Keeping The Glass Half Full At Wine 2009

Monday, 10 August 2009, 9:58 am
Press Release: Wine 2009 

Keeping The Glass Half Full At Wine 2009

The New Zealand Wine industry has a global reputation as an innovative producer of premium quality wines and punches well above it weight in terms of share of voice around the world. As the wine industry faces a number of challenges, WINE 2009, the leading national wine event for hospitality and wine trade professionals, will present a number of seminars which will discuss strategies to enhance and manage a successful wine and hospitality business.

The keynote session- Vinspiration will take place on Monday 24th August at 1:00p.m. Leading industry innovators Allan Scott, Nick Nobilo and Peter Yealands will be joined by Caludio Heye of Gibbston Valley Wines. They will share their stories and what has inspired them along the way. In these challenging financial times, inspiration is something that should be celebrated and this session will be sure to entertain as well as inspire.

There are two “innovative” tastings. One is Pinot Envy – In Question of the Pinot Hold Grail a tasting of a selection of this country’s finest examples of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris wines as well as the lesser know Pinot Blanc and Pinot Grigio styles. Three of this country’s top winemakers, Larry McKenna, Escarpment Wines, Michael Brajkovich, Kumeu River and Warren Gibson, Trinity Hill and Bilancia, will take the audience through the tasting, with additional comment and perspective from leading wine retailer Jean Christophe Poizat, Maison Vauron Wine Merchants and restaurant proprietor Nicola Richards of Monsoon Poon.

Taking wine tasting to a different level will be the Wine & Sensory Engagement through Music tasting which will see Jo Burzynska, a respected wine judge, author and journalist, as well as a sound artist and DJ, lead a tasting of six wines, matched not with food, but with music. While much has been written on the art of matching wine with food, the influence music on wine is only starting to be explored… with some surprising results and this session will put that to the test.

Wine 2009 is a stand-alone trade exclusive event that forms part of HospitalityNZ. It is organised by dmg world media in partnership with The Restaurant Association of New Zealand.

Last but not least, there will be a session called Keeping the Glass Half Full - Creative Wine

Promotions, which will offer critical advice and case studies from a panel of hospitality and wine professionals on why and how creativity and customer engagement can be as, if not more important, in promoting and selling wines, than mere price slashing. The panel of speakers includes Luke Dallow, Chapel Bar & Bistro|Sale St., Michael Dearth, The Grove Restaurant and Sam Kim, a leading wine consultant. Winery case studies will be presented by John Babich of Babich Wines and Philip Bothwell, Pernod Ricard New Zealand.

The essence of these seminars is to provide a key exchange between winemakers, hospitality professionals; key trade and wine media, and a critical business format in which to develop and enhance industry relationships. Tickets to WINE 2009 are $20 per day for pre-registered trade visitors, and there is no added charge for attending these seminars. Seating is on a first in first served basis.
The seminars at Wine New Zealand are presented with the support of naming rights sponsor Corbans Viticulture.

A complete schedule and list of speakers is available at the website

The venue dates and times for Wine 2009 are as follows:
Venue: Hall One, ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland
Trade Hours: Sunday 23 August 2009- 12:00 p.m. to 5:00p.m
Monday 24 August 2009- 11:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m
Tuesday 25 August 2009- 11:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m