Media Release from Gibbston Valley Winery
December 18 2012

A Taste of Gibbston Valley Wines comes to Arrowtown

A ‘taste’ of some of New Zealand’s most applauded wines will be on offer for the first time in the historic town of Arrowtown thanks to a new innovation from a local winery.

Gibbston Valley Wines is branching out from its Gibbston home with a beautiful new tasting room on the main street of Arrowtown. From the warm stone and wooden interior of the old BNZ building, ‘A Tasting of Gibbston Valley Winery’ will be the first wine tasting room in the township.

Gibbston Valley Wines CEO Greg Hunt said the new facility would “bring the winery into town”, enabling it to showcase its wines and promote its products to a whole new audience which might otherwise not make the trip out to the vines.

“Arrowtown attracts thousands of regional and international visitors each year, so the new tasting room will mean that not only will people be able to sample our award-winning wines and choose from a full range from which to buy, but it will hopefully whet their appetites for everything else we have on offer in the valley.

“The space we have is only small, but it’s in the perfect spot on the main street and we’re thrilled to be opening.”

The new tasting room officially opens its doors today (Tuesday December 18) in plenty of time for the pre-Christmas rush and busy summer months. Nestled between retail outlets ‘Dreamz’ and ‘The Shed’, Mr Hunt said ‘A Tasting of Gibbston Valley Winery’ would provide a welcome addition to an already rich variety of retail and visitor experiences in Arrowtown.

Architect Ed Elliott and interior designer Terrence Vallelunga have ensured ‘A Tasting of Gibbston Valley Winery’ will be very much in keeping with its past, with warm wooden floors and counter, walls painted in heritage colours and exterior signage very much acknowledging the style of yesteryear.

One wall is taken up with a montage of photos and information about the winery and visitors will be encouraged to linger in the room and ask questions about its history and development.

The opening of the Arrowtown tasting room concludes a hugely successful year for Gibbston Valley Wines. The winery was recently lavished with an array of Cuisine Magazine awards, in particular with its 2011 Pinot Noir winning five stars. Over the years it has taken home more than 300 international and national awards, and this year celebrated the 25th anniversary of its first commercial wine harvest, as one of the pioneering and oldest vineyards in the Central Otago region.

“We have much to celebrate and applaud,” said Mr Hunt. “The opening of the tasting room in Arrowtown is a great end to a highly successful year, and the perfect platform to share that success with wine lovers and those who would enjoy our winery restaurant, Wine Cave Tours and other retail offerings.”

‘A Tasting of Gibbston Valley Wines’ is the first of many new plans Mt Hunt hopes to realise over the coming months.

“The winery is going from strength to strength. Our goal is to add experiences and give people more reasons to visit Gibbston Valley Winery as well as lengthen their stay while they are here,” he said.

Gibbston Valley Winery is home to New Zealand’s largest and innovative wine cave, available for wine tours, private functions, weddings and special occasions, the new Barrel Room for C&I functions and weddings, and a retail outlet.

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