Wine auction already a sellout

The organising team and sponsors, Phil Williams (left), Lucy Dobbs, Jenni Giblin, Helen Blaxland, Kate Radburnd, Tony Bish, Annabel Tapley-Smith, Mike Reaney, Yvonne Lorkin and Phil Teague.

With three months still to go before the first lot hits the floor, the Hawke's Bay Wine Auction in support of Cranford Hospice has sold out.

Project organiser Annabel Tapley-Smith was delighted with the response to what will be the 24th to be staged. She said tickets for the November 14 event had been sold as far afield as Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown.

With Hawke's Bay boasting three remarkable vintages in a row, what was set to be rolled out for auction would be very special, and people had recognised that, she said.

"There are some truly unique auction lots this year, lots that you will never, ever get the opportunity to purchase again," Ms Tapley-Smith said.

Wine media commentator Yvonne Lorkin said the 2013, 2014 and 2015 vintages had provided some "jawdropping examples" of world-class wines.

The auction raised about $100,000 for Cranford Hospice last year.

Under the guidance of strategic planner Lucy Dobbs, the 2015 auction has undergone something of an overhaul.

With a committee of Tony Bish from Sacred Hill, Alwyn Corban from Ngatarawa, Kate Radburnd for Pask and Te Mata's Peter Cowley, the event was completely revamped in an effort to donate an even larger cheque to Cranford.

A new Hawke's Bay Wine Auction brand was developed by Max Parkes from Unit Design and a comprehensive "Sponsor Partner Programme" was created to allow key sponsors to network and connect on a business level around the event.

"As an iconic event for the region it's great to see the support shown to date and we expect it to grow further," Ms Tapley-Smith said.

Sponsors Phil Williams of Forsyth Barr and Phil Teague of BNZ Partners Hawke's bay said they were excited to be part of the event.

"To be associated with such a generous group of sponsors is a privilege and knowing collectively we're able to make a difference for Cranford Hospice is fantastic," Mr Teague said.

Ms Tapley-Smith said the support of businesses across the board which allowed the organisers to keep costs down meant the event was well and truly sustainable for the future.

She said one example was MRD web developers in Napier who donated a $25,000 package to build a website for the event and to run the social media programme.

Ms Lorkin said past events, and the "sold out" signs for the next one, showed it had become a special event on the national stage.

While tickets had sold out the organisers were encouraging people to submit absentee bids.

They could check that out on the website www.hawkesbaywineauction.co.nz