What our Customers are saying about Ascension. 

 

For Lunch or Dinner:

 

“Excellent”

Reviewed 17 March 2015

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our viit to this Restaurant within the Winery with friends who have visited on many occasions and highly recommended it. The main meal (Italian) was beautiful and although we did not have a sweet our friends did and it looked beautiful and they said it was excellent. We would come back to this restaurant without hesitation. The waitress was very attentive and our meal was served quickly.

 

Beautiful Setting Delicious Food”

Reviewed 13 February 2015

 

Driving to the vineyard from Auckland was no trial, the countryside was stunning verdant & lush. The vineyard is set prettily amongst a garden & offers a carefully selected range of food - all of it is of extremely high quality using fresh ingredients; we loved our shared calamari starter & the veal cutlet was a real hit as a main course. Driving precluded really getting into the wine-list in a major way but the glasses of pinot & sauvignon blanc we shared were enjoyed by all.

 

“A little piece of Tuscany”

Reviewed 26 February 2015

 

The outside of this building really looks like it should be in the Tuscan hillside. We visited for lunch, the atmosphere was very relaxed but the service was very good and attentive when you needed it to be. Light snacks as well as a la carte all available either inside or in the outside courtyard. A beautiful garden too.

 

“Italian ambience”

Reviewed 1 January 2015

 

Superb wine and food and the setting was gorgeous, sitting outside in the garden area on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Great menu selection. Will definitely come back again

 

“Very happy”

Reviewed 2 December 2014

 

We recently returned to one of our local restaurants and were thrilled. The ambience is great, the food delicious, fresh and plentiful. My husband is gluten intolerant he was very well catered for as well. We will definitely be returning to try a pizza !!

 

 

For Special Occaisons

“Awesome 50th wedding anniversary experience”

Reviewed 27 January 2015

 

We recently held our mum and dads 50th wedding anniversary at Ascension and had an awesome experience. Carlie and the team were great. We chose a buffet menu for the occasion and they were very open varying the set menu to suit our tastes. Dietary requirements were also easily catered for. The food on the day was fantastic. A number of our guests were Italian and many commented on the quality and authenticity of the food. One of them said that the squid ink risotto he had was just as good as his grandmother used to make. High praise indeed! The service was great - relaxed and friendly and we really appreciated access to the outdoor area and lawn for the kids to run around on. It was a fabulous day which ended with 2 very happy parents and many satisfied guests. We thoroughly recommend it.

 

“Fantastic Christmas Function Hosts”

Reviewed 16 December 2013

 

Arranged for our company to celebrate Christmas at Ascension this year. The team at Ascension made the organising a breeze and they were very accommodating to our group. We had a fantastic time playing the outdoor games available and having drinks in the sun followed by a lovely buffet.

We all had a great time and thank you so much for helping us celebrate the year.

 

“Delicious food!”

Reviewed 1 January 2015

 

My partner and I went to the New Years Eve party last night and we were warmly welcomed when we arrived with a glass of bubbly. The meal was a buffet - my favourite was the squid and potato salad with a delicious lemony sauce, but all of the choices were great - pork belly, tuna sashimi, salads, pumpkin risotto, chicken, antipasto - wow. Dessert was nice and light, individual lemon meringue tarts and fresh fruit. A very enjoyable night with fireworks at midnight. The staff were awesome, very attentive and professional.

 

“Lovely lunch & show on fathers day”

Reviewed 9 September 2013

 

Four of us booked into the lunch and fathers day show on 1 September and packed our bags for the weekend to Matakana. The buffet lunch was excellent and the show was very funny and we had lots of laughs. Thank you Ascension Winery for making our weekend so enjoyable.

 

For Weddings:

 

Toby & Bek

 

Absolutely fantastic venue, staff, location, food, everything!

We chose Ascension Wine Estate for several reasons:

1. The location was meaningful. Rebekah and I have been coming up to Omaha / Matakana for years to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The location is not far out from the central city and on an average day takes just over an hour from the East Auckland suburbs.

