The Hawke’s Bay Wine Celebration is one of the great New Zealand wine events for the wine and hospitality trade, as well as the public. It is the ‘Hot Red Road Show’ that grew to allow whites to be showcased, and now attendees can get to see top examples of all the varieties and styles from Hawke’s Bay.
Normally when attending this, I make a point of tasting one wine from each exhibitor (their choice) which I make a tasting note on, then I take a photo of the person behind the stand. That way, every exhibitor, usually around 30, gets a fair go. In my younger days, I would try and taste every wine – sort of speed tasting – but that only gave me a general feel of each wine and winery. Those days are long gone, and I prefer to spend a short, quality-filled time that is meaningful to the exhibitor as well as myself. In the trade, I can understand why one might only want to taste the Chardonnays or Merlot-blends, or just visit specific exhibitors.
This year, there were 37 advertised exhibitors showing a minimum of 220 wines. We were allotted 3 hours to do visits and tastings. I knew that it would be impossible for me to take a tasting note and photograph of all 37 exhibitors in that time. So this year, I elected to just take photos. Afterall, it is the people that play a great part in how the wine shows. Here are my photos, in alphabetical order of exhibitor. I hope you enjoy them. www.hawkesbaywine.co.nz
Abbey Estate – Dermot Haworth
