The Te Mata evening last month was a great success, with Keith Tibble and Brett Newell from EuroVintage filling in for Te Mata’s Reps. They were both informative and interesting about the vintages, the people who own and work the vineyards and the different classes of wine that Te Mata produces and sells. There was a good level of orders from members.
The vertical tasting of the two Cabernet Merlots was also interesting, as these helped educate us on the different processes that are used on the different classes of grapes the Winery handles. The taste of these two wines was an eye-opener.
NB: Don’t forget Brett Newell’s tip that you don’t decant older wines too early before you want to drink them, as their taste will not be the best by the time you drink them. ‘Old’ is anything older than ten years.
Update on Te Mata orders
The orders are in hand if a little delayed. Keith Tibble from EuroVintage has been ill and given the orders are compiled in Auckland and then shipped as a single order to Wellington, there has been a delay. The orders are due to Murray by the end of this week and as soon as received will be delivered to you or arrangements made. The charges at this point have not gone on to your credit cards. Apologies for the delay.
This promises to be a great evening at a very good restaurant. As of last weekend, we had reached our maximum of 48 people, which is very pleasing to the committee who view this as a huge reward for all the effort that goes into planning such events.
Wayne currently has a waitlist in operation in case COVID or some other sudden reason prevents someone from attending. If you find yourself in this situation, can you please let him know ASAP either by text to 027 452 3802 or email?
Next week you can expect to receive an email from Wayne giving you your seat number and the confirmation of what you have ordered. If that information is correct, you do not need to do anything apart from seeking out a bottle of wine to match your food. But if you need to change something or Wayne has misrecorded your choices, please get back to him urgently. That email will also include another copy of the menu.
If you intend to use public transport to get to the dinner, then simply get off the bus at Courtenay Place, walk down Allen St, turn left onto Wakefield Street and you will find the restaurant on your left approx. 30 metres.
As is usual, please try to arrive close to 7 pm as possible, as arriving too early can cause issues. Thanks in advance for your co-operation with this.
Menu
Entrees
Mushroom soup, Madeira cream Smoked trevally soufflé, leek and chive sauce Duck, prune and green peppercorn rillettes, toasted brioche, chutney
The March evening with Victor Kattenbalt and Confidant Wines was a taste experience for all those that could attend. We tried some Waipara Downs wines, which are largely exported to Australia, and some Portuguese wines that were quite different grape varieties to what we see in NZ.
Victor explained a little about the areas of Portugal where the Portuguese wines came from, and some of the Cellar Club members started dreaming of visiting and exploring those regions further.
Our thanks go out to Victor for moving his planned tasting forward to March at very little notice.
The January BBQ at Derek’s was the start of our calendar year and was a lovely afternoon in the sun for the approximately 40 club members who came.
Thanks to Derek for letting us use his house for this event, Anne for her organising skills, Richard and Wayne for their culinary skills and to all those who supported the event, and their wine and food contributions.
In a change to previous years, the committee decided to eliminate the salmon and do a major upgrade in quality for the burgers and bangers. Wayne successfully approached the Cameron Harrison butchery shop on 4 Crofton Road, Ngaio and arranged for them to supply 48 x 100gm Venison patties and 60 Pork, Apple and Sage gourmet sausages at a very competitive price. Whilst still not cheap, it was evident from the feedback at the BBQ that this change was meet with wide appreciation, as their quality was excellent and the Cranberry sauce on the patties a wonderful accompaniment.
The (Irish) Government has agreed to introduce minimum unit pricing on alcohol from the start of January 2022.
In New Zealand, the governement imposes two types of taxes. The Good and Services Tax (GST) @ 15% and a alcohol excise tax of 14% to 37% for wine and beer, and 50% for spirits.
hse.ie | 25 May 2021
Price before MUP
The Government has agreed to introduce minimum unit pricing on alcohol from 4January 2022. It sets a minimum price for a gram of alcohol, meaning it cannot be sold for less than that price. It doesn’t matter where the alcohol is sold – off license, supermarket, bar or restaurant – the minimum price stays the same.
Why is minimum unit pricing being introduced?
Alcohol is a major cause of illness and disease, hospitalisations, self-harm, and violence in Ireland. It’s better for everyone if, as a country, we cut back.
