Waiheke Island, West Auckland and Matakana are joining forces this June to showcase the best the region has to offer.
Auckland winemakers are banding together to showcase the best the region has to offer at the first-ever Auckland Wine Week being held this June.
With the winemaking regions of Waiheke Island, West Auckland and Matakana joining forces, visit Auckland between 13-23 June 2019 and wine lovers will find local wineries abuzz with events and cellar door tastings, Auckland-centric tastings and specials at participating retailers, restaurants and bars, and the country’s biggest wine tasting event Winetopia presented by Singapore Airlines taking place on the city’s waterfront.
Large and diverse with more than 50 vineyards and wineries, organiser Rob Eliott says the inaugural event will shine a well-deserved spotlight on the region’s exciting winemaking scene.
“Auckland is one of New Zealand’s oldest winemaking regions thanks to the mostly Croatian families who set up here in the early 1900s and home to the oldest family-owned winery in the country,” he says. “There is a whole world of wine to be discovered on Auckland’s doorstep, from Waiheke Island with its stunning Syrah, world-class chardonnay, intense cabernet blends and fine aromatics, to internationally-recognised elegant chardonnay, merlot and cabernet sauvignon in the west, and excellent Pinot Gris, Syrah, Cabernet blends and emerging red varieties in the north.
“These wonderful wineries are all within easy reach of the central city and Auckland Wine Week is an opportunity to explore and share in these local treasures.”
Highlights on the Auckland Wine Week schedule include regional events in all three centres.
Just a 50-minute drive north from downtown Auckland, head to Matakana’s The Vintry on 22 June for an afternoon of rare and hard-to-find gems from local wineries including Brick Bay, Hyperion, Runner Duck Estate, Sculptureum and Matakana Estate.
Jump on board a ferry to Auckland’s own island of wine for a spectacular day of wine and food across three stunning Waiheke venues on 16 June, with local wineries Poderi Crisci, Casita Miro, Mudbrick, Kennedy Point, Tantalus and more taking part.
Or journey west to Auckland’s oldest wine region and let your wine tasting passport take you through a day of premium and reserve tastings on 23 June, with some of the country’s best-known wine brands including Kumeu River, The Hunting Lodge, Babich, Soljans and Coopers Creek.
Round out your whirl-wind tour of Auckland’s wine scene at Winetopia. With 60 of the country’s top wineries involved, there are also tutored tastings, talks and masterclasses by New Zealand Master of Wine Bob Campbell and renowned Australian wine writer Nick Stock, all in the one convenient location on Auckland’s Queens Wharf over 14 and 15 June.
From Kumeu River winery in West Auckland, New Zealand’s first Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich says the Auckland region has a great collection of high calibre producers – “making excellent wine from vineyards located all over New Zealand and from outstanding locally-sourced grapes with their own unique terroir. Auckland Wine Week is a great opportunity for enthusiasts to sample across this intriguingly diverse range of quality wines.”
To find out more about how you can get involved, head to www.aucklandwineweek.co.nz
