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Happening again, 7-8 June at TSB Arena in Wellington: NZ’s Largest Wine Celebration | Winetopia Events 2024. Go into their website to purchase your tickets if you want to attend.
New Routine
It was great to have everyone help with the tables and chairs at the start of last months’ meeting and taking the same down after the meeting. Also taking the tables contents: spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen. Could we please continue this new routine.
Reminder
We can’t arrive to do the setting up activities any earlier than 7:30pm as we interrupt the cleaner(s) schedule, the cleaners are in the hall until 7:30pm.
This year’s Christmas Dinner was held at the Wellington Club, a special location for our Christmas dinner.
We had 38 attendees, who enjoyed the superb venue and the manner in which we were accommodated in our own dining space.
The meal, service and the wines for the occasion ensured and added to a splendid evening for Club members.
This was a special evening, especially for Club members who had not been to the Wellington Club previously, and some people expressed that it was as good as our evening at Bellamys in previous years.
Thanks to your committee members for all the organising for our final event for 2023.
Christmas Dinner is being held in the Terrace Room, The Wellington Club, 5th Floor, 88 The Terrace, Wellington, Wednesday 13th December
Please arrive at 6.30 pm for seating at 7.00 pm
The Wellington Club, 88 The Terrace, Wellington
For those unfamiliar with the establishment, the Wellington Club is similar to Bellamys, and members are asked to adopt a dress code that befits such a prestigious venue.
Getting there
And to repeat Wayne’s original instructions on getting there: If using public transport, get off the bus at the old Kirkcaldies/David Jones building and walk up Woodward Street.
Go through the tunnel under the Terrace and immediately on your right, you will find steps which will take you to the entrance of 88 The Terrace.
The lifts will be unlocked from 6.15 pm to allow you access to the Level 5 Terrace Room where our dinner will take place.
First time for some
Given that some members may attend the dinner for the first time, it is perhaps an opportune time to mention how our dinners operate.
You are asked to arrive as close to 6.30 pm as practical
When you arrive, you will be greeted with a complementary glass of bubbles
The meal is BYO wine, and your prepaid cost includes corkage. During the evening, it is customary to share the bottle of wine you have brought with your neighbours
We are expecting to finish sometime between 9.00pm and 9.30pm, but this is a guideline only, in case you are arranging transport home. Please try and stay as flexible as possible
Please contact Wayne if you wish to attend this event and have not already contacted him. Cost is $80 per person and must be paid on or before the 1st December, which is the close-off date for this event.
It was great to have everyone help with the tables and chairs at previous meetings and take them down at the end. Also, take the spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen.
Could we please continue this new routine?
PLEASE NOTE: We can’t arrive to do the setting up activities any earlier than 7:30 pm as we interrupt the cleaner(s) schedule. The cleaners are in the hall until 7:30 pm.
Looking ahead
November – Bubbles Evening, tbc
December – Christmas Dinner, tbc
January – TBC
Tasting Glasses
This is a friendly reminder that all members are expected to bring their own tasting glasses to our meetings unless otherwise advised.
This said, your club does provide glasses on the night for guests, presenters and for a member who does forget [it does happen].
The Club does have glasses for sale at $18 for 6 if you would like to buy some. Please order from Wayne Kennedy. Or, you can purchase your own from the likes of Moore Wilson’s who stock ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶2̶1̶5̶m̶l̶ ̶X̶L̶ (out of stock) tasting glasses used by most of us. But the choice of glass and glass shape etc is yours.
The SGM Resolutions were tabled at the committee meeting and will now be included in an updated rules document forwarded to the Incorporated Societies for registration.
Thanks to Richard for his expert knowledge to facilitate these much-needed changes to the Club’s Constitution.
Supporting the committee
It was great to have everyone help with the tables and chairs at previous meetings and take them down at the end. Also, take the spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen. Could we please continue this new routine?
Note: We can’t arrive to do the setting up activities any earlier than 7:30 pm as we interrupt the cleaner(s) schedule, the cleaners are in the hall until 7:30 pm.
Where you will be greeted with a glass of Club bubbles
This is a b.y.o. event, so please bring along your best French wine, or two, from your cellars, plus to enhance the atmosphere for the evening, dress with a little je ne sais quoi in red, white and blue!
Below is a reminder of the menu for the evening, noting that you have previously selected your Main course and sent this to Wayne [he will be emailing all attendees to make sure he has recorded your choice correctly and to advise you of your seating number] :
Entrée
3 mini entrees served to each person (Quiche Lorraine, one soup, mini goat cheese salad)
Mains
Beef Bourguignon Monkfish with Saffron Sauce Chicken Provencal
Dessert
3 mini desserts in the style of petite fours
Public transport
If you would like to catch public transport for the evening, please note:
Nearby is the motorway overpass and just south of that is bus stop 5492 which is used by bus routes 1, 19e, 24, 25, 26, 52, 56, 57, 58, 60e and 83.
When it comes to going home, you can use bus stop 5024 just north of the motorway overpass. So again, just a short distance away.
