Summer Entertaining Edition
Online bidding now open. Closes Monday 12 January 8.00 PM NZDT.
The summer break is here for many of us and this auction is our Boxing Day bonanza! Here is an expertly curated selection of wines to help you restock the beach house or add another treasure to the cellar. These are wines for when a long lunch rolls right into dinner and the guest list just keeps growing!
Think of this as your mid-summer restock… something refreshing for the afternoon right through to something serious to enjoy with a meal you’ve spent three days preparing… There is truly something here for every palate, occasion and budget. And because time seems to have no meaning when you’re on holiday, this Auction runs until most of us are back at work on Monday 12 January.
The Wines
Our Summer Break Wine Auction has over 600 amazing lots so lets keep it as brief as possible…
Starting local, we have a selection of stunning cellar-aged kiwi Bordeaux blends from Hawke’s Bay and Waiheke featuring stunning wines from Mills Reef, Sacred Hill and the no-longer-in-production Cornerstone. Merlot and Cab are followed by Pinot with stunning wines from Central Otago (Quartz Reef, Rippon, Dicey and more) and Canterbury (Pyramid Valley, Greystone and refined naturalists Black Estate). There is also an excellent selection of Hawkes Bay Syrah with aged bottlings of Church Rd Tom, Trinity Hill Homage and Te Mata Bullnose. We finish off our trip around New Zealand with whites… classic Chardonnays from Kumeu River and the sensational single site wines from Villa Maria (don’t overlook these) alongside Riesling from some of NZs best producers, namely Bannockburn's Felton Road and Canterbury’s Pegasus Bay.
And then we travel to Australia… highlights include stunning Margaret River Chardonnay and Cabernet from Xanadu alongside high-end old vine Cab and Shiraz from classic producers like Wirra Wirra, Peter Lehman and Yalumba.
The Americas represent an excellent treasure trove of cult cab from Napa and Chile alongside some great value Chardonnay from Bogle.
Germany features Riesling from the greats… Selbach Oster, Willi Schaefer and Egon Muller plus a solitary bottle of one of the world's most underrated styles, Spatburgunder (aka German Pinot Noir) while Spain brings powerhouse reds from Rioja, Priorat and Ribera del Duero.
The Italian section runs the gamut from festive prosecco and easy drinking reds like Frappato (Sicily's answer to Beaujolais) and Puglia icon Susumaniello right through to top-flight Barolo, Super-Tuscans and icon wines like Masseto and Ornellaia.
France brings a stunning selection of Champagne including a range of cult grower bottlings alongside whites from the Loire, Alsace and Jura (including wines from legends like Huet Vouvray, Domaine Ostertag and Domain Weinbach); while the Rhone brings powerhouse spice-filled Grenache and Syrah wines alongside opulent whites. And then there is ethereal Burgundy… iconic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from top producers like Armand Rousseau (Chambertin), Domaine Bonneau du Martray (Corton), and Henri Boillot (Puligny) alongside more recent entries in the cannon like Moreau Naudet (Chablis) and Domaine Francois Millet (Chambolle-Musigny). We finish France with the classic wines of Bordeaux which include greats like Lafite, Latour and Lafleur right through to stunning sub-$100 bottles from Pomerol, Margaux, St Estephe and Pauillac.
We complete the auction with fortifieds, spirits, glassware and some fun things to drink over summer!
Happy bidding and goodluck… This is a set and forget kind of auction so make sure you get in early.
A Note on Provenance and Storage
Many of the wines in this auction have been cellared in purpose built, climate controlled environments to protect their integrity, value, and longevity. Temperature, humidity, vibration, light exposure and bottle position all influence how wines age. Proper storage can be the difference between a wine evolving beautifully over years and prematurely declining.
If you plan to cellar your purchases, talk to our team about storage options. We offer secure, climate controlled storage designed to protect provenance and maximise drinking enjoyment, whether you are building a long term collection or simply freeing up space at home for summer entertaining. There is no climbing up ladders to put your precious wines with us as all Vaults are at ground level and have very easy access. We are also the only wine storage company with redundancy as we have two refrigeration units so your wine will never be compromised by temperature spikes.
Your Invitation
Absentee bidding is open. Settle in, explore the catalogue, and stock up for the season ahead. With thoughtful planning, a touch of indulgence, and the right bottle at the right moment, summer tastes even better in seriously fine company.
