Wine and Food Festival - Beats with Belinda

Belinda Jackson is Marketing and Sales Manager for Lawson’s Dry Hills. She is also the dynamo behind Vinyl in the Vines – a group of local vinyl DJs guaranteed to please in the Groove Garden at the 10 February Marlborough Wine & Food Festival.

1.      Which vendors or festival activities are you recommending to people?

To quote a movie from 2022, ‘Everything everywhere, all at once’.

2.      If you get any downtime from the DJing, where would you head to at the festival?

Somewhere with bubbles! My faves are No.1 Family Estate and Nautilus

3.      Whether it’s as a guest, attendee, or from afar, what experience do you have with the Marlborough Food & Wine Festival?

A lot! My first one was in the mid-90s as a visitor from Auckland, back in the days of 20,000 people and a lot of straw bales.

I moved to Marlborough in 2003 and haven’t missed a festival since. I have been a judge for the Supreme Food & Wine Match for many of those years, partnering with Al Brown, Colin Fassnidge, Martin Bosley, Julie Le Clerc and many others. One of the best years was when we did a stand for The Sisters, one of our wine brands. We had make-up and hair straighteners for ladies to come in for a quick makeover. I think we won Best Stand that year!

4.      What are you most eager to show off to Festival-goers?

We launched the Groove Garden for the first time last year and it went super well – people were dancing and having a great time in the sunshine.

From a wine perspective, 2023 is only the third time we’ve made Ranu – a wonderful co-ferment of Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. Very excited to have this ultra limited release available for festival goers, along with our mouth-watering Sauvignon Blanc, rich and powerful Reserve Chardonnay and supple Pinot Noir to name but a few.

5.      What sort of planning is involved for a Vinyl in the Vines gig?

Because we believe in the special analogue warmth of vinyl, we can’t just pull up a song digitally from the cloud, so collating music from soul to disco to electronica from across the decades is key. All three DJs are obsessed with, and totally committed to, playing great music – they love nothing more than getting people up dancing. The secret to a great Vinvyl in the Vines party is having a selection of top dance and groove tunes from almost every era of music so that each generation of dancers can be satisfied.

Then its making sure we have the right cables...lol!

6.      What songs have been the soundtrack to your 2023/24 summer so far?

Our Vinyl in the Vines playlist on Spotify! A few faves are The Orb, Underworld, Propeller Heads, Leftfield, The Stone Roses…I could go on!

Here are the DJs’ picks…

DJ Dai:

Lady Wray - Under the Sun

Isaac Hayes - Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic

Daft Punk - Da Funk

Alton Ellis - I’m Still in Love

Lyn Collins - Mama Feelgood

Mr Slice:

African Head Charge - A Bad Attitude

Baxter Dury - Baxter (These are my Friends)

Hunter Wiggins - Oak Tree

Cooper T - Original

Pig Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs - GNT

DJ Boom:

Idles - Dancer

Viagra Boys - Punk Rock Loser

Depeche Mode - Ghosts Again

Fontaines DC - Skinty Fia