Smooth summer sounds, plus a glass of vino
Kinross’ wine garden is filled with sweet sound on Sundays throughout summer – and part of autumn. Musicians perform weekly from 3pm at the picturesque winery. It’s a family-friendly environment with a play area and sandpit, as well as a snack menu full of pizzas, platters and small bites.
Amber Wonder at Kinross explains that many of the artists that perform have been coming for quite a number of years. Often once an musician plays, they’re excited to come back – it’s just as nice of an experience for them as it is for the audience.
“It’s just a really lovely way to spice up a lovely Sunday afternoon in our wine garden,” Wonder says. “We have a range of artists coming out over the four months over summer – enjoying the sunshine and the vines and the atmosphere out here, of beautiful summerness out here in Gibbston. They range from jazzy to soul singers, to Kiwi guitarists, to a little more dance. It’s just always been a lovely way to get people to come out and enjoy a Sunday afternoon.”
One of the musicians that often plays at Kinross and has a good relationship with them is Neil Chilton. He was in a touring band back in 1980 that frequently played at Hamilton’s Hillcrest Tavern – it was here he built a relationship with head barman at the time, John Erkkila, now owner of Kinross. Now, Chilton lives very close to Kinross, so gigs there are perfect for him. He talks through the history of his bands, which led him to performing as the solo artist he is today.
“We took the band to Australia and we got a record deal. We toured with Dragon and Australian Crawl – we supported Icehouse – we put three singles out and the keyboard player out of Dragon produced the first one, and INXS’ drummer produced the second one. We had a pretty nice time.”
Chilton came back home to New Zealand after all the fun and has been doing solo work since. He describes his voice as his strength and he sings classic songs that everybody knows. He describes the vibes at Kinross at their Sunday sessions as nice and relaxed.
“People are drinking wine and enjoying the music. The response is generally pretty good. I live nearby so it’s the easiest gig I’ve got – I drink some wine while I play as well. It’s lovely.”
Wonder says the idea for the afternoon sessions came about with wanting to get people to come and experience a chill, delicious summer glass of vino in their wine garden.
“We’ve got a big space for families with lots of picnic tables and bean bags – we’ve just built a new wine bar as well. We’re definitely leaning into this; how can we make the most of summer at Kinross, with all this outside space and a play area for the kids as well. It’s been a great way to capture that summer Gibbston magic.”
Some of the other upcoming artists include Sean Tinker, who can play most requests and has a focus on rock, country, indie and folk, and Chad Robinson who brings a soulful voice and flowing guitar melodies to the stage. Saxylady Sarah Lyttle will also perform, blending funky, uplifting house beats with a soulful touch of sax to create some irresistible grooves.
Kinross’ Summer Sounds will continue to run on Sundays until mid-April. Artists will play from 3pm – 5pm in the Kinross Wine Garden. Neil will next play on New Year’s Eve and then 5 January. You can see the full schedule including what artists are playing scanning the QR code. It’s free to enjoy the music, but table bookings are essential.
