Can you picture yourself on a long November afternoon in a privately owned Coatesville garden, glass in hand, with a menu by Monique Fiso? Well, now you don’t have to imagine it, because you can actually book it. Cloudy Bay has partnered with the acclaimed chef for a one-off Cloudy Bay Circle dining experience next month. It’s a rare chance to taste her cooking since she stepped back from the restaurant scene, in an off-the-beaten-path and memorable setting.
The setting is part of the draw. Mincher Garden, in Coatesville, feels a world away from the city. It is a six-star Garden of International Significance, centred on a Georgian-style home and set among formal and informal planting, native walkways and waterways, across about 20 acres. The grounds also include a walled kitchen garden and Victorian-inspired glasshouses, and the garden is usually open to visitors by appointment only.
What’s most interesting about this lunch is that it isn’t a traditional seated lunch. Instead, guests will move through sweeping lawns, mature trees and long, tree-lined avenues, finding food and wine in unexpected moments across the property. It’s certainly a dining experience that will delight the palate, and the senses.
For this event, Fiso, who is known for her considered approach to kai Māori, native ingredients and contemporary technique, has written a menu in which each dish responds to the character of a specific wine, using local, seasonal and native ingredients throughout.
“When I’m creating a menu, I’m always thinking about what’s in season, where the kai comes from and how to let it speak for itself,” she says. She sees a similar philosophy at Cloudy Bay, where the wines are shaped by the natural environment.
Six wines will be poured: Pelorus Vintage 2006 Magnum, Sauvignon Blanc 2026, Te Wāhi 2022, and three Founders’ Cellar releases, the Mustang Chardonnay 2022, Northburn Sparkling 2023 and Widow’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2025. The line-up runs from the vibrancy of a new release to the depth of older vintages.
Nikolai St George, Cloudy Bay’s Director of Winemaking, says: “At Cloudy Bay, every wine expresses its own character with clarity and balance. Monique Fiso brings the same level of consideration to the ingredients she works with. Each of these wines has something different to offer, and the menu she has created gives us an entirely new way to experience them.”
Cloudy Bay Circle is the winery’s community for people who love wine, offering curated selections, exclusive access and experiences. Tickets are limited, so best bet? Book early.
Cloudy Bay Presents: Lunch at Mincher Garden with Monique Fiso
When: Saturday 14 November 2026, 12:30pm to 4:30pm
Where: Mincher Garden, Coatesville
Tickets are $170 for non-members. A complimentary shuttle is available; select it when you buy your ticket.
