We recently had the pleasure of taking Normanby Fine Wines off site to present A Grand Tour of Europe, a private wine tasting in Auckland created for a very special evening with Maserati and their guests.
Taking Normanby beyond the store is something we love doing. It gives us the opportunity to bring together the wines, producers, food and service that are such an important part of the Normanby experience, and create something completely bespoke in a different setting.
This was a wonderful evening to be part of. Guests were welcomed with Louis Roederer Vintage 2018 Champagne, before sitting down for the first part of the tasting.
Our Head Sommelier Andrea Martinisi and Director of Wine Liz Wheadon hosted the evening together, presenting the wines and sharing the stories of the regions, producers and people behind the bottles. For us, this is such an important part of a great wine tasting. The wine is at the centre of the evening, but understanding where it comes from and the people who made it brings another dimension to the experience.
The tasting began properly with Champagne and a guided caviar service. Guests enjoyed Oscietra caviar, individually served with freshly prepared blinis and crème fraîche, with Andrea introducing the caviar and talking everyone through the experience. Louis Roederer Vintage 2018 was a fantastic partner. Champagne and caviar is a classic combination for good reason, and it provided a suitably memorable start to our Grand Tour of Europe.
From Champagne, we travelled through France, Italy and Spain, with a line-up selected to showcase a range of regions, varieties and styles.
The wines for the evening were:
Louis Roederer Vintage 2018
Champagne, France
Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Côtes du Rhône “Clavin” Blanc 2024
Rhône Valley, France
Domaine Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre 2023
Burgundy, France
Ca' del Baio Barbaresco DOCG Vallegrande Riserva 2020
Piedmont, Italy
Fattoria Pomona Chianti Classico Poman Lómino Gran Selezione 2021
Tuscany, Italy
Marqués de Murrieta Rioja 2021
Rioja, Spain
Château Croix Cardinale Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2020
Bordeaux, France
It was a brilliant selection to present, moving between some of Europe's most famous wine regions while exploring very different expressions of place and winemaking.
One of the things we particularly enjoyed about this event was the opportunity to take Normanby Fine Wines off site.
Our store is our home, but the Normanby experience isn't limited to our physical space. We love creating private wine tastings, corporate wine tastings and bespoke wine experiences in other venues.
For this event, our team managed the complete food and beverage experience – sourcing and delivering the wines and food, organising glassware, service equipment and cutlery, and managing the logistics on the evening. Andrea and Liz hosted the tasting, supported by the wonderful Brooke, who has recently been awarded Young Retailer of the Year.
It meant we could arrive at a different venue and still deliver an experience that felt distinctly Normanby.
