Wine & Food

To make a reservation or contact us for more information:

T: +64 3 450 1100  E: truesouth@therees.co.nz

Each month we create menus that show case the spectacular produce available in Central Otago. We are very proud of the relationships that we have developed with our local suppliers – our chefs believe that some of the best produce in the world is found in our district. We want you to experience a sense of surprise when you dine in either Bordeau, our wine lounge or True South Dining Room – something delicious, exciting and unexpected!

The award-winning True South Dining Room at The Rees Hotel in Queenstown epitomises sophisticated elegant dining. Take a journey to one of Queenstown’s hottest restaurants on Lake Wakatipu and see why Executive Chef and rising culinary star, Ben Batterbury, has cultivated such a following.
Guests are treated to a sense of surprise when they dine in the True South Dining Room – with something delicious, exciting and unexpected!

“There is no better place to sample the excellent local produce than The Rees Hotel True South Dining Room.” – Valli Little, Delicious Magazine

True South’s pride in our region is expressed with a menu of dishes based mainly on local produce. Where possible we source high quality ingredients from suppliers in Central Otago, buying local not only assures freshness and quality control, it reduces food miles and encourages sustainable practices.
Offering mouth-watering monthly menus, with daily tweaks and seasonal changes, the menu showcases Ben’s signature style that is fresh, clean on the palate and exhibits creativity, innovation and above all, amazing flavour. The calibre of Ben’s skill has seen him win excellence awards from Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Ora King Salmon.

Our wine offering has both breadth and depth, combining the fine wines and vintages of France, Italy and Australia with the famous producers of New Zealand. Each bottle tells the distinctive story of its origins – the terroir, the winemaker and the vintage. At the Rees Hotel we have developed a private cellar of one of the most comprehensive collections of fine Bordeaux wines in the Southern Hemisphere complimented by some of the great names in Burgundy. Our cellar stock also celebrates the growing international stature of the best winemakers of our homeland. It is our firm belief that there is an unserved appetite amongst discerning people for regular opportunities to savour the best wines in the world alongside the best from New Zealand – to enjoy them served in the best decanters and the best glasses designed for each wine – and to know more about the distinctive provenance of the wines they favour.

The Bordeau Lounge Bar at The Rees Hotel is dedicated to the enjoyment of fine wines, tasty foods and the comfort of good company, either in front of the fire place or looking out over Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkable Mountain range. Wines from world renown chateaux of Bordeaux, including Latour, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, Haut Brion, Petrus, Lafite Rothschild, Cheval Blanc and d'Yquem with wines from some of the great Houses of Burgundy, including Romanée-Conti, Faiveley and Comte Georges de Vogue nestle with the great wines of Central Otago and New Zealand in a professionally-managed, temperature-controlled wine cellar servicing the Bordeau Lounge Bar and True South Dining Room. Food offerings include appetising selections of Central Otago’s finest in-season produce, vegetables, cheeses and condiments, designed specially for Bordeau and freshly prepared by our chef, are presented for your enjoyment. Coffee, prepared to exacting standards, a wide range of fine teas and home baked scones and pastries are constantly available to complete a unique food and wine experience in Bordeau at The Rees Hotel.
We have created Bordeau Lounge Bar as a place where guests can taste the best wines from both the old and new world.

In Bordeau we continue the celebration of Central Otago’s culture and heritage – with a French twist. The Lounge Bar is named for Jules Bordeau – the eccentric old storeman and packer who plodded up and down the Skippers Canyon road for over 50 years, providing a lifeline to the goldminers working in its remote reaches. There is a strong French presence in the history of New Zealand wine making.
James Busby, the British resident agent and first known winemaker in New Zealand, was trained in Bordeaux.
The Marist Brothers who created our oldest winery, Mission came from France.
The settlers who planted the first vineyards in Akaroa’s French Farm Valley came from the Nantes-Bordeaux Region
The first commercial vineyard in Central Otago was established by a French gold prospector Jean Desire Feraud.