Certain things on this earth are just meant to be together – Brad and Angelina, Whirl and Velvet Teddy, and as we are rediscovering, duck and pinot.

Since the beginning of May, top chefs around the country have been whipping up signature duck dishes to complement a selection of Cloudy Bay pinot noirs as part of the sixth annual Cloudy Bay Pinot & Duck Tasting Trail.  Now that there are just two weeks left for diners to experience a range of unique takes on this fail-safe combo, we thought a public service announcement was in order.

Although it started out overseas, the Cloudy Bay Pinot & Duck Tasting Trail has been a New Zealand-based event for the last three years. It’s objective is to showcase the best of the country’s food and wine expertise and encourage the concept of eating according to the season – duck hunting season, to be exact. It achieves this by offering diners a premium culinary experience at set prices you won’t be able to say no to.

Cloudy Bay estate director Ian Morden told us that pinot and duck are such a great match because the soft acidity of the wine cuts through the richness of the meat but its strong flavours don’t get lost in it.

To be honest, with last year’s exceptional pairings still giving us foodie flashbacks, we didn’t need much convincing to head back to our favourite haunts for round two. If your arm needs a little more twisting, however, note that if you share your first Tasting Trail experience on Facebook, you’ll be in with a chance to continue on at another participating restaurant with a restaurant voucher to the value of $200. Simply upload a picture of your favourite dish to Facebook, tag it with #pinotandducknz and #cloudybaynz and you’re in the draw.

What the duck are you waiting for?

Participating restaurants

Auckland: Oyster & Chop, The Pullman Hotel, Monsoon Poon, Vivace, The Grove, Baduzzi, NSP, Sails Restaurant, Habourside, White and Wong, Botswana Butchery, Bellini at The Hilton Hotel
Christchurch: The Little Bistro, Baretta, Empire, JDV
Queenstown: Botswana Butchery, The Hilton, Pier 19, Rata
Wellington: Monsoon Poon, Juniper, Foxglove Bar and Restaurant, St Johns Restaurant & Bar
Taupo: The Hilton Lake Taupo

For more information, visit the Cloudy Bay page on Facebook.