Wine Bottle Light

A southern trail of epicurean fancies

AH. What better way to round off a day spent fishing in the crisp mountain air of the Mackenzie Country than a sumptuous salmon fillet served with fennel, grapefruit and apple slaw, red pepper coulis and cherry tomatoes, and accompanied by a delightful Chard Farm Closeburn chardonnay?

Wait, I'll answer that question myself. What would have been a whole lot better is for me to have caught the salmon, or failing that, a trout, myself.

I had everything organised. The chef at Peppers Bluewater Resort, at Lake Tekapo, had agreed in advance to cook the fish for me. My personal fishing guide was Ryan Clark, who's been fishing these waters since he was about five, and thinks he probably caught his first fish at age seven.

The Tekapo Canal, where we fished, was spectacularly lovely with its turquoise waters framed by autumn-gold trees and snow-capped peaks. And, best of all, it was full of fish.

True, most of the fish were in the cages of the Mt Cook Salmon Farm, sitting in the water running through the canal from Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki, but they do get free from time to time and Ryan said he'd caught a few over the years.

There were also lots of trout, because we saw them jumping, and one even porpoised across the surface of the canal in front of us. Even Ryan was surprised: "I've never seen a trout do that."

My wife, Chris, hooked a couple of trout - Ryan reckoned they were a good size - though she wasn't able to land them.

But I had no joy at all. I hooked the line of a woman fishing on the other side of the canal (twice). I caught several snags. I even dropped one cast on to one of the pontoons holding the salmon cages so Ryan had to break the line to get it free. I think perhaps I got two bites. But never a trout on the line.

Nevertheless, we had a great time and, luckily, there was always the salmon on the menu of the hotel's Rakinui Restaurant to fall back on.

It was a pleasant break in our journey from Christchurch to Queenstown, through the Mackenzie Country, exploring the food and wine of the South Island high country.

But whereas the first leg was overflowing with foodie opportunities, the first 250km of the second leg, from Lake Tekapo to Queenstown, was a bit of a gourmet desert.

I did spot a sign for the Clay Cliffs Winery in Omarama, said to be the country's highest vineyard, and got excited about the prospect of trying its high country pinots (noir, gris and blanc) and muscat, but unfortunately it was closed so we had to make do with a flat white at the Wrinkly Rams cafe.

DIY Wine Bottle Christmas Lights - Orlando Wine Guide

I found an article online a few days ago showing you how to make a Wine Bottle Christmas Light that involved drilling a hole in the back of a wine bottle, then threading through the Christmas lights. I thought it looked quite easy so I gave it a try. After 20 minutes of drilling and still with more to do I got bored. Therefore I came up with my own way of making Wine Bottle Christmas Lights, and I PROMISE that it will take less than half the time!

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