Spending 90 minutes drinking wine and eating chocolate - and calling it "work".
Yesterday, the Queenstown Times was invited to an exclusive tasting, featuring products from two Queenstown businesses which have teamed up before the Real New Zealand Festival, which will coincide with Rugby World Cup 2011.
Gibbston Valley Winery, one of the first commercial wineries in the area, has continued its pioneering spirit in its latest venture with Patagonia Chocolates, offering customers a slight (and tasty) twist on the traditional wine tasting experience, which will form part of the Matches Made in Heaven event, beginning in September.
Gibbston head winemaker Christopher Key, winemaker Sascha Herbert, general manager Ashling Swirtz and head chef Mark Sage gathered at Patagonia's Frankton factory yesterday, where owner Alex Giminez had been hard at work finding chocolates to match six of the winery's best products.
Mr Key said the winery had always been interested in trying new ideas - wine and chocolate seemed to be the perfect match.
Although it will be trialled during the Real New Zealand Festival, if it is successful, it is a venture which will be continued.
"We know the pinot noir goes very well with chocolate, through personal experience, and we wanted to extend beyond that.
"Chocolate and wine matching is good fun - really good fun."
Mr Giminez said when he was approached by the winery he "loved the idea", with his wife enlisted to recommend chocolates to match the pinot gris, reserve chardonnay, blanc de pinot noir, pinot noir, pinot noir reserve and the late harvest riesling.
While it had proven a challenge to find chocolates to match with white wines - their chilled nature meant the chocolate didn't easily melt in the mouth - "I think we can work and try to make a few other ones".
However, after 90 minutes of thoughtful looks, slow chewing, blissful eye rolling, claps and hands on hearts, the initial tasting was pronounced a resounding success.
For this reporter, the temptation was too much and after politely declining several offerings, I succumbed.
The verdict?
The definition of a match made in heaven.
