Day 5: In limbo

Otago Daily Times March 19:

Wine Merchant Tony Laithwaite said yesterday his travel around NZ in four days "ran like clockwork but fell over at the last hurdle."

The final bit of the journey – Queenstown to Blenheim – didn't work. Got to airport; flights grounded! Stranded 'til next day. A journalist pounced on me expecting a rant. I said there were much worse places to be stranded. 'Cos my old wine merchant mate David Thomas would take me in off the streets and we would have a good evening drinking stars from his cellar whilst looking across the lake towards 'The Remarkables'. (His house has one of the world's great views). We did, and caught up the three years since we last met … in Fiji.

Next day was just planes, packed airports and further delays. A kind couple squeezed over to give me a rare airport seat. Denis and Marion turned out to be Laithwaites customers from Nottingham. "Oh!" I said "we did a tasting there yesterday. I just got an email from my boy Tom." Which I offer here:

Says Tom:
"My favourite thing about a customer tasting is that the informal and relaxed nature of them means they don’t really feel like work. I just get to hang out and talk to people whilst having a taste of some wines. It’s not all that different to a night in a good bar (that happens to have an excellent wine list).

Nottingham was a good event, the venue was The Albert Hall; well not THE Albert Hall but a very good venue nonetheless. 180 guests, 36 wines, 12 staff, 2 producers and me, although I suppose I belong in the staff count.

A good time was had by all, wines were tasted, questions were asked and friends were made. It’s always great when armed with a few interesting facts about a wine to see the interest and surprise in the face of someone who might not have previously cared.

Len was waxing lyrical about wine education and his blind tasting showed people there is nothing wrong with liking a more affordable wine. “Loved the idea of the blind tasting” (Steve Hathaway). Ruth Chavarri added a little continental class by gracing us with her presence and a selection of her superb Riojas.

I was given the chance to show off Henry’s Wilson Gunn and show off I did. You could no doubt hear my “Best wine in the room” from the far end of said room, followed by (at a lower volume) “in my humble opinion”. It must have worked as I have since learned that it was in the top 10 sellers of the evening, which is quite rare for a wine of its price … us Laithwaite boys are anything but cheap.

People also enjoyed trying something a little different, or something they certainly would not normally have the chance to try. “Really enjoyed the sparkling red” (Sharon Dent) “… white Port definitely a favourite” (J Partridge).

All in all a great event, guests left with smiles on their faces. And thanks to a lot of them for placing orders on the way out."

Finally got to Blenheim in time for bed 26 hours late.

Couple days off, now.