One of New Zealand’s oldest and most highly-acclaimed wineries, Church Road has just announced the 2019 release of a trio of its iconic TOM wines, set to hit shelves on 12th September — the day that would have been the 112th birthday of Church Road’s pioneer winemaker Tom McDonald.

To celebrate, Church Road is taking over Silo 6 at Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter with a one-night-only cellar door experience on Thursday, 22nd August. Attendees will be treated to an immersive, sensory experience and an opportunity to get up close and personal with the lauded TOM range through sensory, cellar-door rituals that speak to the rich, intriguing history of the range. The new trio of wines — Church Road TOM Chardonnay 2016, Church Road TOM Syrah 2015 and Church Road TOM Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2015 — will be brought to life through smell, sight, sound and touch and presented alongside delicious canapé pairings as guests are given an experience that tells the story of TOM, and highlights its special character and complex varietals.

For those unfamiliar with Church Road TOM, it’s a range that represents the pinnacle of Hawke’s Bay winemaking and its meticulous production has seen it garner a number of accolades both here and overseas. But it’s the story behind the wine that makes it all the more special. TOM wines were first released in 1995, in honour of the legendary Tom McDonald, a leader in Hawke’s Bay’s wine industry and regarded as a pioneer of modern winemaking in New Zealand. Tom McDonald was one of the people passionate about putting Hawke’s Bay winemaking on the map and helped to create wines that rivalled those around the world. In 1949, he released the first widely-available Cabernet Sauvignon and until his retirement in 1975, worked tirelessly to demonstrate the potential of Hawke’s Bay as a fine wine region. The TOM range matches the prolific reputation of the man himself and represents the gravitas of McDonald’s legacy on New Zealand’s wine industry.

With its outstanding vintages, Church Road TOM is one of the most refined examples of winemaking savoir-faire you’ll ever encounter, and stands comfortably alongside some of the finest wines around the world. As such, an event of this calibre is not something that comes around often, promising an intriguing night of discovery for wine amateurs and connoisseurs alike.

For more information about this unmissable evening, and to buy tickets click here.

Church Road TOM
Silo 6, Silo Park, Cnr Beaumont & Jellicoe St,
Wynyard Quarter
Thursday, 22nd August from 6:30pm until 7:30pm