A tasty tale of two cities

Guess what a retired Auckland restauranteur and a Waikato veterinarian have in common? Wine, specifically vintage reds.

The two avid wine connoisseurs are putting their collections under the hammer as single vendors for The Wine Auction Rooms next live auction. It will be held at the stylish Caro’s Wines in Mackelvie Street, Grey Lynn, at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, 3 July, and also streamed live on www.wineauctionroom.com

“We are very proud to be offering these collections as two single vendors in our July auction. It really is a testament to wine collecting and how that can be a passion for anyone,” says Wine Auction Room owner Reece Warren.

The cellar of the very successful Auckland restaurateur is predominantly New Zealand wines. “He has a wonderful collection and all his wines have been cared for meticulously in his temperature-controlled cellar,” says Reece.

It includes wines from The Antipodean winery in Matakana which wine writer Nicholas Bryant hailed as New Zealand’s “first real red wine”. The majority of wines from The Antipodean were exported to private collectors, limiting the opportunity for New Zealanders to taste it.

The collection also contains a range of vintage Armagnacs and a bottle of 1969 Chateau Lafite Rothschild from Bordeaux which averages at $3,500 a bottle.

Like the Auckland restaurateur, the Waikato vet’s wines have been carefully cared for firstly in an underground purpose-built cellar before they were stored in a purpose-built temperature-controlled cellar and wine cabinets. They are predominantly from Bordeaux, with vintages ranging from 1970 to 2006. “Many of his wines have been purchased En Primeur from Peter Maude Fine Wines,” says Reece, which means they were bought before the wine was bottled and still in the barrel.

“Both of these collections offer a great range of wines that will fit all budgets and taste buds.”

Wines to be auctioned on July 3 include:

New Zealand
Te Mata, Esk Valley Terraces, Fromm, Ata Rangi, Dry River, Stonyridge, Antipodean

France
Chateau Latour a Pomerol, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze, Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux and many other classed growth Bordeaux.

Portugal
Numerous vintage ports

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