Record price paid for Ngatarawa Centennial Magnum helps Christchurch relief fund

A guest at a special fundraising dinner and auction has paid a record price of $9,999 for a limited release Ngatarawa 2000 Centennial Magnum (1.5 Litre) bottle of Merlot Cabernet.
 
The dinner held in Auckland on Sunday 27 February 2011 was organized by the Auckland Chinese Community to celebrate the 2011 Chinese Lunar New Year marking the beginning of the year of the Rabbit. It was attended by Prime Minister Mr. John Key, the New Zealand Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, Members of Parliament, Government Ministers, officials and leaders of the Auckland Chinese Community. A special feature of the dinner was a fundraising auction for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake.
 
Mr Quan Chun Wang, Director of Noodle Canteen, paid $9,999 for the Magnum bottle was donated by Alwyn and Brian Corban, proprietors of Ngatarawa Wines and signed by the Prime Minister John Key, winemaker Alwyn Corban, company chairman Brian Corban, the Consulate General of PR China and numerous VIP guests.
 
The Centennial magnum was bottled and released in 2002 to celebrate the Corban family’s centenary of winemaking in New Zealand. Only 1,000 magnums were produced and bottle number 989 was auctioned.
 
Other wines also donated by Ngatarawa achieved record prices at the auction. These included four autographed bottles of 2009 Stables Reserve Hawkes Bay Merlot with prices ranging from $1,688 to $2,999 each.
 
In total the Ngatarawa wines raised more than $18,900 for the Christchurch earthquake relief fund.
 
About Ngatarawa Wines
 
Alwyn Corban, a fourth generation New Zealand winemaker, was the founding partner of Ngatarawa Wines with the Glazebrook family in 1981. Ngatarawa, which means “between the ridges” in Maori, is located on the ancient Ngaruroro riverbed in the area known as the Bridge Pa Triangle, long recognised as one of the best in the region for growing grapes.
 
Ngatarawa is one of New Zealand’s most picturesque wineries as it is located in historic racing stables. According to Michael Cooper, in the Wine Atlas of New Zealand, the winery is noted as arguably being the finest New Zealand producer of sweet wines and has achieved a deserved reputation for its Chardonnays, Merlot based reds and its richly botrytised honey-sweet Rieslings.  
Negociants New Zealand distributes Ngatarawa’s Alwyn and Glazebrook ranges. The winery’s Farmgate Wines are available direct from Ngatarawa and at www.farmgatewines.co.nz  
For more information or images please contact: 

Joanne A Smith Alwyn Corban  
Public Relations Manager Managing Director 
Ngatarawa Wines Ngatarawa Wines  
Ph 06 879 7603 Ph 021 462 276  
jo@ngatarawa.co.nz alwyn@ngatarawa.co.nz