40th Anniversary dinner at Bellamy’s by Logan Brown

Turnout For the 40th Anniversary dinner at Bellamy’s by Logan Brown was excellent.

The one thing the Committee was unable to organise was the weather on the day. It was wet and windy which cast doubt on the suggested dress code of “summer wedding”, but by 6 pm the rain had substantially abated and by the time it arrived to go home, it was dry.

The venue proved to be a good choice. Negotiating the security on arrival proved not to be an issue and when guests got to the third floor of the Beehive, Bellamy’s reception and dining areas were spacious, allowing for good pre-dinner mixing over a complimentary glass of bubbles. The tables were well spaced and set very nicely.

The food was of a very high standard as would be expected from a restaurant in the Logan Brown stable. The restaurant staff was very efficient and attentive – it was nigh on impossible to fault the service. The manager, Jasper Povey, had been very accommodating in catering to the Club’s requirements and was also appreciative of what the Club was able to provide (such as the pre-ordering), which proved a winning combination.

Club President, Murray Jaspers, gave a brief address, looking over the Club’s development through the years. He noted how active it is, how its size has been maintained over an extended period and the high regard it enjoys with winemakers and suppliers. He noted too, the contribution of past presidents and committees. Anne Megget proposed a toast to absent friends – those members who are no longer with us and those who were unable to be present on the night.

Through diligent work by Robin Semmens, Gayle Gaukrodger, Anne Megget and Wayne Kennedy a memento gift bag containing a souvenir pen, some souvenir chocolate and a booklet updating the history of the Club was presented to every person present.

Feedback the Committee has received subsequently indicates the evening was much appreciated by all who were there. Good venue, good food, good wine and good company always combine to produce a winner!

Richard Taylor

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Cellar club celebration

Gerald Rillstone, Independent Hearld | Thursday, September 17, 2020

Lover of wine Alan Evans with one of his favourites a bottle of 1997 Chateau Troplong Mondot.
Lover of wine Alan Evans with one of his favourites a bottle of 1997 Chateau Troplong Mondot.

What better way to celebrate four decades of tasting great wine than to have Wellingtons best-known champion of the grape present a special selection from his own cellar.

And that’s what they did to celebrate the 40th birthday of the Cellar Club in Johnsonville with Alan Evans presenting a range of wines from his own collection.

It was, some say, one of the most prestigious tastings in the 40 years of the club’s existence.

Alan joined the club in 1987 and has held the roles of Editor 10 years and President 8 years and was made a life member in 2010 and still attends the dinners and the occasional tasting.

2017 Troplong Mondot St Emilion Grand Cru
2017 Troplong Mondot St Emilion Grand Cru

He is also a Past President of the Magnum Society that was a Wellington-based wine group founded in 1972. “We buy wines that we will be drinking in about ten years time or whatever the drinking window is he says which is a lot of fun and a bit of a gamble too,” Alan says.

“We have tastings going up to around 2034.”

He is also the cellar master for the Tinakori branch of the International Beef Steak and Burgundy Club.

Alan’s love of wine was a natural progression, he says, from an interest in ciders in the 1960s to the wines of Henderson in the mid-1970s. He has an extensive temperature-controlled cellar and over the years has developed a love of European wines which he augments with premium NZ and Australian varietals.

He says these days he has the luxury of having access to a plethora of online reviews so he has a fair idea of what a wine is going to be like before he tastes it.

“I do a lot of reading about what’s new and what to expect from the wine and I am not as surprised as I used to be but there are still surprises,” he says.

Alan says the Troplong Mondot they were tasting for the celebration, according to reviews, is best consumed around 2020 to 2022 and he has tried it and it is perfect.

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