Villa Maria Wine Dinner at Le Venue Penang [Video]
Villa Maria is quite a well-known wine here and regarded as one of the most awarded New Zealand wineries. Villa Maria has vineyards across New Zealand, with its major production being from Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough and Auckland. Villa Maria Estate has a portfolio of several major brands: Villa Maria, Vidal, Esk Valley, Thornbury, Riverstone, Left Field, Kidnapper Cliffs and Te Awa. With an eye on the future sustainability, Villa Maria is the first major winery to go 100% cork free. The owner Sir George Fistonich hails from Croatia and settled down in Auckland in the early 1960s. Michelle Lam, the exports markets manager of Villa Maria was present to introduce the Villa Maria wine range and share some interesting stories with us. She has vast knowledge on the wine industry and is based in Auckland.
It was our first time at Le Venue even though we’ve heard rave reviews about the place. Le Venue is a French cum Mediterranean Progressive Cuisine, French Pastry focused restaurant concept under one roof, headed by Chef Petr Fehér. Chef Petr is no stranger to Penangites, dubbed the Mat Salleh (Foreigner in Malay), he boasts an impressive international portfolio of brands including Four Seasons and Eastern & Oriental Penang for the past 20 years under his belt.
The dinner was a 5-course menu with matching wines from Villa Maria. This is a invitation-only dinner organized by IWFS Penang, so we were grateful to Asiaeuro Wines & Spirits for extending the invite. Asiaeuro Wines & Spirits is one of the largest distributors of wines, spirits, sake and premium bottled water (S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna) in Malaysia.
The food was impressive, we especially loved the sashimi-grade Hokkaido scallops, braised wagyu beef cheeks which practically melt in our mouth and his chocolate dessert which was the perfect ending. The chocolate dessert was made from high-grade luxury chocolate brand Valrhona from the renowned French wine growing region of Hermitage.
The food presentation and plating were something to be admired and worthy of a fine dining restaurant. The first two courses were a good pairing with the crisp, citrus and highly acidic Sauvignon Blanc which are the signature of New Zealand wines. Meanwhile the main courses were superbly paired with the Reserve Merlot which was an elegant wine with herb nuances enhanced by integrated oak. We were utterly surprised to taste such an impressive depth and complexity in a Merlot.
We truly enjoyed the educational and awesome dining experience. Villa Maria winery will surely be in our itinerary for our next visit to New Zealand. Also looking forward to try the Sunday Mat Salleh seafood brunch at Le Venue soon.
Le Venue Penang
Address: 80, Lebuh Tye SinGeorge Town, Malaysia
Tel: 012-400 2072
Web: www.facebook.com/pg/levenuepg
