Kilikanoon Wines - named the James Halliday Winery of the Year in the just released '2013 Wine Companion'.
James Halliday one of Australia's most respected wine judges said 'Kilikanoon has travelled in the fast lane since its establishment in 1997, gaining 5-star status in the 2004 Wine Companion, five red stars in the '08, moving to the ultimate red star/red name in 2012. This placed it among the best 100 wineries in Australia, yet this year (2013) it surpassed its prior history with 12 of its wines receiving 94 points or above.'
'This is fantastic news for our brand and very humbling as a winemaker.' said Winemaker Kevin Mitchell. 'It has always been our intention to showcase the unique regional terroir that we all live and work with especially those from our single vineyard sites that form much of our portfolio. This announcement is not only an achievement for Kilikanoon but testament to what is possible in the Clare Valley with eleven Clare wines - Shiraz, Riesling, Cabernet, Grenache and Semillon - rated 92 points or above'.
'I couldn't help myself from venturing south to make Shiraz from both the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. That move has been vindicated with Barossa R Reserve rated 96 points and McLaren M Reserve rated 95. Kilikanoon has become a world recognised Shiraz specialist.' Says Kevin.
In its relatively short history Kilikanoon has won a large number of Australian and International awards and received high praise from the world's most respected wine writers. The 2002 Clare Valley Wine Show really put Kilikanoon on the map, when they took home six of the seven trophies. Since that time the winery has gone from strength to strength taking home a number of awards including the San Francisco International Wine Competitions, Best of Nation Trophy (2010), and receiving comments such as "This is one of the most brilliantly run wineries in Australia" from Robert Parker Jnr's Wine Advocate.

It's Chocolate Month at Christchurch Casino during April
Join us for a
Heavenly Chocolate Six Course Degustation Dinner

Join Christchurch's premier pastry chef, Richard Hingston, as he and his team celebrate Easter with this outstanding degustation dinner.
Each of the six chocolate inspired courses will be partnered by a selection of wines from New Zealand's Iconic Allan Scott Family Winemakers and further enhanced by a beer and spirit selections that will leave you salivating for more.

Chocolate Degustation Dinner with Allan Scott Wines
Tuesday 3rd April 2012 at 6.30pm
Venue: The Grand Cafe

Spaces are available but limited; seats are only $95.00 per person.

For more information visit: www.christchurchcasino.co.nz
or contact reservations on:
Tel: (03) 372-8892 to reserve your space today!

Global Brand Ambassador and Master Taster Markku Raittinen from Finlandia - is now on the Panel of Judges for 2012 International Spirits Challenge.
This is a highly coveted competition (one of, if not, the world's finest) and puts Markku in the highest percentile of worldwide spirit professionals. This makes him one of the world's most coveted and highest ranking vodka professionals - as most of the board of judges come from whisky/ey, rum and cognac backgrounds.

Just another reason why Finlandia Vodka is respected as one of the highest quality vodkas in the world.

The International Spirits Challenge is the most authoritative, respected and influential spirits competition in the world. The ISC has evolved over recent years to recognise four key areas of the industry; Tasting, Design & Packaging, Marketing and Retailer Awards.
2012 - Now in its 17th year, the ISC is the premier event in promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe.

The competition is founded on a rigorous and independent judging process, which serves to encourage the high calibre of spirits, designs and campaigns entered into the competition each year. Receiving more than 1,000 entries from nearly 70 countries worldwide makes the ISC a truly global competition. It is supported by most of the world's leading spirits producers as the international standard for quality and excellence.
Winning an ISC award is indeed an impressive achievement for any spirit that passes the scrupulous blind assessment of our experienced panel of specialist judges.

Rewarding quality, celebrating excellence.

The debate highlights the rise of craft beers as a force in New Zealand's liquor market, as discerning drinkers opt for the quality offered by smaller labels ahead of quantity and value.
According to the Brewers Association in the United States, a genuine craft beer-maker must be "small, independent and traditional".
Less than 25 per cent of a craft brewery should be owned or controlled by a company which is not itself a craft brewer, the association says.
Brewers Guild of New Zealand president Ralph Bungard says Kiwi beer consumers are rapidly getting a taste for a better-quality drop, and losing the "buying a 12-pack and glugging it down" mentality. "People are now realising that you can sit down and have a meal and have a beer that suits the style of that food." Bungard says the Brewers Guild, which counts 50 individual New Zealand breweries as members, is in the process of conducting a survey that will gather some solid statistics on craft's share of the market.
The bars in the capital, Wellington that are successful and growing are the ones that stock craft beer, he says, while the ones that still serve only mainstream beers are becoming less popular with the punters.
The freedom on-premise operators have to stock new beer brands will have an impact on the extent to which craft brewers will break into the Auckland market..
The big breweries sometimes have arrangements with bars and pubs that restrict the entrance of new beer brands. "It's anti-competitive," - "It's pretty much bribing the bars to not allow other beers in." Running a craft brewery might sound like a fun lifestyle, but Bungard says it's a relatively tough way to make a buck. "There aren't many brewers around that have really cracked it," he says. "But if you are good at what you do and you can keep your costs down then you can be quite successful."

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