Club meeting formats

Tastings

Venue

Johnsonville Community Centre Hall, 30 Moorefield Rd, Johnsonville, Wellington 6037 – Directions.

Timing

Meetings start at 8:00 pm, and we encourage members to arrive by 7:45 pm to allow time to get organised. Be sure to check the start time for the event online or in your newsletter.

Check-in

On arrival, members are asked to check in at the door. Here, you can pick up your membership name label, find your membership stone, and place it into a container provided, which will enter you into the membership draw to win a bottle of wine. Say hello to the club’s President or the membership co-ordinator at the door.

Cost

After checking in, there will be a table to your right with the club’s Treasurer, Wayne. Wayne will take your payment and encourage you to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win a bottle of wine at the end of the night. Also, pick up your tasting sheet for making notes and a glass table organiser.

vino-wine-table

Some members like to sit with people they already know, while others want to meet new and exciting personalities within the club. Feel free to invite others to join you at your table. Your table will have a plate of cracker biscuits, a jug of water and a spittoon. Often, presenters will provide an order form, tasting notes, or advertising materials. Feel free to take these with you at the end of the night.

Quaffer wine

Before the meeting commences, a quaffing wine is available. Help yourself if no one is pouring this. Use this time to catch up with members and meet committee members.

Tasting start

At 8 pm, the club president formally introduces the presenter. The President may also say a few words about other events or announcements to the club.

The presenter then talks for about 90 minutes on the theme for the evening (vineyard, different vintages, a particular aspect of their winemaking, history of the winery).

Wine pourers

The first wine is poured. The club provides at least 2 or 3 wine pourers (depending on the number of attendees), and wines may be presented separately or in pairs for comparative tasting.

Wine pourers use small measure cups to ensure members get the same amount, and there is enough wine for the tasting. You may be asked to help pour wines on the night, which is a great way to meet members. The committee would appreciate all the help we get on the night.

Light supper

At an appropriate time during the evening, we will stop for a light supper. This usually consists of fresh bread, pâté and hummus. Supper lasts for 15-20 minutes.

Thank you

After the tasting, the tasting organiser for the night or a committee member will say a few words to thank the presenter and encourage members to purchase wines using the order form. Prices on the order forms are often heavily discounted for that night only. So don’t miss out. You’ll kick yourself if you do.

Membership draw and  raffle

The last activity for the night is for the presenter to draw the winner of the membership draw and raffle.

Once this has finished, everyone is free to join in and help to pack up and clean the hall.

AGM

agmThe club’s annual AGM is in May each year. The AGM is advertised well in advance online, in the monthly newsletter and by email.

The meeting starts at 8 pm. The meeting lasts between 30 and 40 minutes and is followed by a slightly more extensive supper and a tasting from the club’s cellar. Most wines you may have been aged. Check the event guide on the website or in the newsletter for the next tasting.

Dinners

Each year, we hold mid-year and Christmas dinners at restaurants in the Wellington region. These are BYO wine events. Sharing is encouraged and is a great way to meet members and taste a variety of wines.

Dinner starts at 7.00 pm and usually ends around 11 pm. The organiser will work with the venue to keep costs to a reasonable level. Check the website or your newsletter for details on upcoming events.

BBQ

barbeque-explosionFor many years, the club held an annual BBQ courtesy of Derek Thompson at his home. With Derek moving on, the last BBQ was held in January 2023.

The club greatly appreciates and thanks Derek for the many years of use of his home and BBQ facilities.

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