Winetopia Wellington 2017

words by niall roeder

All hail Dionysus – the god of wine (and of ritual madness and ecstasy, which is also pretty sweet) – wine cometh to Wellington. After its sell-out debut in Auckland last year, Winetopia is set to soak Wellington in July.

So much wine, so little time. There are over 673 vineyards and cellar doors dotted across New Zealand and unless you’re dedicating your life to sipping squished grape juice, it’s going to be hard to get a drop from each of their barrels. Winetopia feels your thirst-related pain and is set to squeeze wineries from every wine producing region in the country into one convenient spot.

Whether you’ve got your PHD in squeezed grapes and you regularly deliver descriptions like “hints of bramble” and “notes of tobacco and texta”, or you’re the type that will sip any old swill and would sooner mutter, “vintage schmintage” than try and describe a drop – Winetopia invites you to take part in the most comprehensive public wine tasting event New Zealand has ever seen.

Besides really getting to know New Zealand wine and winemakers, and chinking glasses with fellow wine drinkers; the two day festival offers sommelier-led talks, tasting classes, food matching and live entertainment. It’s like Woodstock, for wine.

The line-up wine-up is extensive, so we’ve spoken to our resident wine wizard, Shun Eto, to get his expert picks of the bunch…

Don’t miss these wineries

• Mahana – the darling organic winery of the Nelson region
• Valli – the baby of pioneering Otago winemaker, Grant Taylor. Taylor’s name is synonymous with Otago Pinot Noir
• Nautilus – a small, family-owned winery that has lead the way for Marlborough winegrowing. Check out the Cuvee Marlborough NV Brut
• Palliser Estate Winery – they took the gamble on turning farming land into vineyards and it’s produced one of New Zealand’s premier wineries

Winetopia will run from July 14-15 at Shed 6, Queens Wharf (the other Queens Wharf). Grab your tickets here.