2. When you come down the road heading towards Matakana, you cannot help but take a look at the Estate - stunning, making it synonymous to the region (Google it). We have been regular visitors to the restaurant and wine tasting when we come up to Omaha and always felt the food and service was excellent. A big part of the appeal was not only the stunning restaurant and belfry but also the vineyard that lays a pleasant backdrop for wedding photos.

3. The help and thought of the people from Ascensions during the wedding planning process is amazing. Firstly it was very easy to book a meet and greet time with Carlie who is an absolute specialist in helping you plan your wedding. We always felt reassured leading up to the wedding and took on recommendations from Carlie. With our wedding date being in Autumn and outside among the vines, there was always the risk of bad weather. However, there was always a back up plan to have it in the belfry,

4. The wedding day went to plan with no complaints. It was an awesome evening with great service and food. All our guests LOVED the wedding!

Highly recommend it!!!

Wedding Date: May 17, 2014

 

Matt Hinton

Having just celebrated our first wedding anniversary it seems like a good time to reflect on the day and share our experiences with others. My wife and I chose Ascension Wine Estate as we were wanting a vineyard setting, somewhere close enough to Auckland and ideally a complete package for wedding and reception.

At first we thought the package was going to be out of our price range and the idea of having a wedding planner seemed over the top. However, after our first meeting we were completely sold on Ascension and even our toughest critic the parents were impressed. Carlie and the rest of the team are incredible and offer an untold amount of support for any bride and groom from planning down to the smallest details to delivering what was a flawless evening without any issues at all.

We took advantage of their preferred suppliers who knew how everything worked at the venue and also we knew would not let us down. The celebrant delivered a beautiful ceremony, the chef’s produced the most delicious banquet, wait staff ensured their wines were flowing while the DJ kept the dance floor packed all night long. When it came time for us to leave as scheduled before the guests we ended up changing things around as we were having too much fun to let the party finish.

While we are biased like any couple would be, we have now been to quite a lot of weddings of friends and family at a range of settings and venues and we still love everything about our day and would not change anything at all.

 

Wedding Date: April 5, 2013

 

Ricky

 

WOW. What magical day.

The best part for me (apart from marrying the girl of my dreams) was how easy the whole process was. From back-up plans, to ideas when we got stuck, to communicating and looking after our guests. It was all handled. Nothing was too hard or couldn’t be done.

Carlie was very friendly and hospitable every time we went to visit and we could tell that she was genuinely interested and excited about our big day.

I would without hesitation recommend Ascension to anyone who is looking for ‘that perfect venue’ We had many comments like “the best wedding I have ever been to” and “The most beautiful wedding I have been to”

Ascension didn’t treat us like a client. They treated us like family.

Thank you Carlie & Ascension.

Wedding Date: February 16, 2013

 

Nicola Morrison

 

When Jason and I were deciding on a venue for our wedding, we both loved the idea of Ascension. Firstly because it’s so beautiful, and also as we were getting married in the middle of Winter, we wanted a single venue in which we could be married, and have the reception, and I could walk into - in a long white dress, without getting wet! We thought it would probably be very expensive, but, after looking into the prices and what came with the package, we realised that it was extremely well priced, and what we considered to be good value. From the very beginning, the people at Ascension made us feel as though our wedding was the only one that actually mattered to them! And Carlie felt more like a friend chatting to us about what we could do, than a member of staff. Our wedding day was absolutely seamless. every single thing was perfect. it looked amazing, the food was spectacular and the wine was delicious, and our guests felt the same way. As a bonus, even though the weather before and after our day was torrentially bad, our day was a stunning clear blue sky day without a breath of breeze. ( I’m not sure if Ascension can actually be credited with this…. But who knows!?) the great weather meant we could stand around outside for a time to mingle with our guests before heading to the cellar for some awesome photography. I don’t think I have ever been more happy in my life. Neither of us wanted the day to end, and we stayed right to the very end. I can’t recommend Ascension highly enough. If you’re marrying the perfect partner, you deserve the perfect venue. Ascension has it all.

Wedding Date: August 18, 2012