Check in at: http://www.winesale.co.nz/tdocs/massive-sale.php
And check out the great deals!!!!!

Three days away and I was back in the office. But what a good Christmas I have had, and I hope you as well. In many ways it was quite memorable, and I will explain why. The day before Christmas I went to the office without shaving. (hot water ran out) Late that afternoon I left and drove up north to be with my family and for three days I could not shave. And here it is: I grew a grey beard, well at least stubble. I am not sure why, I am too young. Anyway, my wife compared me to a good vintage bottle of wine. (of course I would rather be compared to an Adonis from ancient Greece) There is something very truthful in her remark. We have a few older vintages of wines and I am thinking of the Squawking magpie wines right now, that are really stunning.

Some breaking news: The art series wines are out! Check them out. Stunning to see, Stunning to drink! Richard Thurston, its the inaugural winner. Read more about it on our web site, and check out the Sauvignon blanc and the Pinot Noir.

For now have a great 2011 and we will be in touch in the new year.

All the best,

Michael

Congratulations to Gary Clarkson who won the draw for a bottle of 2002 Penfolds Grange! Well done Gary this beautiful $620 bottle of wine is on its way out to you – enjoy and drink it slowly!

With so many reviews coming in over the weekend we now have our leaderboard firmly established.

Remember if you are one of the Top 10  on our leaderboard on the 28th of February you and your partner will be invited to our all expenses paid Fabulous Martinborough Wine Weekend – a sumptuous luxury weekend of wine you will not forget!

Tips for Getting to the Top of the Leaderboard

The number one tip is simple: contribute well written and thoughtful wine reviews! You get ranking points both for contributing reviews and for how helpful  other users find your reviews. So while the easy points will come quickly with each review you post, the much harder points will come over time as your fellow users do or do not rate your reviews as “helpful”. So your best chances of being somewhere near the top come February is to:

a) post well written and thoughtful reviews, and
b) post them early to give them the best chance of accumulating helpful votes.

Good luck and thanks for your participation. Every customer review posted is making Winesale.co.nz an even better place for our customers to make smart wine buying decisions!

So what is the perfect wine for a  dish that combines elements of naked freshness with a hearty beef dish that needs a beautiful red? The answer is (of course) a Mebus Estate Pinot Noir – forest floor dark fruit and beautifully integrated oak without being overtly fruity. This wine should be a perfect balance between the sweetness of Gaga and the heartiness and the elegance of the Carpaccio beef. Combine this most intimidating dish with this wine and life could be surprisingly great!

Since the creation of the Kea Point wine label in 2008, Winesale.co.nz has sold 30,000 bottles with twenty cents from the sale of each bottle going to the Threatened Species Trust. The trust is administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and The Forest and Bird Society.

The desire to support the conservation of New Zealand’s native wildlife treasures inspired the creation of the label. Although specific numbers of Kea is hard to determine, it is estimated there are fewer than 5000 birds left in the wild.

The $6,000 raised for the trust has been earmarked for Kea research and conservation.

Winesale.co.nz intends to continue its association with the Threatened Species Trust and raising money for the trust through sales of the Kea Point wine range.

Kea Point is a landmark in the Mt Cook/Aorangi National Park.

Pictured at the cheque presentation – from left to right, Tim Amos, DOC, Mike Britton, General Manager Forest and Bird, Grant Archibald, CEO Winesale.co.nz, Brendon Nottage, Product Manager/ Buyer Winesale.co.nz

For more information on the trust click on the link –

http://www.doc.govt.nz/getting-involved/sponsorships-and-partnerships/threatened-species-trust-programme/

It has always been our mission to provide the best wines at the best prices, be it a tasty Sauvignon for no more than a tenner to premium Pinot Noir quality.

Recently the Royal Easter show announced the 2010 winners and we thought, “Hey! Wouldn’t it be great to get all the Gold Medal Pinot Noirs we could for all our hedonsitic Pinot Noir lovers to try?”  And if we bought most of them we would almost certainly end up with the Trophy winning wine in the selection.

Well, what do you know? Not only did we get the Pinot Noir Trophy winner, the Mondilla Central Otago 2008, the same wine was judged Champion wine of the show. What a coup!

All of these wines are of tremendous quality and deserve their gold medal status. Wines of such quality are not cheap – these wineries and their winemakers put their heart and soul into producing wines that can foot it with wine from any of the great wine regions of the world. These wines are some of the highest standard wines ever produced in New Zealand and we commend these fantastic wineries for their efforts.

Some of the gold medal winning Pinots are in short supply and are not widely available in New Zealand.  Some are only sold through the winery’s website. So get in quick and let everyone know that Winesale.co.nz has the best Pinot Noir in New Zealand - officially!

Nulma Winyard from Lower Hutt
Scott Elder from Wellington
Olivia Duncan from Auckland
Rachel Dowse from Palmerston North

There’s still four more cameras to win – so get entering at http://www.winesale.co.nz/tell-a-friend.php
Remember every friend you recommend Winesale.co.nz to is one more entry in the draw.

All the best

The team at Winesale.co.nz

Wellington wine writer Warren Barton has rated the Don David Cabernet Sauvignon at Four 1/2 Stars:

“Consistently one of the better and more sophisticated red wines produced each year under this Argentinian (Michel Torino) label. A generous blend of berries and cherries subtly spiced, shaken with pepper and wrapped in toasty oak. A long, luxuriant finish.” Four 1/2 Stars – Warren Barton

Well deserved praise for this awesome Argentine wine. A bargain at $14.99 and the perfect match for any roast meat dish or big juicy barbecue steak!

Get it while we have it!

Here are just a few examples:

Save 25% on Curico River Reds – Normally $131.88, Case Price $99.

Save 31% on Long Flat Cabernet Merlot - Normally $167.88, Case Price $99.

Save 30% on Richland Pinot Grigio - Normally $155.88, Case Price $109.

Save 34% on Barinia Clare Valley Riesling – Normally $179.88, Case Price $119.

Save 29% on Echo Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling – Normally $167.88, Case Price $119.

Save 43% on Wayne Thomas Cabernet Sauvignon – Normally $347.88, SOLD OUT SORRY!

Plus Long Flat Semillon Sauvignon Blanc just $80 per Case!

Plus many more click here to see our full Crazy Case Clearance range.

Please note some of these specials are only available in the Wellington, Waikato, lower North Island region (including New Plymouth, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne) and the South Island. If you live outside these areas we may not be able to supply you some of these wines. Sales ends May 30 or while stocks last.

Roederer Estate Brut for just $19.99* per bottle. That is an incredible 50% off the RRP.

Long Flat Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2007. Save over 40% on our normal price of $11.99. Now just $6.99 per bottle.

Torrent Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.  A deluge of smart shoppers snapped up heaps of the wine over the weekend. Don’t miss out! Only $9.99 per bottle.

Fault Line Pinot Noir. Make the earth move for your mum with this tasty Pinot Noir. Only $10.99 per bottle.

Tyrells Aged Tawny show your Mum how sweet you think she is with this rich, raisiny, warming Aussie port. $26.99 per bottle.

We love you Mum!

*Special ends 12pm Monday 11th of May 2009.