Price after MUP
In 2019, on average, every person in Ireland aged 15 and over drank 10.8 litres of pure alcohol a year – the equivalent of either 40 bottles of vodka, 113 bottles of wine or 436 pints of beer.
Research by the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group found that when minimum unit pricing on alcohol is introduced in Ireland, alcohol consumption is expected to reduce by almost 9% overall.
The heaviest drinkers are expected to reduce their alcohol consumption by 15%, while people who already drink within the low-risk alcohol guidelines are expected to drink 3% less.
The heaviest drinkers buy the cheapest alcohol. Minimum unit pricing on alcohol targets these drinkers, reducing its affordability so that less alcohol is purchased. This will reduce the harm that alcohol causes them and others.
This should result in around 200 fewer alcohol-related deaths and 6,000 fewer hospital admissions per year.
Minimum unit pricing is being introduced as part of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018. It is one of a number of public health measures being introduced under this legislation, all aimed at reducing the harm that alcohol causes to our society.
What is the minimum unit price?
One standard drink in Ireland contains 10 grammes of alcohol. The minimum price for one standard drink will now be €1. Most alcoholic drinks are already above this, especially in pubs, clubs and restaurants.
Some examples of a standard drink are a pub measure of spirits (35.5mls), a small glass of wine (12.5% volume), and a half pint of normal beer.
For example, a 12.5% bottle of wine has 7.4 standard drinks and from 4 January 2022, cannot be sold for less than €7.40.
Minimum unit pricing on alcohol prevents strong alcohol from being sold at low prices.
How do we know it will work?
In 2018, Scotland became the first country in the EU to bring in minimum unit pricing on alcohol. Alcohol purchases in Scotland reduced by 7.6% in the year after it was introduced. This is the lowest level of alcohol sales since records began in the early 1990s.
Research has also shown that moderate drinkers were affected very little; it has had the greatest impact on harmful drinkers. It is estimated that it will save more than 2,000 lives in Scotland over 20 years.
Research on minimum unit pricing in Canada has also shown that it reduces alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm, including alcohol-related diseases, deaths, crime, and health service use.
Why not use a tax instead?
People drink more alcohol if it is cheap. Increasing the price of alcohol will reduce the amount of alcohol that is purchased and this will improve our health. There are different approaches to increasing the price of alcohol, such as through tax. If you raise taxes for alcohol, you are raising the cost of alcohol for everyone. A minimum unit price only targets cheapest alcohol. For low-risk drinkers, like those who are already drinking within the low-risk alcohol guidelines, the change will largely go unnoticed.
Who will it affect the most?
Minimum unit pricing most impacts people who are drinking alcohol harmfully. It is designed to target the heaviest drinkers who seek the cheapest alcohol, which means it will have the greatest effect among those who experience the most harm. These drinkers also suffer greater harm from alcohol and therefore stand to gain more in terms of health as a result of reductions in drinking.
But what is a heavy drinker?
A heavy drinker is someone who regularly drinks more than weekly low-risk alcohol guidelines. These are 11 standard drinks for women and 17 standard drinks for men, spread out over the week and with at least 2 to 3 alcohol free days per week. A heavy drinker is also someone who regularly drinks more than 6 standard drinks on one occasion.
With the new Traffic Light System put in place by the NZ Government, in order to the use of the Johnsonville Community Centre under COVID19 mandates, you must scan to enter the premises when you arrive and show your vaccine pass to be recorded by Wayne – when you pay for the evening.
The showing of your pass will be a one-off until it expires.
At the moment, the wearing of masks when entering and exiting the Johnsonville Community Centre, plus the distance we have to be settled at, etc is all in play and we’ve adapted well, thank you.
Your vaccination pass can either be printed or stored on your mobile phone. For people that haven’t yet got one of these passes:
If you don’t have a Real Me ID, go into the https://mycovidrecord.health.nz and follow the instructions to get access to your medical record, then download/print a copy of your pass
Carry this with you in your wallet/purse
This pass will ensure you have all the freedoms you can access for your Summer pleasure.
NB: As always, please if you are feeling unwell, do not attend any of your Club’s meetings, thank you.
To get the scoop on the best way to bring your barbecue fare to life with wine.
Our January Cellar Club BBQ is going ahead on the last Sunday of this month and as previous, it will be a No Charge event requiring you to contribute a bottle of wine [ie its BYO] and food.
