A Queenstown hotelier and Bannockburn winemaker have joined forces to launch a two-day wine event over Labour Weekend they hope becomes an annual shot in the arm for the tourism/hospo industry.
The Rees’ Mark Rose and Felton Road’s Blair Walter are organising the Central Otago Wine Auction Weekend over October 26 and 27.
Four Central wineries — Felton Road, Prophet’s Rock, Rippon and Quartz Reef — and out-of-region winery, Martinborough’s Ata Rangi, will each host pinot noir masterclass tastings at the Bannockburn Hall on the first day.
The second day starts with a live and online auction, at The Rees, targeting local and global wine collectors with rare and aged wines. These include a Burgundy grand cru with a reserve price of $50,000-plus.
"If it sells, it could go, I would have thought, anywhere up to $70,000," Rose says.
"Returns on wine over the years have been extraordinary."
The wine lots — about 300 — will include cuvees made for the 14 editions of the former Central Otago Noir Celebration, featuring labels illustrated by famous Kiwi artists like Ralph Hotere, Sir Grahame Sydney and Bill Hammond.
They’ll be auctioned off for the Central Otago Pinot Noir Charitable Trust, which has so far raised about $315,000 for medical and rescue organisations, in particular. That night The Rees will host a five-course degustation dinner featuring two wines from each of the five winery stakeholders.
Rose says "the whole idea of the event is [because] I’ve always wondered why, unlike the rest of the wine regions in New Zealand, we haven’t celebrated our wine and food — I know we used to do it in Queenstown, but it’s stopped".
"The first year, it won’t be bigger than Ben-Hur, but the idea is to use that as a springboard next year to make it a bigger event for the district."
Rose says they chose late October as it’s in a tourism shoulder season and wineries have time on their hands.
