The coming summer's Hawke's Bay vineyard concert season is shaping to be the biggest and most diverse yet, with Taradale's Church Road Winery in the running to stage a series of events. ``We are in discussions with a number of different promoters keen to use the venue,' Brent Pilcher, events co-ordinatorwith Pernod Ricard said today. Mr Pilcher said the first of the Church Road Winery events is expected to be announced within the next few days. It is effectively the main annual concert which had been staged as ``Church Road Jazz'. But the event would undergo a branding change, he said. The rumour mill has pointed to the act being an American band, although the winery was making no comment. Mr Pilcher said the acts promoters were looking at for the winery were ``diverse'. If negotiations come off, the Church Road performances would join other events being staged at the Mission Estate, Black Barn and the recently announced Jose Carreras concert at Elephant Hill Estate Winery. The region would be spoilt for choice, Mr Pilcher said. There has been no word from Mission Estate Winery Concert promoter Sport and Entertainment as to next year's concert artist, although Paul Simon has emerged as the hot favourite.
