Glittering black tie event celebrates 25th harvest anniversary at Gibbston Valley Winery

Over 160 guests were treated to a “once in a lifetime” event amongst the vines at the multi-award-winning Gibbston Valley Winery on Saturday night (September 1).

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of its first commercial grape harvest, the world-renowned winery delivered an “unforgettable” evening to commemorate the milestone.

Guests at the black tie event in the winery’s new Barrel Hall were joined by Gibbston Valley Winery legends founder Alan Brady, former winemakers Grant Taylor and Rob Hay, and current winemaker Christopher Keys.

Gibbston Valley Winery CEO Greg Hunt said the evening was “the perfect way” to celebrate such a momentous occasion.

He paid tribute to the foresight, determination and hard work of Alan Brady and other early wine pioneers that had seen Gibbston Valley Winery and the Central Otago wine industry through to where it is today.

“We owe all of them a huge debt of appreciation,” he said.

“The story of wine can’t be told without the winemakers, Rob Hay, our first winemaker from 1986 to 1992, followed by Grant Taylor who was here from 1993 to 2006 and whose 2000 Reserve Pinot Noir won ‘Best Pinot Noir in the World’ at the London International Wine Show.

“Today we have our new single vineyard wines, new labels and new awards and a quality of wines that wouldn’t happen without our current winemakers Christopher Keys, Sascha Herbert and Matt Swirtz.”

National charity Cure Kids was the beneficiary for the night, with over $19,000 raised from an auction of rare and collectable wines, a unique Otago winemakers painting, a claire bloom designer dress and Remarkables Scenic Helicopter flight for two.

Cure Kids’ ambassador and Queenstown resident Sophie Newbold – who celebrates her 18th birthday this month -- was one of the smiling faces serving guests at the five-course dinner.  Sophie lives with rare genetic condition CFC syndrome and was invited to be a waitress at the celebration dinner, helping her achieve a ‘bucket list’ goal of having a part-time job.

Cure Kids business development director Josie Spillane said she was “thrilled” to welcome Gibbston Valley Winery as a partner of the charity.

“We are making a difference for the 20,000 children in New Zealand who are living with a life-threatening illness,” she said.

Alan Brady told guests the anniversary dinner was to celebrate the 25 year milestone and to support Cure Kids.

“It is 25 years since the first trickle of Central Otago wine flowed out of this winery,” he said, as he showed guests an original bottle of 1987 Pinot Noir.

“It’s probably one of only two in the universe and it’s probably never going to be opened and it’s possibly not very good!” he joked.

“It has been a fantastic journey. Nobody is more surprised than I am to still be here.

“Wine is a journey of adventure and exploration, and this was a lonely place for us in the early 1980’s, a bunch of romantic, naïve, presumptuous but stubborn buggers, certainly not afraid of the unknown.

“I’m thrilled to be celebrating a quarter century of growing with you. Central Otago is on its way to becoming one of the great wine producing regions of the world. I salute the next 25 years of Gibbston Valley Winery.”

Anniversary dinner guests were treated to an impressive five course dinner, each course matched with a specially chosen wine from the winery’s renowned cellar.

Gibbston Valley Winery is home to a stunning winery restaurant, a cellar door wine tasting facility, New Zealand’s largest and innovative wine cave, available for wine tours, private functions, weddings and special occasions, the new Barrel Hall for C&I functions and weddings, and a retail outlet.