Winetopia is a yearly event run in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, is known as “A Celebration of New Zealand Wine.” Cancelled last year due to Covid-19, I was excited to attend the event on a Saturday evening.
Located at Shed 10 in downtown Auckland, there were 3 sessions: Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening. Each session was 3.5 hours and gave you access to 58 wineries.
Entry tickets were $35 with 5 tasting tokens. Extras could be bought throughout the night and were $2 per token. One token was a tasting, while 2-3 tokens was a glass depending on the winery.
The layout was divided by region. My friends and I started in Marlborough, migrated to Northland followed by North Canterbury and finally Central Otago.
There was a food section including oysters, chocolate and olives. There was even a section for “Masterclasses” with experts such as winemakers, Masters of Wine and Sommeliers. With 3 Masterclasses per session, there were different classes for each event.
Each winery had an expo bottle list & pricing so you could bring your favorite wine home. On top of that were giveaways for wine products and trips to regions & Singapore!
Art was also scatter across the Shed.
Although it was crowded and loud, I really enjoyed this event. I was able to taste an array of great wine from all different regions. Compared to Taste Auckland, I thought it was a way better value.
Going with a group of friends make the event even better! I would highly recommend going to Winetopia if you get the chance.
TIP: Know your New Zealand wine regions & the best wineries before you arrive by having a skim of this book.