Sit down tasting with Jean-Christophe Poizat - $45 pp

Jean-Christophe Poizat from French Importers Maison Vauron will take us on a charming journey along France's great Loire River - showcasing the various regional wine styles and appellations (8 wines in total - including sparkling Rosé, Cabernet Franc, the famous sweet Quarts de ChaumQuarts de Chaume is an incredibly small (approx 35 ha) Anjou sub-region responsible for producing tiny quantities of sweet Chenin Blanc wines; plus 5 still whites - Sancerre, Vouvray and more). The wines will be matched with fabulous finger food from La Fromagerie. Wine list as follows:

To Start : Monmousseau Cuvee JM Rosé Touraine (Méthode Traditionnelle)
Landron Louvetrie Muscadet de Sevre et Maine 'sur lie' 2008
Baumard Savennieres 'Clos du Papillon' 2007
Champalou Vouvray 2008
Emile Balland Coteaux du Giennois 'Les beaux jours' 2009
Henri Bourgeois Sancerre 'Les Baronnes' 2009
Yannick Amirault Bourgueil 'Les Quartiers' 2008 (Cabernet Franc)
Finalé : Baumard Quarts de ChaumeFor the production of sweet wine, Florent Baumard prefers to harvest as late as the vintage weather permits, hoping for plenty of botryitis. The Chenin Blanc grapes are harvested in successive passes through the vineyard & any unsatisfactory fruit is eliminated. The grapes are pressed quickly & the must fermented under temperature control. Aging is done strictly without oak to preserve the elements of fruit & terroir. 2007

The wines range in price from around $25 to $120, and all will be at special prices on the night. Bookings confirmed on receipt of payment.

You will find links to all our French Regional Tastings here...

Sit down tasting with Michael Bayly from Hancocks (Distributors) $65 pp (including finger food)

Michael Bayly will be our guide through seven fabulous French Champagnes from the famous houses of Pol Roger and Charles Heidsieck, plus... a mystery Vintage Champagne. Full wine list as follows:

*Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV
*Pol Roger Pure NV
*Pol Roger Brut Rosé Vintage 2000
*Pol Roger Cuveé Sir Winston Churchill 1998 - one of the great prestige cuvees

*Charles Heidsieck Brut Vintage 2000 - Champagne Trophy Winner - Decanter 2010
*Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV - Champagne of the Year Trophy - Decanter 2009
*Charles Heidsieck Rosé 1999 - Vintage Rose of the Year Trophy - Decanter 2010

Plus a Mystery Vintage Champagne

The above Champagnes range in price from around $110 to $350 and all will be at special prices on the night. Please note that due to a supply hiccup this is an amended wine list (equally as great!) from that earlier advertised. Plus, all those who order on the night will go into a draw for a bottle of Pol Roger NV, as well as a package - 1 x Pol Roger Golf Brolly, 1 x Charles Heidsieck Steel Ice Bucket, and 6 x Pol Roger Crystal Flutes. Just a couple of places still available. Bookings confirmed on receipt of payment.

You will find links to all our French Regional Tastings here...

Sit down tasting with Jean-Christophe Poizat
$55 pp (including finger food)

The ever popular Jean-Christophe Poizat from French Importers Maison Vauron is back with a selection of white wines from France's world famous Burgundy region. The tasting will feature 8 wines from various appellations from the 2007 & 2008 vintages, matched with fabulous finger food from La Fromagerie. Wine list as follows:

Louis Michel Petit Chablis 2008

Billaud-Simon Chablis 1er Cru "Vaillons" 2008

Saumaize Michelin Pouilly Fuisse "Vigne Blanche" 2008

Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet Bourgogne "Clos du Chateau" 2007

Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 2007

Arlot Nuits St Georges Blanc "Les Cherbaudes" 2007

Latour-Giraud Meursault 1er Cru "Genevrieres" 2007

Rollin Grand Cru "Corton Charlemagne" 2007

The wines range in price from $35 to $175 and all will be at special prices on the night. Places still available but filling up fast! Bookings confirmed on receipt of payment.

You will find links to all our French Regional Tastings here...

