Ever been out for a meal and been so enamoured by the wine you’ve immediately rushed out and bought a case to re-live that experience again and again?
I’m sure all wine-enthusiasts can relate to this, but we were blown away recently when we heard the Chinese President had done exactly that with our Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013.
Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China with John Key Prime Minister of NZ. Photo credit: 3news.co.nz
The President of the People’s Republic of China, HE Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan with a large delegation visited New Zealand on November 19-21, following the G20 meeting of world leaders in Australia.
He Xi Jinping visited Auckland and Wellington for a series of official engagements, showcasing the bilateral trade, economic and cultural links between China and NZ.
NZ Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae hosted a State Banquet at Government House for around 120 Chinese and New Zealand delegates on November 20.
The delicious menu was made with some of NZ’s best produce and matched with some of the finest NZ wines from Saint Clair Family Estate, Kumeu River and GreyStone.
Our most awarded wine, the Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc was a hit with the President of China.
Regional Wines and Spirits senior wine consultant Richard Sherriff supplied the wines for the banquet, based on the menu.
“I thought Saint Clair’s Wairau Reserve would match perfectly with the Waikanae Crab entree.”
Shortly after the lunch would have wrapped up, one of the President’s aides visited Regional’s store and bought four cases of the Wairau Reserve, Saint Clair’s most awarded wine.
“They hardly spoke a word of English, but had it written down on a piece of paper.
“Later, someone from the Chinese Embassy called us up and ordered every single bottle we had.”
The order cleared them out of the 2013 Wairau Reserve, and they’ve since moved on to the 2014-vintage, he said.
Here in NZ, we’ve been matching our fresh, powerful, herbaceous wines with fresh seafood, crunchy salads and aromatic, colourful, flavourful Chinese-style food for years, and it’s gratifying to learn they agree with us!
How about you? Have you ever had one of those “must-buy” wine experiences? We’d love to hear about it!
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