Saturday 15 August
12:00pm - 3:30pm

12:30pm | Brian Bicknell | Sauvignon Blending made fun!

Join seasoned wine maker Brian Bracknell (Mahi Wines) as he takes you through the blending process, of how starting with several good wines can produce a great one, or not…

Brian is the owner and winemaker of Mahi Wines in Marlborough.  Meaning “our work, our craft” in Maori, Mahi’s focus is on single estate wines, made very much as nature intended.

Initially destined for a career in marine biology, it was working weekends at an Auckland wine store that set Brian on the path becoming a winemaker.  Twenty years on, he is as curious, enthusiastic and experimental as ever.  "The fun thing about grapes and wine is that it is never the same, vintages are always different and the wine constantly evolves in the barrel, tank and bottle. This is one of the many reasons that I love wine and winemaking, it never gets boring!"

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1:30pm | Bob Campbell / Nick Stock | Trans-tasman showdown

Bob Campbell
New Zealand’s best known and most prolific voice in wine, Bob Campbell was the second New Zealander and is one of only 322 people in the world to hold the Master of Wine qualification. He is wine editor of Your Home & Garden, Taste and the Air NZ in-flight magazine, as well as being New Zealand wine editor for Gourmet Traveller Wine. Bob contributes to wine publications in seven countries. More than 22,000 people have attended Bob’s wine diploma courses in New Zealand, Asia and Europe. Bob is also a fanatic golfer, cat lover, All Black supporter and has an incredible collection of corkscrews

Nick Stock
Nick Stock is one of Australia’s most respected wine critics. His deep involvement in wine stretches well beyond wine writing to show-judging, educating, broadcasting and winemaking. His wealth of knowledge extends to all corners of the wine world and this, combined with his frank and fearless style, has made him one of the most popular Australian wine writers. He makes this highly complex subject enjoyable and intriguing, an approach that has earned him international acclaim. Nick was awarded Best Drinks Journalist at the 2007 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.       

Showdown
At last year’s inaugural event a major battle of wits and wine took place as our two Wine AKL Ambassadors competed blow for blow, bottle for bottle each trying to outdo the other. Join them for round two and experience some of their favourite wines from NZ and across the Tasman.

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2:30pm | Yvonne Lorkin | Going GaGa for Gewurztraminer

How amazing is this grape?  Yvonne pours some of her favourite examples and talks about her complete and utter love for this style – beware you will be brainwashed! (Te Whare Ra, Greenhough and Askerne Wines)

In her roles as the host and producer of Thirsty Work on FoodTV (Ch9 SKYTV), the drinks editor for Dish Magazine and the weekly syndicated wine columnist for ten newspapers, Yvonne Lorkin's life is a full-time immersion in wine.

Yvonne also writes a weekly wine column in CANVAS in the NZ Herald, hosts a fortnightly wine segment on Afternoons with Simon Mercep on Radio New Zealand National and somehow still finds the time to be a senior Wine Competition judge. 

Wife of one and mother of two, she also once got a kids book published (The Really Sticky, Grubby, Lolly - Raupo), and despite being on the wrong side of 35 she can still play Good King Wenceslas on the recorder and do a no-handed cartwheel. 

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Masterclass tickets 

• include tastings of the wines presented in the Masterclass
• does NOT include entry into Wine AKL - purchase your tickets separately here -

- All Masterclasses are located in the Connoisseurs Lounge -​

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