Roam Central - Celebrating flavours and resilience of local wine and food industry
Well-known Queenstown winemaker Jen Parr is pragmatic when reflecting on the resilience of the viticulture industry after the pandemic.
“Personally, I don’t think the challenges of the past few years are unique to NZ wineries. I guess it depends on whether you are talking about pandemic challenges, or those that nature throws our way. Dancing with Mother Nature is part of being a wine grower and the seasonal challenges in Central Otago are somewhat kinder than in other parts of NZ – usually.”
Parr, the award-winning winemaker for Valli Wines, is part of a team of local winemakers who have joined forces to organise the inaugural Roam Central event – a brand-new, four-day celebration of wine and food from the Southern Lakes and Central Otago from January 26-29.
Roam Central is the brainchild of Central Otago Winegrowers’ Association (COWA) and is designed to shake off the challenges of the covid years, which have been deeply felt by many local hospitality business, food producer and winemakers.
“I think the struggles have been real for many industries and especially the hospitality industry which is closely connected to our own. As an industry, we work together and find comfort, strength and joy in sharing the journey, especially when conditions are more challenging,” Parr adds.
She’s looking forward to a weekend of “exploration, discovery and connection” with the many events included in the Roam Central line-up.
Held across Queenstown, Arrowtown, Gibbston, Wanaka, Bendigo, Bannockburn, Clyde and Pisa near Cromwell, the weekend includes Roam Pop-Ups (including master classes and an art-meets-wine event), Roam Around Town (participating restaurants pair up with local wineries for a wine-and-food-matched four-course meal), Roam the Vines (one-off brunch in the vines events at select local vineyards) and the flagship event, Roam the Valley Wine & Food Festival, at Cargo Cellar Door in Gibbston on January 28.
“I’m really looking forward to the Roam the Valley Wine & Food Festival,” Parr says. “To me, this event is about wineries sharing our collective knowledge of our special place and the vineyards we are connected to, with each other and our guests. The wine in the glass captures the energy, history, geology, humanity, humility – it could be said the “pulse of the region” – and of course each producer has their own exciting story to tell.”
Another award-winning winemaker backing Roam Central is Christopher Keys, from Gibbston Valley wines. He says there’s something timeless about sharing food and wine, which Roam Central will highlight over the four days of individual events.
“Everyone is an adventurer, young at heart. Roam Central is going to bring people together – it will do this in the regions of Central Otago and the Southern Lakes in a natural, easy way. It’s going to be a direct line between producers and people; you will meet winemakers, try their best wines.
Keys says everyone in the wine industry has been exposed to local, national and international challenges – but it’s how people respond to them that shows true strength and versatility.
“The local wine industry has a tremendous lot of friends; we do our best to support them, and they us. We’re appreciative of them, and we want to bring everyone together again with this fabulous product.”
Roam Central committee member and Mora Wines direct-to-consumer manager Catherine Douglas says that Roam Central has been designed with the ‘wine-curious’ consumer in mind.
“Someone who perhaps doesn’t have a great depth of knowledge of wine, but wants to know more and, perhaps more importantly, wants to do it in a setting that is quite unique and special. So, there are a number of different events at different price points and different levels of investment and commitment. We have planned a very fun wine and food festival event at Cargo in Gibbston Valley, as well as one-off exclusive dinners and brunches during which there will likely be more in-depth discussions of wine. There is something for everyone.”
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Parr says the event is an important one for the viticulture industry: “As an industry, we are not here just for today; we reflect upon the past and strategize for the future. We believe in working thoughtfully today so each new generation gets the opportunity to experience the hard work, laughter and friendship we have shared as Central Otago winegrowers. There is no end to our journey, only endless progress. Roam Central is a great example of how we as an industry can work together and support each other through challenging times.”
Roam Central: The details
Roam Central comprises four anchor events between January 26-29, 2023.
Roam Pop Ups (Discover the Region) January 27-29: A programme of events in the regions that includes Barrel Tastings, Art Meets Wine, Evening Chill at Carrick, Winemakers Dinner at Muttonbird and Queenstown Ice Bar’s Evening Cool Down.
Roam Around Town (Wine & Dine) January 26-28: Participating local restaurants, Aosta, Arc, Olivers, Giovi, Farelli’s at Giovi, Lil Reds At QT and Jervois Steak House pair up with local wineries to treat guests to a unique four-course wine and food-matched dinner.
Roam the Valley Wine & Food Festival: Held at the picturesque grounds at Cargo Cellar Door in Gibbston, the festival is a ticketed event for up to 3000 people and includes themed areas of Rock & Gold, Water & Ice, Fruit & Bloom. Live musicians, including legendary Nairobi Trio, Jackie Bristow, Little Green Men, Saxylady and DJ Postman Sean will play throughout the day.
Roam the Vines (Brunch in the Vineyards) on January 29: Selected local vineyards will host a relaxed brunch among the vines to wrap up the four-day celebration. Mt Rosa, Amisfield, Te Kano, Domaine Thomson & Mora.
Wineries involved:
Akarua, Amisfield, Ariosa, Bald Hills, Blackquail Estate, Brennan Wines, Burn Cottage, Carrick, Coal Pit, Domain Road Vineyard, Domaine Thompson, Gibbston Valley Wines, Akitu Wines, Kinross, Wines, Mondillo, Mora Wines, Mt Difficulty, Mt Rosa, Nanny Goat, Nockie’s Palette, Peregrine Wines, Pisa Range Estate, Prophet’s Rock, Quartz Reef, Rippon, Rockburn Wines, Stronsay Wines, Two Paddocks, Valli, Waitiri Creek, Wooing Tree, Thyme Hill, Mount Michael , Hawkshead, Maori Point, Maude, Te Kano, Wild Irishman.
Book tickets:
Tickets are on sale now and are available from
https://roamcentral.co.nz/
Images supplied by COWA