The newly elected committee met for the first time in May, with Tim and Ken being welcomed on board.
Continue this new routine
It was great to have everyone help with the tables and chairs at the start of last month’s meeting and take the same down after the meeting. Also, take the table contents: spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen. Could we please continue this new routine?
Please note
We can’t arrive to do the setting up activities any earlier than 7:30 pm as we interrupt the cleaner(s) schedule. The cleaners are in the hall until 7:30 pm.
While there are two resignations from the present Committee, six people are staying on. Club members have been approached for new positions, and numbers are now back to eight for the new committee.
Member support
It was great to have everyone help with the tables and chairs at the start of last month’s meeting and take the same down after the meeting. Also, take the table’s contents: spittoons/water jugs/cracker plates back to the kitchen. Could we please continue this new routine?
Arrival times
We can’t arrive to do the setting up activities any earlier than 7:30 pm as we interrupt the cleaner(s) schedule; the cleaners are in the hall until 7:30 pm.
Wednesday 14th December is your Cellar Club’s Christmas dinner Being held at Istana Malaysia Restaurant Arrival at 7 pm for seating at 7.30 pm 1-5 Allen Street, Wellington – Directions
Thank you to everyone who let Wayne know whether they would be attending or not. It certainly makes the organising easier, and it is exciting to see that 43 people will attend our final event of the year. This year, as we have shared dishes, there are no meal choices to decide upon. But so there is no confusion on the night, we will still be allocating people to set tables and letting you know your table number before the dinner.
Given there are some members attending the dinner for the first time, it is perhaps an opportune time to mention how our dinners operate.
You are asked to arrive as close to 7 pm as practical. Please don’t turn up early, as it can cause confusion at the venue.
When you arrive, you will be greeted with a complimentary glass of bubbles.
The meal is BYO wine, and your prepaid cost includes corkage. During the evening, it is customary to share the bottle of wine you have brought with your neighbours.
We expect to finish sometime between 9.30 pm and 10 pm, but this is a guideline only, in case you arrange transport home. Please try and stay as flexible as possible.
This is the 30th year of operation for Istana Malaysia, with Danny, the owner/chef, still on board. Everything is prepared fresh in the kitchen daily, guaranteeing quality and enjoyment.
If some members are a little weary about the spiciness of the food, please be assured that everything will be catered to milder tastes for the dishes with extra chillies and tofu on the table for people who want to add it to their plate.
A Reminder: We have planned no dessert for the evening, but please bring your favourite dessert wine, as this will complement both the food and finish the evening off nicely.
As a courtesy, can we remind members to please listen when the invited presenters are presenting during their sessions? We will build in time during the presentations for discussion at your tables.
For those wondering what wine & tasting etiquette may be about, check out:
Your committee is again considering having our next Club dinner in the Courtenay Place area, close to public transport. This time we are considering going to the prestigious Istana Malaysia with a fixed banquet menu rather than individual meal choices. However, before further planning, we need to have a show of hands at the September tasting to gauge support for this idea. This is a spacious venue, great for BYO and well-established. If you can’t make the September tasting evening, please let the Editor know if you have any comments about this idea.
This was held at Field & Green in the Wellington CBD last month. It was well attended, albeit we did have a couple of last-minute cancellations due to Covid, which meant we did not hit the maximum seating of 48 that we were booked for at the beginning of that week.
Everyone was welcomed with a glass of the Club’s bubbly, and a good variety of wines was brought to create a jovial atmosphere for the evening. The food was well presented, and the committee received a host of favourable feedback after the event, indicating that this was a venue that members would like to attend again sometime in the future.
We know members particularly enjoyed the Treacle Tarte with clotted cream. Laura, the chef at Field & Green, has kindly agreed to share her recipe with club members, and you will find it as a separate attachment to this newsletter. Thanks, Laura and thanks, Helen, for securing this for us.
We thank Terry Friel for suggesting Field & Green and working with them to produce an excellent menu for the night.
This promises to be a great evening at a very good restaurant. As of last weekend, we had reached our maximum of 48 people, which is very pleasing to the committee who view this as a huge reward for all the effort that goes into planning such events.
Wayne currently has a waitlist in operation in case COVID or some other sudden reason prevents someone from attending. If you find yourself in this situation, can you please let him know ASAP either by text to 027 452 3802 or email?
Next week you can expect to receive an email from Wayne giving you your seat number and the confirmation of what you have ordered. If that information is correct, you do not need to do anything apart from seeking out a bottle of wine to match your food. But if you need to change something or Wayne has misrecorded your choices, please get back to him urgently. That email will also include another copy of the menu.
If you intend to use public transport to get to the dinner, then simply get off the bus at Courtenay Place, walk down Allen St, turn left onto Wakefield Street and you will find the restaurant on your left approx. 30 metres.
As is usual, please try to arrive close to 7 pm as possible, as arriving too early can cause issues. Thanks in advance for your co-operation with this.
Menu
Entrees
Mushroom soup, Madeira cream Smoked trevally soufflé, leek and chive sauce Duck, prune and green peppercorn rillettes, toasted brioche, chutney