Italian Tasting
Tuesday 21 September 6.30 - 8.30pm

Sit down tasting with Phil Clarke from A Touch of Italy (Importers & Distributors)
$30 pp (including finger food)

Phil Clarke travels to Italy regularly to source Italian wines for his Auckland-based business. He focuses on indigenous varieties and high quality at affordable prices. The tasting will feature the following 3 whites and 6 reds from various regions (the accolades from top Italian Wine Critic Luca Marcroni are included - the highest rating in the latest Luca Maroni guide is 98 points and Phil will be opening 2 of these):

Carpene Malvolti Prosecco Veneto (Carpene produce multi-award winning sparkling Prosecco)
Farnese Opi Chardonnay 2009 Abruzzo (93 points, Luca Maroni)
Casale Vecchio Montepulciano 2009 Abruzzo (91 points, Luca Maroni)
Feudi di San Marzano Primitivo di Manduria 2008 Puglia (94 points, Luca Maroni)
Feudi di San Marzano Sessantani 2006 Puglia (98 points, Luca Maroni)
Piano del Cerro Pipoli Aglianico Del Vulture 2008 Basilicata (Silver Medal NZIWS)
Piano del Cerro Riserva Aglianico Del Vulture 2004 Basilicata (Gold Medal NZIWS)
Farnese Edizione 2007 Abruzzo/Puglia (blend of 5 indigenous varieties - 98 points, Luca Maroni)
Pellegrino Passito di Pantelleria 2008 Sicily (delicious fortified dessert wine - 100% Moscato)

The wines range from around $20 to $60 - we'll have some great special pricing on the night. Still places available, but be quick! Bookings confirmed by payment

Sit down tasting with James Healy and Ivan Sutherland

Don't miss the opportunity to meet two of New Zealand's winemaking legends! As former Head Winemaker and Chief Viticulturalist at Cloudy Bay, respectively, James Healy & Ivan Sutherland were well known and highly respected characters in the New Zealand wine industry when they established Dog Point Vineyard in 2002. They concentrate on just 3 varieties - Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - proven varieties when grown on desirable sites in the Wairau Valley of Marlborough.

The tasting will offer a comparison of the '06 vintage (last tasted when they visited Casa del Vino in 2008), with the '08 (latest release) vintage of Dog Point Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Section 94 Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc. They'll also be opening the latest release Sauvignon Blanc 09, and the evening will kick off with a taste of their non-commercial bubbly, Two Shady Dogs - and no doubt the story behind its name! (8 wines in total).The latest release wines will all be at special prices on the night. $25 pp (including finger food) - bookings confirmed by payment.

Read more about our Dog Point Tasting here...

Winter Whisky Tasting
Wednesday 14 July 6.30 - 8.00pm

Casual stand-up tasting with Julie Holcroft from Pernod-Ricard - $30 pp
($20 redeemable on any whisky purchase made on the night)

Come and warm your whistle! This generous tasting will showcase different styles from the Pernod-Ricard whisky (whiskey - if you're Irish) portfolio. The 5 selections include 4 Scottish Speysiders: The Glenlivet French Oak Single Malt 15 year, The Glenlivet Single Malt 18 year, Strathisla Single Malt 12 year and Chivas Regal 18 year Scotch blend; plus Jameson 18 year Irish Whiskey.

We'll also have some tasty finger food to compliment the malts and blends.The whiskies range in price from around $100 to $200 per bottle, and all will be at special prices on the night. Bookings confirmed on receipt of payment.

Sit-down tasting with Jean-Christophe Poizat - $50 pp

Jean-Christophe Poizat from French Importers Maison Vauron is back with a handpicked selection of red wines from France's world famous Burgundy region. The tasting will showcase wine styles from the 2007 vintage from the various sub-regions of Burgundy - including Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, Cote Chalonnaise and Beaujolais.

The wines will be matched with fabulous finger food from La Fromagerie. Wine list as follows, with all at special prices on the night:

Potel-AvironNicolas Potel & Stephane Aviron started to talk about the possibilities for a new style of Beaujolais; top crus, traditional fermentation rather than carbonic maceration and elevage in oak. The stage was set, and propitiously their first wines were launched from the very good 2000 vintage. Parcels from six crus were chosen for both their exposure and their vine-age, and each year these same parcels are bought. The parcel in Ch�nas are the oldest vines from Potel-Aviron cuv�es. The consequence of these old vines is that yields are always lower, closer to 25hl/ha than the 50 which is typical. Moulin a Vent "Vielles Vignes" 2007

Lucien MuzardThe Muzard Family has been making wine in the Santenay Appellation for nine generations. Today, Lucien Muzard and his two sons cultivate 22 ha of vines. Thanks to some of the best positioned vineyards in the village of Santenay, they are producing wines of a very high quality. Their philosophy is simple: lots of care and good work in the vineyard (gentle ploughing, no herbicide, no pesticide, low yield, green harvest, hand harvest) and in the winery - let the fruit do the talking! Bourgogne 2007

