Tasting wine in Johnsonville since 1980.
Continuing our theme of visiting the wines of established European countries, in November we will head to Portugal with Victor from Confidant Wines. Detail is still being worked on and will include some food matches to continue the celebratory theme of November tastings.
More detail next month. Suffice it to say it will be another great tasting from an established wine country.
A moonlit planting five generations ago has made Yalumba Australia’s most historic family owned winery. Fiercely family-owned extremely progressive and committed to looking after the land and its people, they acknowledge that the reputation of their wine is only as good as the next bottle a customer drinks. So they put the same attention to detail into every bottle of wine they make, regardless of variety, quantity or price.
Now there is a reason for Negociants to look to present Yalumba’s wine. Negociants New Zealand was established, by Yalumba, in 1985 to import and represent the finest wines of the world. They are passionate and knowledgeable about fine wine, and are committed to professionally representing family- owned wineries from around the world.
Negociants New Zealand is one of New Zealand’s leading fine wine merchants, distributing many of New Zealand’s most celebrated wines, as well as prestigious imported brands from Australia and the world to licenced trade.
Bound to be a cracker this one.
Maison Vauron is a family story born 19,000km from Auckland, in the charming city of Saint Etienne, 50 km southwest of Lyon, in the Northern Rhone. Everything started in 1879 when Antoine Vauron began his business as a wine merchant. As Obélix, the famous French cartoon character, his great-grandson Jean-Christophe Poizat, fell into it when he was young and perpetuated the family tradition.
In 1991, Jean-Christophe took the opportunity to travel to New-Zealand to learn more about NZ wines. Six months after arriving he would meet his future wife and some years later, his business partners, Peter & Scott. The influence of family has always been strong, with siblings of both JC and Peter involved in various parts of the operation and are still involved today, likewise the partners of both JC and Scott work in the business.
Mention of JC may stir up religious thoughts in some. The theme this time though is fine wine and cheeses, so heavenly still comes to mind. A tasting not to be missed, more in the next newsletter.
We are going to try a change of pace with a Vietnamese offering for the mid-year dinner. This is a well-respected establishment and many members have enjoyed well-respectedThe response at the AGM was very positive and we are sure that the event will be well supported by members. More detail in the next newsletter.
The Cellar Club Inc Annual General Meeting will be held as follows:
8pm Wednesday 9 May 2018
Johnsonville Community Centre
Moorefield Road, Wellington
Directions
Please give some thought to any proposals you might want to introduce for the meeting, we are happy to take ideas from members about future activities for the Club.
As always members will be provided with a light supper and the opportunity to sample some wines from our cellar after the formal part of the evening. We will send out a formal notice and documents closer to the meeting in accordance with our Club rules.
Hopefully, the sun is going to keep shining on us here in Wellington. Unfortunately, our plans for the April meeting have simply not come together.
Your committee is now looking at some new options. We will let you know as soon as we can arrange an alternative. Fortunately, we do have some skills and we are sure that whatever happens, we will have an enjoyable event.
By now you will studied the menu and indicated to Wayne with regard to your dinner choices. There really isn’t much more to say. Looks like a great turnout and we are looking forward to the event. Unfortunately, or from our point of view perhaps, fortunately, we have the maximum number committing to attend and we are unable to accept any last minute requests to attend if people’s circumstances have changed. For those who are coming can we please ask you not to arrive before seven. Your committee will generally be arriving from work and will have some arrangements to sort. We would appreciate a bit of time to get things set up and members could help us by turning up from 7 pm, not earlier.
2017 has been good for the club with great support from our presenters regarding the costs of their presentations etc. So for the December Dinner, we have decided to return the favour by purchasing some bubbles that are a little more expensive than normal. The wine we have chosen for you to enjoy won Gold at this year’s Air NZ wine awards and then went on to receive the Trophy for the best Sparkling White on show. So when you arrive at the dinner venue, you will receive a glass of chilled Aotea, a non-vintage Methode Traditionnelle sparkling wine from the Seifried family in Nelson,
There is an interesting backstory to this wine and we have included a quote from Anna Seifried. Anna is understandably stoked with this win. Enjoy the evening and the wine treat.
We can’t tell you much about this evening as committee members are still working on the detail. We are organising an evening with a difference and are looking forward to some fun and nice wines. More detail in the next newsletter.
Stonecroft is a small, family owned winery making organic Gimblett Gravels wines in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The owners are Dermot McCollum and Andria Monin, who live on the Roy’s Hill vineyard with their two children Emer and Oscar, plus Jasper the cat and Stanley the chocolate lab.
At Stonecroft, they seek to express through their wines the unique character of their vineyards and each vintage. The intention is to make wines which are intense, full-bodied, elegant and fruit-driven, but capable of significant bottle development. The ability of the wines to improve in the bottle has been demonstrated over more than 20 years, with many of the early examples still drinking well. Their total production is very small; with around 3,500 cases produced annually. Both the vineyards and the winery are certified organic.
Andria will be presenting on the night. A tasting not to be missed. More next month.
What happens when you unearth some older wines? We are arranging a September meeting with a difference.
Have you ever wondered what age can do to wine? Many of you may remember the late Richard Gooch. He presented to the club several times and last year, his wife Linda donated some of Richard’s older wines to the club for us to use as a learning experience. The oldest ones date back to the early 1970’s. More about the wines next month but it includes a mystery wine for us
to determine what it is and we will have Cuisine wine writer John Saker on hand to help us assess their quality.
Some wines may be past their best, others may be superb. Who knows. But this will be a great learning experience for anyone wondering what age can do to wines that are left to languish forgotten at the back of our cellars.
But a word of warning. This tasting will be closed to just members and we will likely need to limit it to 36. So once this month’s tasting is out of the way we will ask you to register your attendance.
Check out the event details.
Nearly four years ago we had a wine trivia evening. This was very successful and enjoyed by all who attended. We have often been encouraged to have another such evening and have now decided to do something about it. So our April offering is such a fun night.
There will be something for everyone! Some interesting wines to taste, questions ranging from the obscure to the obvious (especially once you hear the answer) and plenty of frivolity along the way. There’ll also be a range of ways to score points – wine knowledge, general knowledge and sheer luck!
As it was last time it will be a friendly team competition – you can arrange your own or join other members to make up teams on the night. Your committee will ensure everyone who comes along is in a team.
We suggest about six people per team, though it’ll depend on numbers on the night. We welcome your clever team names and will also have some names on hand in case inspiration deserts you. As always, guests are welcome so bring your friends along for a fun evening.
Ata Rangi, meaning “dawn sky” or “new beginning” is a small New Zealand winery with a big reputation for serious Pinot Noir. Located at the southern end of the North Island, it is owned and managed by a family trio – Clive Paton, his wife Phyll and his sister Alison.
Clive planted his first vines on a small, stony sheep paddock at the edge of the Martinborough village in 1980 as one of a handful of people who pioneered winegrowing in the area. Ata Rangi Pinot Noir is undoubtedly the flagship wine, and in 2010 was honoured with the inaugural Tipuranga Teitei o Aotearoa or “Grand Cru of New Zealand”.
With a skilled team in place, including dynamic winemaker Helen Masters, Clive now has more time to focus on his commitment to conservation and to the Ata Rangi alliance with Project Crimson. More event details early next month.