheese producer to sell fresh cheese at their weekly farmers market so in 2007 they started the first New Zealand buffalo farm. They are involved in the whole process from farming to making, testing and tasting each product to ensure their cheese is of high standard.

Buffalo milk has a sweeter, cleaner taste than cows milk. It is A2 and contains significantly more protein and calcium than cow’s milk. It has roughly half the cholesterol of cow’s milk. Those who are intolerant to other dairy products often find buffalo milk readily digestible.

Here at Moore Wilson's we stock a range of their products, including:

• mozzarella and bocconcini
• marinated cheese
• ricotta
• oaxaca (Mexican style string cheese)
• tartinade (cheese spreads)
• yoghurt

Recipe - Savoury French Toast with Tartinade and Mushrooms

Serves 4

Find more recipes using Clevedon Buffalo fresh cheese on their website here.