June 6th 2010
Hawke’s Bay wines “hot” at 19th annual Midlands Charity Wine Auction
Hawke’s Bay’s famous wines attracted a frenzy of bidding at Saturday night’s Midland’s Hawke’s Bay Charity Wine Auction and dinner at the Tom McDonald Cellar at Church Road Winery.
A total of $131,650 was raised for Cranford Hospice with many lots reaching record numbers assisted by the entertaining auctioneer and Napier MP Chris Tremain.
The evening started with a poignant tribute to Napier architect and Hawke’s Bay wine industry supporter Richard Weston who died of a rare form of cancer last year.
A magnum of Matariki 2000 Syrah was auctioned in Richard’s memory and reached $1000.
In the Auction’s early stages six signed magnums of former All Black John Ashworth’s Front Row Pinot Noir made a whopping $3,800 and Esk Valley’s Solera Selection Liquer Muscat sold for $5,250 – one of the highest prices paid for a dessert wine in the Auction’s history.
However it was the premium Hawke’s Bay red wines that saw the figures soar above $6,000 with the Trinity Hill 2009 Gimblett Gravels Syrah going under the hammer at $6,600, and a barrique of Sileni Estates Winemakers Reserve Merlot also topping $6000. Two unique Salmanazars (9 litre bottles) of Te Mata Coleraine reached $6,050.
Lot number 37, Ngatarawa’s 2007 Merlot Cabernet commanded the highest price of the night, reaching $8,600 as the bidding reached a crescendo.
Next year will see the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Charity Auction which has so far raised in excess of 2 million dollars for Cranford Hospice.
