Category: from the editor

Posted on

From the Editor – Feb 2012

The Cellar Club has a newly designed website

If you haven’t been their lately take a look at the newly designed Cellar Club website – http://www.cellarclub.co.nz. Stevee, the chap doing the biscuits and pate at half-time on meeting nights, has taken over managing the site and worked with the committee to update the site from August last year.

Hence you might have seen our vanilla version until November. The updated website features a number of new areas including:

  • descriptions of the next event and any reminders
  • list of articles online; no more trawling through old email to find previous articles
  • list of upcoming events including previous events dating back to the first meeting in February 1985 – St. Helena wines
  • the ability to now order tasting glasses online
  • an online subscription to the clubs newsletters; members get the newsletter anyway but this allows you to opt out if you no longer want to receive it
  • previous newsletters
  • information and links to discounts offered by the clubs supporters
  • more details about the club and our rules
  • and the ability for you to contact the club.

parisIn the future the membership form will be online as well as a photo gallery of previous events. If you have photos you’d like to contribute, please complete the form to send them in. If you have trouble completing this, there is a contact number for help.

Over the next month or so, Steve and myself will be working on ways we can make the current newsletter easily accessible through the website. Hopefully this will make it easier for most members with me only needing to send a reminder that the newsletter is available on the site.

If you have questions, photos, stories – humorous or a recent experience, like to suggest a club night theme, really anything, we would appreciate hearing from you.

Cheers

Robin Semmens, Editor.

 

 

Posted on

Have you heard – Feb 2012

A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty style house: ‘TALKING DOG FOR SALE’ He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador Retriever sitting there.

‘You talk?’ he asks.

‘Yep,’ the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk he says ‘So, what’s your story?’

The Lab looks up and says, “Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the Government so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.’

‘I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the Airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.’ ‘I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.’

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. ‘Ten dollars,’ the guy says.

‘Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?’

‘Because he’s a liar. He’s never been out of the backyard’

Posted on

From the Editor – Dec 2011

Not everyone has committed to the December Dinner. We want to make it a great evening so come on, make your commitment now and let us know.

Goodness gracious, December is upon us. What a great year it has been with a variety of great tastings and events throughout the year. It started with the usual very enjoyable January BBQ at Derek Thompson’s, then followed:

 MonthTheme
FebruaryConey Wines with Tim Coney
 March Mills Reef with Brandon Turnage
 April Central Otago Boutique Wineries with Neil Hickling of Co-Pilot Distributors
 May AGM at the Community Centre
 June Esk Valley with Gordon Russell
 July Mid Year Dinner at Tinakori Bistro
 August Murdoch James (Martinborough) V Olssens (Central Otago) – a comparison
 September Neudorf with Judy Finn
 October The World in Grapes with Malcolm McIntyre
 November Bubbles with John Forrest

We hope the programme met with your approval.

This is the last newsletter for 2011. The Committee wishes all members the very best for the festive season and hopes for a more profitable new year than the economists are predicting.

Cheers
Robin Semmens, Editor

BudapestPalace2011
One of many fine views around Europe – Budapest Palace 2011
Posted on

From the Editor – Nov 2011

Seems to be a habit for recent editorials to commence with an apology, so my turn now. Sorry about the lack of an October Newsletter. Unfortunately, for the moment I have lost all my electronic Cellar Club resources and am building up from scratch. Perhaps a salutary lesson for us all about backing up, no matter how new your computer might be.

However all was not lost, Patricia and I had a most enjoyable 9 weeks in Europe, got back just in time to use my tickets for the Wellington World Cup games, and despite the hassles from friends and relations in England, Wales, Ireland and France, we won the Cup.

If there was a bad moment it was on our river cruise, can you imagine being on a boat with 146 people (130 of whom were Australian) when we lost the Tri-Nations game. Doesn’t bear thinking about.

The cruise covered four waterways, the Danube, the Main-Danube Canal, the Main and the Rhine and included some 68 locks. Much of the terrain we passed through in Germany was hilly, dotted with countless castle ruins and lots of small parcels of land with apparently young, or perhaps struggling, vines.

rudesheimThere are a number of important messages included in this newsletter. Grateful if you keep them in mind to ensure that you all enjoy the Club activities leading up to Christmas. And with so much going on I have not included an “In the news” item this month. We will pick that up again next month.

Cheers
Robin Semmens, Editor

Posted on

From the Editor – Sept 2011

I should begin by apologising for this newsletter yet again arriving in your mail and email boxes late. I wish I could blame the Auckland rail system or the printing presses for the delay but alas, there just seems to be too much going on resulting in too many distractions. Time to replace yours truly.

So it is with some relief I welcome back Robin to take over his role as editor. Whilst I did enjoy the experience of putting these last two
newsletter s together, I shall equally enjoy returning to just my bean counting. And talking of returning editors, the club welcomes back a previous editor, Terry, and partner Caroline from Darwin. I am sure we all look forward to hearing about their various wine experiences albeit a little birdie tells me that cold beers might have replaced the wines on a lot of occasions in those warmer climes.

You will also be pleased to learn that no sooner had I told you about the cancellation of October’s tasting than a replacement was arranged in keeping with all he RWC festivities that have engulfed our nation. More about that in the next item.

Cheers
Wayne Kennedy, Acting Editor