Hawke's Bay wine reaches for the stars

POPULAR: The focus may have been on Barbara Streisand and James Brolin but a bottle of Villa Maria's finest can be seen in the foreground. Photo / Supplied

Royalty of the William and Kate kind as well as the Hollywood star variety got a fine taste of Hawke's Bay at the recent glittering Bafta "Brits to Watch" event staged in Los Angeles.

Adorning the tables which were occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge alongside Barbara Streisand, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman, were bottles of Villa Maria Estate wines and Champagne Taittinger.

The Kiwi winemaker and Taittinger were the official wine and champagne partners to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts staging the event, which saw Prince William and Princess Kate arrive on the red carpet as guests of honour.

Prince William is Bafta's president.

The Villa Maria wines gracing the tables were sauvignon blanc and merlot cabernet sauvignon - the latter being a varietal predominantly grown in the estate's Hawke's Bay vineyards.

Villa Maria Estate owner Sir George Fistonich was delighted at the honour of having a touch of Kiwi, and Hawke's Bay, on the star-studded tables.

"We are thrilled that our sauvignon blanc and merlot cabernet sauvignon were chosen for guests to enjoy at the event," he said.

The occasion, which seeks to bring British talent to the attention of the US movie industry, was equally successful in introducing the guests to the quality grape of the Bay.

There appeared to be no glasses untouched or bottles unpoured.