Maison Vauron is a family story born 19,000km from Auckland, in the charming city of Saint Etienne, 50 km southwest of Lyon, in the Northern Rhone. Everything started in 1879 when Antoine Vauron began his business as a wine merchant. As Obélix, the famous French cartoon character, his great-grandson Jean-Christophe Poizat, fell into it when he was young and perpetuated the family tradition.
In 1991, Jean-Christophe took the opportunity to travel to New-Zealand to learn more about NZ wines. Six months after arriving he would meet his future wife and some years later, his business partners, Peter & Scott. The influence of family has always been strong, with siblings of both JC and Peter involved in various parts of the operation and are still involved today, likewise the partners of both JC and Scott work in the business.
Mention of JC may stir up religious thoughts in some. The theme this time though is fine wine and cheeses, so heavenly still comes to mind. A tasting not to be missed, more in the next newsletter.
We had 48 confirmed and paid people a week before the dinner, but sadly we had two late cancellations on the morning of the dinner. Generally, members liked the venue even though the stairs were challenging for some. Several attendees thought, and the committee agreed, that there was not enough food. The general feeling was that the food was of a good quality but sparse and that the quality did not relate to the price charged. It was suggested that we maybe should have charged a little more to get more food. It was decided to feedback to the restaurant about the dinner. Other than the issue of the food, the committee felt that the evening was enjoyable.
As you will note from the “looking back” item we have taken on board the complaint from a number of those attending the July dinner re the quantity of food provided. We will be taking this up with Saigon Van.
