Event has recipe for success

Rea Misra (left) and Steffi Preuss, from Harald's Bread, at the Mid-Winter Christmas Market. Photo / Paul Taylor

After a month enjoying the best food and wine the region has to offer, this year's record-breaking Winter F.A.W.C! is done.

In its fourth year, food and wine events were spread across four weekends in locations throughout Hawke's Bay, with the final event last night.

Tourism Hawke's Bay general manager Annie Dundas said she was delighted with how the month-long event had gone, which was ahead of all previous years in terms of revenue, and ticket sales.

"In its fourth year people know what it's all about and it's something they're starting to look forward to in June, which is usually a quiet month," she said.

Most of the 50 events had been sold out, with 96 per cent of tickets sold - a record for the Winter event. When the event was only halfway through, Ms Dundas said she had already known the turnover for ticket sales would exceed last years.

There was no time to waste during the event's final weekend, which began with Panettieri Passion at Greenhill Lodge on Friday afternoon, followed by 15 events from a Super Secret Chardonnay Symposium, to a taste of Asian Paradise at Diva Bar and Bistro, before ending at the Ahuriri Globe Theatrette for the final event of Winter F.A.W.C!, Noma - My Perfect Storm with Rod McDonald Wines.

The Mid-Winter Christmas market, a walk up event held on Sunday at Showgrounds Hawke's Bay, had gone "exceptionally well", Ms Dundas said.

The weekly Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market was doused in mid-winter cheer as the end of the harvest was celebrated, with assistance from Santa and his little helpers.

Ms Dundas said it was hard to pick a particular highlight of Winter F.A.W.C!, because all the events were very different.

The increased number of cooking classes this year, from learning the secrets of sourdough, to creating your own broth, had been very popular, as had the big, extravagant dinners such as Black Barn's A French Twist event.

It was too early to tell how much revenue had been generated from ticket sales, but Ms Dundas said it would be higher than last year's of $200,000.