The cellar door and café at Moutere’s Kahurangi Estate has reopened as Tasteology @ Kahurangi after month-long renovations. Cameron Woods and Maria Gonzalez, formerly of the Neudorf Vineyards cellar door, are running the venue aided by Mikel Arrieta, who used to be chef at Moutere Hills Winery.
“The two of us felt like it was time to branch out on our own,” Woods said of the project. “We love interacting with people and love the wine industry, this gives us the ability to combine both and be in control of our own destiny. We spent three weeks putting our touches on it, and we want it to feel warm and approachable for people.”
Changes include the removal of the Kahurangi International Selection and replacing it with a small bar serving local craft beer and cider.
“[Customers] come in to a cellar door and think they don't know anything and are almost scared they will make a fool of themselves,” said Woods. “We wanted to break down some of those insecurity barriers, anyone can come in and say we don't know about wine, we just say taste it and see if you like it, if you don't then let's try something else.”
