NZ Sommelier May Newsletter
- Rachel Nui
NZ Sommelier Fundraiser @Normanby Wines
We are now looking forward to our various blind tasting and sommelier competitions over the winter months. The Wairarapa Competition is on Thursday 18 June at 6pm and the Auckland Competition on Monday 6 July at 5pm. We are hoping to organise others in Hawke's Bay and Central Otago. With the competitions, you can sign up for an individual ticket and we will put you in a group.
On June 15, we are delighted to welcome winemaker Alessandro Carraro of Spy Valley, a foundation NZ Sommelier partner, to share their wines following their recent success at the London Wine show and being awarded New Zealand Winery of the year. Register here.
Looking ahead to ASI Best Sommelier Competition in Portugal, Normanby Fine Wines will sponsor a fundraising evening on Thursday 25 June at Webbs Gallery in Mt Eden.
Tickets are $55 per person and include a selection of wine from Normanby Fine Wines, along with canapés prepared by students of the New Zealand School of Food and Wine. In addition, you will have the opportunity to watch Andrea in action as he demonstrates how to blind taste and evaluate a wine in 4 minutes and how to decant a grand cru classé in front of us.
Included is a special fundraising auction, offering a curated selection of lots to support Andrea with proceeds will go directly to our association.
This will be fun. Please support us!
With best wishes
Celia Hay
Blind Wine Tasting Events
Join us for our blind wine tasting events this winter.
Wairarapa Blind Tasting Competition: Thursday 18 June 6-8pm
Register here: Team of 4 or as an Individual $75
Auckland Blind Tasting: Monday 6 July 5-7pm
Register here: Team of 4 or as an Individual $75
ASI Certificate 1 Examinations 2026
ASI Certificate 1 Monday 16 July 2026 Register here
ASI Certificate 2 Monday 9 November 2026 Register here
Ornellaia Tasting with Peter Maude Fine Wines
Many thanks to Katharine Maude of Peter Maude Fine Wines, a premier partner of New Zealand Sommeliers for the outstanding tasting with Patrick Lachapele of Ornellaia.