Bordeaux Collies: Elephant Hill to welcome canine companions for a good cause

Elephant Hill general manager Simon Swa and Kin director Alice McKinley will be bringing their canine companions Charlie and Bernie to Wine Dogs.

A different kind of “walkies” will take place at Elephant Hill, as the vineyard welcomes canines and their human companions for a special event to raise money for Hawke’s Bay winegrowers.

“Wine Dogs”, a collaboration between Elephant Hill Winery and creative agency Kin, aims to raise much-needed funds for the Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Association Relief Fund.

“This cyclone has affected everyone in some way. We wanted to create an event that locals could look forward to and feel good about attending while spending the best day with their best mates,” Kin director Alice McKinley said.

A highlight of the event for owners and their furry friends will be a synchronised walk around the vineyard with wine tastings along the way.

“It’s a cool opportunity to see a working vineyard where the public aren’t normally allowed to go and walk,” Elephant Hill general manager Simon Swa said.

“We’ll get some lovely views of the Cape [Kidnappers] bay up by our private owners’ lodge, so that’s going to be a real cool experience as well seeing the architectural lodge and the views.”

There will also be wine tastings, a pop-up sushi bar for dogs, fashion shows, coffee and food trucks, and live music performances throughout the day.

Many Hawke’s Bay winegrowers have been hit hard as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, with some facing a mammoth task ahead.

Swa is a member on a subcommittee for the Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Association and said the importance of getting behind wine industry colleagues could not be understated.

He said that while Elephant Hill escaped with relatively small amounts of damage, other vineyards were hurting.

“It’s a pretty tight community, so it’s important. We’d always planned to do Wine Dogs anyway and it just happened to coincide with post-cyclone, so this was the perfect way to bring it together and try and do our bit.

“We wanted to do something that wasn’t just about fundraising but was ‘fun’ and bring people together in a positive way.”

VIP and early dog tickets have sold out, meaning over 300 humans and their best friends will descend on the winery, with room for more.

“We’ve actually got capacity for up to 1000, so there’s not any issue in terms of space. Ticket sales have done amazingly well,” McKinley said.

Those wanting to attend the one-of-a-kind “paw-ty” can get tickets through Elephant Hill.

The Lowdown

What: Wine Dogs

When: Sunday, May 7 from 10am

Where: Elephant Hill Winery, 86 Clifton Road, Te Awanga.