New Zealand Winegrowers on Cloud Wine
New Zealand Winegrowers is excited to announce that wine will be a core feature in The Cloud on the Auckland waterfront for the duration of the Rugby World Cup tournament.
New Zealand Winegrowers is working closely with Michael Barnett, Chief Executive of the Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce, and his team to ensure a wide range of varietal and regional offerings will be showcased in a premium food and beverage experience planned in The Cloud. Throughout the World Cup, when The Cloud is not a fan zone, visitors can enjoy a unique gourmet experience which will match the country’s best wines with New Zealand’s top quality produce and provide a platform for the industries to parade their wares.
A unique series of events and experiences are also being provided throughout New Zealand to leave lasting memories of what the wine industry has to offer. Wineries and regional associations are working together to deliver a diverse array of wine dinners, tastings, festivals and vineyard entertainment. Many of these events and festivals are adjacent to tournament matches in their respective regions to ensure there is an opportunity for visitors to discover New Zealand wine whilst enjoying the games. The festivals are:
- 25-28 September The Nelson Wineart First XV Wine Competition
- 25 September Villa Maria - A Day in the Vineyard
- 22 September Central Otago Pinot Noir Experience
- 1 October Kerikeri Wine and Food Festival
- 6 October Marlborough Wine & Cuisine: Brancott Vineyard
- 7 & 10 October Wairarapa Vintage Wings and Wine
- 9-15 October Kumeu’s Best of the West Festival
- 23 October Gisborne Wine and Food Festival
The tournament is a fantastic opportunity for the $1 billion plus export wine industry. Visitors will be high-end wine drinking consumers from key export markets and this is who New Zealand Winegrowers will target with a premium, sustainable and diverse product. Chris Yorke, Global Marketing Director, New Zealand Winegrowers comments: “The New Zealand wine industry has been working to leverage the excitement around RWC 2011 for the last two years. We have already held events in UK, Australia, Asia and North America and we are now looking forward to impressing our RWC 2011 visitors and thus create an army of New Zealand Wine ambassadors.”
New Zealand Winegrowers is also working closely with official sponsors and is discussing exciting opportunities during the tournament with other industries. Not only will this leverage the exposure of New Zealand wine over the 45 days but will provide a platform for future industry collaboration.
Canterbury and Waipara are important regions in the New Zealand wine industry and have been significantly impacted by the earthquakes in Christchurch. The rescheduling of the Christchurch tournament games makes it even more important to support the wineries and showcase their wines and regional stories during the tournament. New Zealand Winegrowers will ensure Canterbury and Waipara wines will get a presence at all industry showcasing activities in New Zealand and overseas.
Media contacts:
New Zealand Winegrowers:
Chris Yorke – Global Marketing Director
E: chris@nzwine.com
T: 021 419194
Sarah Thornton – Brand, Communications & Online Manager
E: saraht@nzwine.com
T: 09 306 5553
NZ 2011 Office - Sharon van Gulik 021 663 597
Suggested Links:
nzwine.com
realnzshowcase.com
nz2011.govt.nz/business
brancottestate.com