Do you have something memorable in your wine cellar? Perhaps there is an old dusty bottle lurking on a corner, just asking to be brought into the light of day and given due recognition. You may have prudently bought wine that is now highly regarded and sought after and be willing to donate it to an excellent cause.
The very successful Hospice Wairarapa Wine Auction and Food Fiesta will return to Martinborough in October this year. Unique, unusual, and memorable wine has been a key feature of each auction, and we are seeking some very special items for 2013 to tempt wine collectors and aficionados.
The undoubted 2007 highlight was auctioning the oldest bottle of New Zealand wine: a 1903 Lansdowne Claret donated by Ed Beetham. The winning bid of $14,000 set a New Zealand record.
The 2009 auction featured a bottle of Penfolds 1989 Grange Hermitage and in 2011 a 1996 Chateau d’Yquem was auctioned, together with a 1991 Penfolds Grange from Australia. From our own region came a bottle of a very special Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Noir that had at the time just taken the world by storm by being judged the Top Pinot in the World, beating French Burgundies selling at 60 times the price!
These are just a few examples of the many exciting and unique wines we have been fortunate enough to have as donations for auction in past years. Some have been from Europe and Australia, others from key New Zealand wine-producing regions, and many have been made available through the generosity of our local winemakers in the Wairarapa.
As a result of the first wine auctions, the Hospice Trust was able in 2009 to purchase Te Kowhai, its beautiful community house in Renall St, Masterton. In 2011 the event raised $110,000 and made a satisfying dent in the mortgage. We aim to meet this target again this year, with your help and some superb wine to auction.
Please contact Dawn McCallum on 06 306 8850 if you have wine to offer for auction.
