COMPETITION

Message in a bottle

The hunt is on for a personally prized wine – could it be one of your treasured bottles?

We are seeking the story behind a bottle of wine that makes it particularly meaningful to you. What makes that bottle so special? Wine age and quality could play a part but most important is the story behind the wine andits connection to you.

It may have been passed down from another generation, or reflect one of life’s most heartfelt moments.

This competition is brought to you by Cuisine in association with two very special New Zealand endeavours: wine company Waitaki Braids and acclaimed director Niki Caro’s new movie, The Vintner’s Luck, which traces the lifelong ambition of a Burgundian peasant to create the ultimate Pinot Noir. Behind Waitaki Braids – a Pinot Noir specialist in the exciting, limestone-rich Waitaki Valley – is veteran winemaker Michelle Richardson, in partnership with celebrity chef Peter Gordon, co-owner of The Providores in London. The teller of the winning tale will be treated to dinner at Dine in Auckland with five friends. Peter Gordon will cook dishes to match Waitaki Braids wines; Niki Caro and Michelle Richardson will be dinner guests; and the winner will also receive six tickets to the Auckland VIP screening of The Vintner’s Luck in November.

When Niki Caro began her seven-year journey to bring The Vintner’s Luck to the screen, she envisaged finding a French wine to embody the spirit of the film – until she discovered Waitaki Braids. Not only did the wine resonate, but the crossovers between boutique film-making and boutique winemaking struck a powerful chord. Both, she says, require patience, passion, vision and humility; both are commercially risky and at the mercy of natural elements; and both demand a combination of “skill, spirit and luck”.

Served at a recent Dine lunch with Peter’s delectable roast Cervena on buttered parsnips and spinach with grapefruit and olive salad, Michelle’s Waitaki Braids Pinot Noir 2008 will also star at the Toronto world première of The Vintner’s Luck on 12 September.

Send us your story (100 words maximum) explaining the significance of your wine choice (please also attach a photograph of the wine). Submit your entry online no later than Monday 14 September.

Conditions of entry: The prize is valid until 1 December 2010 and is available only to New Zealand residents. The dinner date will be planned to coincide with the availability of all parties. Return flights to Auckland on that date will be arranged as required. Accommodation is not included. Travel to and from the VIP screening is the responsibility of the winner, as is overnight accommodation if required. The prize cannot be redeemed for cash or transferred. Employees of Cuisine and Waitaki Braids and their immediate families are not eligible to enter. The judges’ decision in relation to any aspect of the competition will be final and binding on every person who enters. No correspondence will be entered into. This competition provides prizes to the winner and neither Cuisine nor Waitaki Braids shall be liable to compensate any interested party participating in this process in any respect. The winner will be announcedin the November issue of Cuisine.