More on Wine, Foodography and Winter Classes
For the last few weeks I have been travelling around NZ running a series of Wine Tasting Competitions for the NZ Sommeliers and Wine Professionals for which I am chair. It's been fun putting together a selection of 40 classic wines and preparing sets of questions to test our teams of winelovers.
We have used Kahoot! which has been enormously successful as a electronic quiz platform in these Covid times. It adds the results instantly and takes away the risk of calculation errors plus the backend provides detailed analytics on who got the answers to how many seconds it took to answer correctly. We know that of the 24 teams the highest scores were 75% correct with over 8 teams achieved above 68% correct. I can see we will use this platform for sometime!
It seems that interest in wines and spirits programmes is also bounding upwards and we have had record enrolments for all our wine classes including WSET Wine and Spirit Education Trust from UK.
This week I had the results of the latest WSET Level 2 Certificate in Wine and with a class of 20 students, 60% gained distinction, a pass of over 85%. Exciting.
Our NZQA Certificate in NZ Wine Micro-Credential is also going for strength to strength and we are about to start offering Corporate & Team Building wine options so that you can get together a group of 8 people and we will run a private programme.
New Zealand wines are much more diverse that most people imagine and it's a great thrill to be able to share lesser-known wineries and underrated regions with our participants as they taste through the wine selection. For more information, email admin@foodandwine.co.nz.
Coming up we have the Winter Forage with Riki Bennett which provides an opportunity to explore our native flora along with innovation around urban hāngi kai-cookery techniques. The FOODOGRAPHY Dinner is back and this year our theme is a Midwinter Christmas Dinner. Both events are part of Auckland's Elemental Festival.
On Sunday 1st August, we host the NZ Sommelier of the Year Awards along with wine tasting events and a Gastronomic Dinner prepared by Chef Finn and our students.
Ngā mihi,
Celia Hay
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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36.5% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63.5% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
Heartbeats Heart Support Group Meeting
Heartbeats St Heliers Group meets on Wednesday 11th March at the St Heliers Church and Community Centre, 100 St Heliers Bay Rd.
WHEN: Wednesday 11th March at 10:00 - 11:00am
ALL heart patients and heart event survivors are welcome. Come along and meet other heart people who had a heart attack, or heart surgery and are trying to find a way to recover and live a full life, after a life-changing event.
Heartbeats offers peer-to-peer support, counselling, an advanced exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programme (CARDIO), online heart seminars with doctors, cardiac nurses and other professionals, as well as referrals to other heart help services in the community.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE - there are over 200,000 heart people out there, living with heart disease.
Engage with Heartbeats, gain knowledge on your meds and recovery treatments, and live longer.
Contact Trent 022 0606 199 for more information
Frankly Cotton - Gifting & Homeware, St Heliers 15% off and FREE Delivery Auckland wide
🎁 St Heliers Neighbours – We’ve Got a Gift for You!
✨ Simply mention this Neighbourly post in store and receive 15% OFF your purchase.
✨Or shop online with discount code NEIGHBOURLY15 for FREE delivery Auckland wide when you purchase $40 or more. To celebrate our local community, Frankly Cotton is giving 15% OFF to all Neighbourly members.
📍 Frankly Cotton – St Heliers | 9B Polygon Road
www.franklycotton.co.nz... (code NEIGHBOURLY15) at checkout
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If you love beautiful homes, thoughtful gifts, and quality pieces that make everyday living feel special, this one’s for you. From luxurious NZ bed linen brands and soft cotton towels to candles, ceramics, and unique gift ideas, our collections are designed to bring comfort, style, and a little joy into your home.
Whether you're shopping for a birthday, a special occasion, or just treating yourself, we’d love to welcome you.
Support local and discover something beautiful for your home.
Limited time offer for our Neighbourly community.
** Offer ends 30 April 2026
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