Winetopia returns promising to be bigger and better with the move to Viaduct Events Centre  

Early Bird Tickets to New Zealand’s largest wine discovery events, Winetopia, go on sale this Thursday. This year the events take place in Wellington at TSB Arena from 16 – 17 June and in Auckland at Viaduct Events Centre from 21 – 22 July.

Event Director Rob Eliott is excited about the 2023 season: “The events have typically reached capacity over the past few years and so we have now secured the larger Viaduct Events Centre for Winetopia in Auckland. This allows us to provide a quality experience for more visitors, while also growing the entertainment and culinary offering at the event. We look forward to presenting more than 50 premium and boutque wine producers in both cities and a really exciting presenter line-up. Some incredible wines have been made in New Zealand in the past few years and visitors are in for a real treat as these are all opened at the event.”

The line-up features a mix of local and international wine gurus, an enhanced entertainment offering and a stunning array of wines from the most recent vintages.

Newcomers to the Wellington event include Australian writer and wine critric Mike Bennie and “A Seat at the Table” filmmaker and wine educator David Nash from Auckland. They join returning favourites writer Joelle Thomson and Master of Wine Stephen Wong.

The Auckland event has a growing line-up in the Gaggenau Sommeliers Sessions which will feature chef demonstrations expertly paired with wine matches. Confirmed Somms include Jeremy Ellis of Masu, writer Mermaid Mary (Mary-Therese Blair) and reviewer Candice Chow.

The Main Stage in both cities will be hosted by the irreverent TV Presenter and Comedian Ben Hurley. Never short on surprises, the schedule will feature everything from Wine Blind tastings to speed-dating with wine makers, opportunities to Share A Glass with celebrities or try a range of wines valued anywhere from $30 to over $100 per bottle. The full line-up for each city will continue to be updated over the coming weeks.

Trying and discovering new wines remains the number one reason people come to Winetopia and winery diversification over the past few years means there is even more for wine lovers to explore this winter. Red wines from the 2020 grape harvest benefited from ideal growing condiUons, even if picking was challenging for many as it coincided with the country’s first Covid-19 lockdown. Many of these wines will be released at the Winetopia events and this will provide a great opportunity for lovers of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and red blends. The 2021 and 2022 vintages have produced varying yields and offer customers a chance to explore what differing weather conditions offer to the resulting wines across our wine regions including upcoming varieties such as Alabrino, Gruner Veltliner and white blends.

Winetopia is an opportunity for people to meet with winemakers from all over the country hot acer their most recent harvest. This includes a strong line-up from the cyclone impacted Hawke’s Bay with Paritua, Church Rd, Monowai, Elephant Hill, Askerne, Clearview, Ash Ridge, Lime Rock and Shed 530 who are all paticipating in one or both events. Many are happy to report that following the cyclone the Bay are enjoyed a solid few weeks of sunshine meaning that there is strong hope on the horizon for the 2023 vintage despite initial fears. Visitors can hear first hand accounts of the situation up and down the country. There will be additional fundraising activities for the Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Cyclone Relief Appeal at the event, this is on top of the $28,778 already raised by the Winetopia community in the “Wine for the Bay” promotion.

Early Bird Tickets start at just $39 (including $2 booking fee) and include a premium Spiegelau tasting glass, 5 tasting tokens and all the main stage talks and entertainment. Premium Tickets start at $89 and include access to a Premium seating area and encounters with the Winetopia presenters.

Tickets and line-up information is available at www.winetopia.co.nz