Crown Range Cellar's China Girl goes under hammer to build Chapel
Tuesday 5 July 2016, 9:29AM
By Boyd PR
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A limited edition range of China Girl Pinot Noir is going under the hammer at a special auction in Christchurch on July 7.
Produced by Crown Range Cellar in Queenstown, China Girl is inspired by the stories and lives of the many Chinese miners who lived in Central Otago – and a land they called New Gold Mountain – during the gold rush.
Jing Song (29), CEO of Crown Range Cellar, says the China Girl collection is derived from grapes that were hand-picked from a piece of land known as Chinaman’s Terrace, on Bendigo Hill, which was the site of an early Chinese settlement.
“Since coming here from China as a 12 year old I have spent most of my life in the Central Otago region and we crafted China Girl Pinot Noir as a testament to the historical mining region and the many Chinese who lived here, often under harsh conditions, in those times.”
Crown Range Cellar is partnering with Ms Song’s old school, Christchurch’s St Andrew’s College, for the auction with proceeds going towards the Step into Our Future charity to help build its new centennial chapel.
She says the auction is a way of giving something back to the school which set her on course for a successful business career as a wine producer and entrepreneur.
The China Girl selection is a cellar mate to Crown Range’s signature wine, the Grant Taylor Central Otago Pinot Noir which was judged the world’s best Pinot Noir at last year’s World Prestige London International Wine Competition.
Guests at the auction will have a rare chance to sample the Grant Taylor Pinot Noir.
Auction items on the evening include four sets of 6 x 750ml bottles of China Girl Pinot Noir, six individually cased 1.5 litre Magnums of China Girl Pinot Noir, and one (of only six) Limited Edition 9 litre China Girl Pinot Noir bottle hand labelled and signed by Crown Range cellar partner Sir Michael Hill, Prime Minister John Key, Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel and St Andrew’s Principal Christine Leighton.
The auction is at Christchurch’s Strowan House on July 7.
For tickets email Anna Galvan at AGA@stac.school.nz. Please note tickets to the event are limited.