New wine festival moves in to replace old

Taste replaces Toast. But it’s still all about the palate.

A wine festival merry-go-round in Wairarapa will see a brand new weekend festival arise where once Toast Martinborough was the only show in town for 30 years.

With Toast having moved ownership (to Foley Wines) location (to Te Kairanga) and timing (to the provincial holiday weekend in January) Taste of Wairarapa has moved into the vacated time slot – a mid-November weekend.

The new festival is planned for November 15-17 with events at multiple locations across Martinborough, Gladstone and Masterton, involving many of the wider Wairarapa wine region’s producers.

Taste organisers said that the third weekend in November has held a special place on many a wine lover’s calendar for more than 20 years and Taste is setting out to continue that spring tradition. 

One difference will be a wider array of wines, foods, activities and live music running from Friday through Sunday. Already, 24 events are listed on the festival website, along with 28 cellar doors – six from outside Martinborough. Organisers note there’s more to come.

Free and ticketed events include an Escarpment winemaker’s dinner at Nara, a family-avec-dog-friendly vineyard picnic at Gladstone Vineyard, and Ata Rangi’s Uncorked party.

Craggy Range is offering a Burgundy Long Lunch, there will be an e-bike tour to Johner and Urlar in Gladstone, and Hunting Giants II, a wine and wild food event featuring Huntress Wines and the launch of Martinborough’s newest cult wine brand.

Organisers said many of the wine and food producers participating are small, family-owned enterprises without cellar doors or public premises. This meant collaborative events and partnerships would provide rare opportunities to sample their wares, along with special menus created just for the festival weekend.

The event programme will be available online at wairarapawine.co.nz (still building).