Henri & Paul JacquesonThe Rully appellation existed before WW II, but in the previous 20 years only one bottling of 100 cases had been made. It obviously didn't sell well because it wasn't repeated. Still Henri decided to become a winegrower and planted Chardonnay in Rully 1er Cru 'Gresigny', then Pinot Noir in Rully 1er Cru 'Les Cloux'. After 30 years he retired as president of the Rully growers association leaving a legacy of great wine from a minor Appellation. If not for Henri, it is far from certain that the Appellation would even exist. Rully 1er Cru "Les Cloux" 2007

JoblotJean-Marc Joblot has built himself a reputation as one of Burgundys best winemakers. The Joblot family estate consists of 14 ha in the little known appellation of Givry. Once well known and much in demand, destruction by phylloxera in the late 1800s and two World Wars led to its decline. Today, it is still under-appreciated and represents excellent value. "Pinot Noir is not a grape for oenologist but for gardeners!" says Jean-Marc Joblot, so it is little wonder that he is fanatical in the vineyard, ensuring moderate yields of beautiful fruit. Givry 1er Cru "Cellier Aux Moines" 2007

Manuel OlivierManuel Olivier grows 9 ha of vineyards in integrated farming, in the village of Concoeur & Corboin, and produces his wine in full respect of both quality and tradition Vosne Romanee 2007

ArlotDomaine de l'Arlot presented their first vintage in 1987. In Burgundy, where administration of vineyard legacies has been developed to an art and winemaking families commonly trace their origins back for hundreds of years, this makes the 31.2 acre Domaine de l'Arlot estate "new." Nuits St Georges 1er Cru "Les Petits Plets" 2007

Henri BoillotThis 14 ha estate based in the village of Volnay is run by the highly-respected Henri Boillot, who is making some of the most exciting wines in Burgundy at the moment. His scrupulously clean cellar and well-ordered vineyards are a revelation, and his delicious wines reflect the enormous care he puts into winemaking. Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru "Les Lavieres" 2007

Camille GiroudThis small but very old house with extremely old cellars in Beaune, has undergone a renaissance with its purchase by American investors. With the young and highly talented David Croix as manager and winemaker since 2002 there have already been dramatic improvements . They are often the source of wonderful wines from lesser known vineyards and appellations. Grand Cru "Corton" 2007

Read more about our Red Burgundy Tasting here...

Sit down tasting with Michael Bayly from Hancocks (NZ Distributors) $110 pp

Claus Riedel was the first person in the long history of the wine glass to design its shape according to the character of the wine, and from the 1950's Riedel started to produce glasses that were made to match and enhance specific wine varieties. Today Riedel's reputation in the production of quality glassware is unsurpassed worldwide.

"The Riedel family has never stamped its name on a single bottle of wine. But over the past 50 years, this Austrian clan of master glassmakers has done more to enhance the oenophile's pleasure than almost any winemaking dynasty" - Time Magazine

Michael Bayly will be our guide, as wines are compared and transferred into different glasses to illustrate how the shape of a glass affects the flavour and perception of the wine. Four different wine varieties (top quality examples) will be featured and their matching Riedel stemware; Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

As well as wine and finger food, the tasting price includes a Riedel Vinum Tasting Pack to take home (valued at $250 - full retail) plus there will be very special pricing on the night on additional tasting packs and the full range of Riedel stemware and decanters. Bookings confirmed on receipt of payment.

Read more about our Riedel Glass Tasting here...

Sit-down tasting with Jean-Christophe Poizat - $45 pp (including finger food)

Jean-Christophe from French Importers Maison Vauron is back with a handpicked selection of aromatic wines from France's Alsace region. The wines will be matched with fabulous finger food from La Fromagerie.

Wine list as follows, with all at special prices on the night:

Jean Boxler Vendanges Tardives Gewürtztraminer 2007

Albert Mann Pinot Blanc Auxerrois 2008

Arthur Metz Riesling 2008

Jean Boxler Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Cuvee D 2008

Bott Geyl Pinot Gris "Les Elements" 2005

Albert Mann Grand Cru Hengst Pinot Gris 2008

Albert Mann Gewürztraminer 2008

Jean Boxler Gewürztraminer 2008

The wines range in price from around $30 to $80 and will all be at special prices on the night. Bookings confirmed on receipt of payment.

You will find links to all our French Regional Tastings here...