Sunday, 14 July 2019

Winetopia 2019

As an occasional wine drinker but keen wine sampler, I am pretty spoilt with the wine tasting options in my neighbourhood. Each month we are visited by a winery or distributor with 6-8 wines available to sample for a princely sum of $5. Add free Friday night wine tasting at Winesale.co.nz along with a few wine tasting trips and I have learnt a huge amount about what I like in wine, what I don't like and some surprising discoveries.

Winetopia hit Wellington this weekend. I hesitated to buy tickets. Other wine and food-type events we'd attended before either charged very expensive entry fees before any wine or food was consumed or were complete chaos. A very quick Twitter poll and last minute discounted tickets helped influence my decision: we'd give it our best shot.

With almost 60 wineries showcased, Mr Weka and I needed a solid strategy to maximise our wine tasting experience. Luckily we have similar tastes in wine and are also not averse to sharing germs on glasses (with each other - not anyone else), meaning we could share each 30 ml sample and try twice as many.

TSB Arena was helpfully organised into wine tasting regions. We decided to stay away from wineries we'd already visited or sampled. From there, our pecking order was sparkling wine (if available), sauvignon blanc and the occasional riesling or rosé. We set off for Hawkes Bay and Marlborough with wine glasses (real, not plastic) and five tokens each.

The next three or so hours were a flurry of 30 ml tastings and comparing notes. We added many wines to our yes list, one or two maybes and a couple of definite nos. It was good to see jugs of water available at every stand and some substantial food options. Crowds were well managed and, despite my initial hesitation, we had a great time.

How to maximise your Winetopia experience

  • Check the programme and go to the talks you're interested in as they come with two extra tastings (if you're quick enough before they run out)
  • Visit the Singapore Airlines Lounge and trading in your 'boarding pass' for a free sample of Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne. Delicious!
  • Explore a region you know you like or you'd like to learn more about. 
  • Pace yourself and drink plenty of water in between tastings. After a while it's gets hard to tell whether you like something or it's just blending in with something else you've sampled.

New additions to the yes list
Posted by Caffeinated Weka at 20:12 0 cups of coffee
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