All wine is pooled so it can be enjoyed by others who appreciate the variety. We would ask people not to take wine away to individual tables, as this limits access to wines that people might want to try. Remember though that the Club provides no wine for this event, so ensure that you bring enough if you think the summer heat will make you thirsty.
For new and prospective club members, this is a great afternoon/evening to get to know the other Club members and join in to start off 2022 in a wonderful setting.
Also, if members have friends as prospective members, then this is an ideal time to see the club in action.
This year your committee is trying something different with the format of the BBQ and club members are asked to bring whatever they would like to nibble on for their appetiser. The idea is to share what you bring at whatever table you are seated at, and we will also provide popcorn [thanks Anne]. There will be no cheese or bread as that tends to be an issue on hot days.
We are also going to try venison patties with a cranberry sauce and gourmet sausages as the meat dishes this year, instead of using salmon and precooked sausages.
As in previous years, you are asked to please bring a salad if you are an even numbered house, or a dessert if you are an odd numbered house. This should be sufficient for about 8 people.
If you are bringing a dessert, because of a limited fridge capacity, could we please have some without cream or the need for ice cream this year. Thanks.
Please remember those people overseas, especially in the UK, who still have lorry driver shortages – and supply shortages! By the way, this has led to goods being moved by train [back to the future!]
Compact Swivel Cheese & Tapas BoardWho knew drinks trolleys have made a comebackPerhaps the perfect welcome matWine Glass Holder for bath & shower
We had a well-attended evening for the wine and food match, with 41 people attending.
It was notable that the vineyard used compostable plates and utensils for the tasting, so our green miles are good! And this goes in with the vineyard’s practices of being vegan friendly and on their way to being organic certified. Great for the planet.
The wines we tried were:
2020 Waipara Sauvignon Blanc
2018 Waipara Sauvignon Blanc partnered with toast and Bruschetta
2020 Waipara Pinot Gris partnered with Indian dahl
2020 Waipara Viognier
2016 Waipara Riesling partnered with Beef Thai salad
2020 Canterbury Pinot Noir partnered with Pulled Pork slider
2019 Waipara Pinot Noir partnered with spicy lamb koftas with couscous
2017 Waipara Pinot Noir
2016 Dr Khols Waipara Riesling partnered with Banoffee pie
While it would have made the evening more interesting to have a bit more banter about the wine from the presenter, this was a very enjoyable evening and the members were fed well.
A special note of thanks to Nicola Fraher and friends for the food, as well as to our pourers Carolyn & Terry and our food servers Fiona and Evelyn. It really was a great effort by everyone involved.
And it was pleasing to see all that mahi result in significant wine orders on the night, coupled with requests for personally signed cookbooks.
Your committee is looking at the conditions we may have to operate under in relation to the use of WCC facilities under COVID19 mandates.
At the moment, the wearing of masks when entering and exiting the Johnsonville Community Centre, plus the distance we have to be settled at, etc is all in play and we’ve adapted well, thank you.
With the new Traffic Light System coming into play on December 3rd, it may become mandatory that in order to get into any public facilities in the near future, it will require the display of your vaccination pass so please ensure you have one with you.
It is certainly the expectation of your committee that members will be double vaxed for our events. But as always, please if you are feeling unwell, do not attend any of your Club’s meetings, thank you.
Saturday 11th December is your Cellar Club’s Christmas dinner at Juniper Gin Bar & Restaurant, 142 Featherston Street, Wellington.
Arrive at 7 pm for seating at 7.30 pm.
Thank you for returning your meal choices to Wayne. He is planning to email all dinner attendees with their meal choices to check that he has your choices correct. This will also give you a chance to pick out a wine to bring with you to match your food choices. His email will also be providing details of your table seating and the Covid requirements for the venue under the new traffic light system.
Juniper Gin Bar & Restaurant
Given there are some members attending the dinner for the first time, it is perhaps an opportune time to mention how our dinners operate.
You are asked to arrive as close to 7 pm as practical. Please don’t turn up early as it can cause confusion at the venue.
When you arrive, you will be greeted with a complimentary glass of bubbles.
The meal is BYO wine, and your prepaid cost includes corkage. During the evening, it is customary to share your wine with your neighbours.
We are expecting to finish sometime between 9.30 pm and 10 pm, but this is a guideline only, in case you are arranging transport home. Please try and stay as flexible as possible.
