NEWS
SEA CLEANERS
HITS THREEQUARTER
VIA
COCA-COLA
GRANT SPY VALLEY WINEMAKER
Nearly four million pieces of
marine litter have been collected
this year from Auckland’s
waterways as a result of The
Coca-Cola Foundation’s grant to
local environmental group Sea
Cleaners.
The Coca-Cola Foundation’s
grant has allowed Sea Cleaners
to put another boat on the water,
with a crew that goes out five
days a week and one Sunday a
month to clean up the Hauraki
Gulf and Kaipara Harbour.
At the end of the eighth month
of this year-long programme,
423,250 litres of rubbish had
been collected – the equivalent of
14 full shipping containers.
Hayden Smith, Founder and
Captain of Sea Cleaners says:
“Retrieving over 14 shipping
containers full of marine rubbish
in the last eight months is a
massive achievement and we are
well on track to reach the year’s
target of collecting 4.8 million
pieces of litter.
“It’s fantastic to see the support
and commitment Sea Cleaners is
receiving from local communities
and volunteers and the positive
impact that it’s having on our
waterways,” he says.
As part of the programme, Sea
Cleaners has educated over
5,000 high school students on
the proper disposal of litter and
the importance of keeping New
Zealand’s waterways clean.
“We’re thrilled to have been able
to engage with so many youths
and teach them the importance of
recycling - as they are our future,”
he says.
GETS MERCUREY HONOURS
Congratulations to Emily Gaspard-
Clark from Spy Valley Wines in
Marlborough who took out the
National Final to become the
Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young
Winemaker of the Year 2019.
Following the regional finals held
around the country in August, the
three finalists competed on 17th
September at NMIT for the title. The
other finalists were Kate Franklin
from Sacred Hill representing
Hawke’s Bay and Jordan Moores
from Felton Road representing
Central Otago.
It was a tough day as the three
were stretched and tested on their
winemaking knowledge and skills
at a very high level. Firstly they had
a week to prepare a presentation
entitled: Is New Zealand wine export
growth sustainable?
“It seems our future is in good
hands” said Nicky Grandorge
from New Zealand Winegrowers
and National Co-Ordinator of
the competition. “They had all
undertaken some serious research
and really thought about the future
of our industry, offering very well
thought out plans and ideas so we
can remain sustainable for many
years to come.”
They then had a general wine
knowledge and essay paper, an
interview and a CAPEX paper.
This was followed by wine judging
and running fining trials in the
laboratory. Farmlands laid on
a gourmet BBQ lunch to keep
everyone going.
Their final challenge was to give a
speech to the large crowd at the
Awards Dinner held at Wither Hills.
Their topic was “What makes your
region the best wine producing
region in New Zealand?” Needless
to say there were some very
passionate speeches, each proud of
the uniqueness of their region and
what it contributes to the NZ wine
industry.
The calibre of contestants was very
high and they all won at least one of
the tough sections, with Emily finally
gaining the most points across the
board.
Not only did Emily win the
prestigious title of Tonnellerie de
Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker
of the Year 2019, but the trophy
which is a bespoke mini barrel.
She also won an educational trip
to Burgundy, a $2000 Programmed
Property Services Education
Scholarship, a Riedel decanter,
a mixed case of wine from
Winejobsonline and cash. She will
also be an Associate Judge at the
NZ Wine of the Year competition,
receive a personal tasting
experience with a Villa Maria senior
winemaker and attend the NZ Wine
Awards in November.
The national final will rotate around
the regions each year, so next
year will move to either Hawke’s
Bay or Central Otago. This adds
to the great community feel of the
programme, as senior members
of the industry also get involved
with judging and enjoy supporting
these passionate, emerging young
winemakers.
WHITTAKER’S RELEASES TIMELY NEW
FLAVOURS OF NEW ZEALAND AND JAPAN
As a proud supporter of the All
Blacks, Whittaker’s is celebrating the
current feast of rugby with two new
limited edition 100g blocks, ‘Home’
and ‘Away’, showcasing signature
flavours of New Zealand and Japan.
Holly Whittaker, Whittaker’s
marketing manager, says Whittaker’s
is pleased to get in the spirit of this
important year in the rugby calendar,
with delicious and innovative new
flavours that are designed to have
wide appeal to anyone who loves
quality chocolate. The flavours are:
The ‘Home’ block, which combines
Whittaker’s supremely smooth White
Chocolate with locally sourced
Coffee Supreme, replicating an
iconic New Zealand Flat White in a
chocolate block.
The ‘Away’ block, which combines
Japanese matcha, sourced from
the Nishio region, and caramelised
pistachios in Whittaker’s White
Chocolate.
“While Whittaker’s have been official
supporters of the All Blacks for
several years, this is the first time
we have celebrated our partnership
with a limited edition chocolate that
is part of our premium 100g range,
which gave us an opportunity to do
something very creative and unique.
“We think Flat White coffee is as
Kiwi as the All Blacks and it was
important to us to really capture
that unique taste, which we believe
we’ve achieved by pairing the perfect
hit of roasted coffee with our White
Chocolate.
“Our ‘Away’ block has a hint of
Japanese matcha, which is perfectly
balanced with our supremely smooth
White Chocolate, and to top it off
has the added crunch of caramelised
20 OCTOBER 2019