Kāpiti Coast restaurant owner shines spotlight on women winemakers
Sunday, 22 February 2026
A good food and wine match is like teamwork, chef Helen Turnbull says - with both parts making the whole stronger.
At her Paraparaumu restaurant 50-50, on the Kāpiti Coast north of Wellington, Turnbull has made an effort to pick wines made by women winemakers to accompany her meals.
She offers a wine-pairing accompaniment to the set menu, which consists of six or nine courses. Currently, half the wines on the list are by women makers.
Turnbull said the industry was full of brilliant women who hadn’t always been fully acknowledged.
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“I feel this is one way we can shift that and put them into the limelight, just as much as women in hospitality need it,” she said.
About half the customers choose to order wine alongside their food. The restaurant’s menu changes month to month, with the wines changing to match.
Turnbull opened her restaurant close to a decade ago. 50-50 has received rave reviews, including a prestigious hat from the Cuisine Food Awards.
While opening a restaurant outside a main centre was a risk, Turnbull said it was one that paid off due to the Transmission Gully motorway making Kāpiti Coast more accessible. Her customers come as far as Wellington, Whanganui and Palmerston North.
Winemaker Jenny Dobson is one of Turnbull’s picks for her current menu. Dobson is based in Hawkes Bay and in the industry for 40 years.
“Not only does her wine taste amazing, but all her wines are named after family members. I just think that’s a really fun story that she’s added to her wine making.”
Through highlighting women winemakers Turnbull said she had made amazing connections, with people often suggesting new women to include in her pairings.
She had met a few winemakers this way and had been blown away by the amount of knowledge these women possessed.
“It’s about building a wider community. So many female winemakers are being really excited this is happening, and really supportive. So I’m enjoying the process and meeting new people and getting to learn new wines.”
When guests understood who made the wine they were drinking, their entire dining experience became so much richer and more connected, Turnbull said.
“They get the really cool story behind the wine, and why they've made it and what they're doing.
“This is something that really helps our guests feel here and a part of the place. That’s something I think hospitality does.”
Finding the best wine pairing could be difficult, Turnbull said. “Sometimes I have to open lots of bottles of wine to make it perfect.”