Wine and Food festival cancelled

Marlborough’s premier wine event, Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, has been deemed to risky to go ahead and cancelled by organisers amid Covid-19 fears.

The festival was moved to Renwick Domain earlier in the year as the usual site at Brancott’s Fairhall vineyard is under development.

But now organisers say the potential risks of running the event outweigh the benefits.

Marlborough Winegrowers Association board chair Beth Forrest says hosting thousands of people on a single site could put the wine industry and community at risk.

She says the wine industry, which is facing harvest, is vulnerable to Covid-19.

Marlborough’s harvest runs from February right through to late April, and in making this difficult decision the board took into account the vulnerability of the industry to Covid-19 at harvest, especially given the shortage of staff and scarcity of experience in wineries, due to border restrictions, says Beth.

“The festival has always been a wonderful way to prepare for the harvest, in a last big hoorah before the industry gets to the vital business of picking grapes and making wine, in the exciting and exhausting buzz of vintage,” she says.

The safety of the community remains the priority, and it was clear to the board that the potential risks far outweighed the potential benefits of running the 2022 event under the new and untested Covid-19 Protection Framework, she says.

The board decision was unanimous, supported by the Wine Marlborough team and a survey of the organisation’s membership, which includes approximately 700 grape growers and wine companies.

Despite the uncertainty of events during Covid-19, ticket sales for the 2022 event were on par with previous years, which is evidence of the enduring support for the iconic event, says Beth.

“That gives us confidence that when we hold the next festival, its fans will be ready to come together and celebrate our place, people and wines.”

All tickets will be 100 per cent refunded.

Wine Marlborough general manager Marcus Pickens says organisers appreciate the support offered by the Government, in terms of funding assistance and underwriting the event.

“But what cannot be secured is the viability of our industry at the most critical time of year – when the year’s wine is made,” he says.

“We are absolutely committed to the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival. But our greater commitment is to the safety of our industry and our community.”