Cellar door and cafe
Our chic, contemporary cellar door is where you can taste a range of our opulent, quality portfolio of fine wines. The Desert Heart Cellar Door is stylish, convivial and inviting, an idyllic place to enjoy delicious food and exquisite wines whilst taking in the magnificent 360 degree views from the Kawarau River, Mt Difficulty, Gold Sluicing’s and the mighty Pisa Range. Come and enjoy an intimate tasting with owner Denny.
Our Cellar Door Opening Hours
Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday 11.30am to 4.30pm.
For booking please call us on our mobile as we are busy at the cellar door and maybe we can’t see your email in time.
Delight in Desert Hearts gourmet platters and savour our light bites complimented with a glass of our excellent wines.
We do charge a small $10 fee per person for tasting, however this is absolutely refundable if you decide to purchase any of our wines.
Desert Hearts Menu
At Desert Heart, we make every effort to surprise and delight!
Welcome to Desert Heart where our beautiful wines are created, with what is best for the land, the grape and the soul. When you sit down to eat at Desert Heart you are sitting with our family, you become part of that family. We are not pretentious, just fun, and creative with energy, passion, and generosity. Share a taste of “Desert Heart” and the culture and care that created it.
BITES
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Desert Heart Popcorn (GF) 8
Tossed in butter, sea salt & chilli flakes – addictive!
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Warmed Olives (GF, V) 7
Olives tossed in fresh rosemary, garlic, and lemon zest.
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Cheese Rolls (3) 9
The quintessential famous South Island treat.
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Our Pate with Sour dough Toast 17.5
Free-range chicken livers cooked in DH Pinot Noir served with comichons and toasted sourdough bread.
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Sliders (2) 15.5
Filled with delicious slow cooked pork in DH Chardonnay, tossed in a fabulous lightly spiced Asian dressing with coleslaw tossed in garlic aioli.
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Goat Cheese (GF) 18
Soft goat cheese rolled in dried fruit, nuts, fresh herbs and drizzled with honey, served with plain crackers and Caroline’s seed crackers.
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Sardines with Toast 17.5
Sardines in oil with lemon served with toast, pickled red onion & pickled currants.
SOMETHING ELSE
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Texan Style BBQ Brisket Open Faced Sandwich Yummy! 19
A brisket sandwich with juicy, exploding flavour, melt in your mouth slow cooked (8 hours) brisket piled on a slice of toasted sourdough with crunchy, light coleslaw and pickled red onion.
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Fish Tostadas (GF) Zappy, zingy deliciousness! 18
A flat crunchy taco topped with Sriracha chili mayo, our coleslaw, Lemon Sole fish (an abundant fish found in South Island waters), more delicious Sriracha mayo topped with a spicy corn salsa.
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Our Phil’s Smoked Salmon 21.5
Simple but utterly delicious! Salmon cooked using freshly shaved oak from a DH Mackenzie’s Run PN barrel served with horseradish & dill mayo with sourdough toast.
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Edamame, Pea and Mint Bruschetta (2) 16.5
Downright Tasty! Smashed edamame, pea, and mint, with crumbled feta, dukkha, served on toasted sourdough bread.
PLATTERS
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Desert Heart Shared Platter 29/pp
This platter is intended to tempt, please the eye and stimulate the palate. A delicious selection of changing seasonal produce from our kitchen may include the following but not limited to: our Pate served with cornichons, beef tataki on a spoon, unwrapped spring roll, ’a bloody Denny’ (our version of a bloody Mary) lamb with tzatziki dressing, roasted carrot and cumin smash, our rosemary and lemon zest hummus, edamame bean, pea and mint smash, crostini with whipped feta and roasted grapes/pickled currants, or crostini with seasonal toppings, sushi rice balls, filo-ette filled with blue/cream cheese and chives, marinated mushrooms, chargrilled seasonal vegetables, meatballs with chilli sauce, tasty cheddar & quince jelly and/or other seasonal treats, served with lavoush, toasted sourdough bread and tortilla crisps. Available either as a two - or three-person platter. Price is per person.
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Cheese Platter 35
Kitchen’s selection of 3 cheeses - served with quince jelly, relish, fresh fruit, parmesan wafers, ginger bread, nuts, lavoush and Caroline’s seed crackers.
GF, Vegetarian, Vegan & Dairy Free options are available on request.
We will take all reasonable efforts to accommodate guests’ dietary needs, however individual foods may come into contact with one another due to shared cooking and preparation areas. Thus we cannot guarantee that cross-contact with foods containing gluten/nuts will not occur. If you have any dietary requirements or allergies, please inform one of our team members.
