INDEPENDENT NEWS

Celebrate the Small Producers with a Glass or Two At Craft’d

Published: Sat 20 Jul 2019 12:54 PM
Celebrate the Small Producers with a Glass or Two! At Craft’d!
Auckland’s favourite boutique wine and spirits festival bursts into life, this Sunday!
It’s time for the lesser known, but no less capable independent wineries and distilleries to shine - this Sunday (21st July) at the Craft’d Wine + Spirits Festival.
“Of the 697 wineries in New Zealand, 608 of them are classed as independent,” says Craft’d owner Sue Duncan, “meaning they’re usually small producers, dotted around the country, punching above their weight.
“Craft’d has been created to give these winemakers and distillers a place where they can show off their best products and can meet the public face to face,” she said.
“It’s not always easy for these small businesses to build their names and meet their customers, so that’s the role that Craft’d has chosen.”
Albeit a drop in the proverbial bucket of wineries, 40 of the most passionate will be at Craft’d this Sunday along with a small group of distillers making gins, vodkas and whiskeys (and cocktails associated with them).
Wineries include our some of our most Southern wineries; Misha’s and Coal Pit Wines, before taking a journey through all our other wine regions; Central Otago, Waipara, North Canterbury, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, to Auckland and sunny Waiheke.
Some very small winemakers have made the journey, such as Aitken’s Folly, Little Wing, Moi, Scout Wines and Folium, some making as few as 5,000 bottles per vintage.
There are natural sparkling wines known as ‘Pet Nats’, from Hawkes Bay’s Petane Vineyard and Silver Wing (recent won Gold at the Lyon International Wine Competition for an unfiltered Pinot Noir).
And what else can you make with grapes? Johanneshof Cellars brings their Edelbrand Grape Brandy along with their award-winning natural wines and Silver Wing surprises us with a Port.
All have amazing back stories, of winemaker’s follies, dry seasons and backbreaking work that goes into each bottle. But the most intriguing story of all goes to Untitled, a winemaker with no brand at all, just three outstanding non-vintage, multi-varietal, multiregional blends – ‘a red one, a white one, and a pink one’!
And to complement these amazing wines are a boutique group of Kiwi distillers including Burnt Hill vodka, EightPM whiskey, Alembicsgins, the National Distillery Co gin, Broken Heart gin and Thompson whiskey. East Imperial has come on board as exclusive mixer supplier – a full range will be available to try in the Club Lounge.
And Cocktail maestro Frankie Walker and his Black Pineapple Co team join the party as onsite mixologists to show how these spirits can become delicious cocktails.
Craft’d Events owner, Sue Duncan says the objective of the Craft’d Wine + Spirits Festival is to create a unique tasting experience like no other, giving vineyards the opportunity to showcase their wine in New Zealand's largest market, and offering attendees the chance to discover some of New Zealand's best kept secrets.
“So many of the best wines in New Zealand come from small vintages and small producers, who put their heart and their passion into creating great vintages,” says Duncan.
“And in each wine, there is a labour of love, of experimentation, of weather extremes and personal sacrifice. We’ve brought 40 of these great wines and the stories behind them to Craft’d, for one day – don’t miss the opportunity to taste them all!
Tickets available now from Eventfinda for Craft’d, this Sunday 21st July, at GridAKL / 12 Madden St, see: https://craftd.global/
Craft’d is proud to be part of the ElementalAKL Festival.
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