Still chance to buy tickets for Toast

WINE LOVERS: Wine and food lovers flood in for the annual Toast Martinborough event, which is expected to sell out yet again this year. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Toast Martinborough tickets are not exactly flying out the door yet but the event is still expected to sell out.

The 10,000 tickets for the November 17 wine and food festival went on sale at 9am on Tuesday but had not sold out 24 hours later.

Toast general manager Rachael Fletcher said there was still a chance for people to grab tickets.

"The vast majority went out the door on Tuesday and there is a small number of remaining tickets to be snapped up in the next couple of days."

Ticket sales were slower than last year, when tickets sold out within six hours. In 2011, they sold out in just 24 minutes.

Mrs Fletcher said she still expected the event to sell out.

"We are delighted with demand for this perennial event."

The event is set in 11 boutique vineyards, offering festival-goers a unique opportunity to taste wines from both current and past vintages.

Each vineyard will partner with a top restaurant or caterer and performance artists such as The Warratahs.

Alana Estate, Ata Rangi, Escarpment, Dry River, Margrain Vineyard, Martinborough Vineyard, Muirlea Rise, Palliser Estate, Te Kairanga, Tirohana Estate and Vynfields are taking part in this year's event.

Mrs Fletcher said the 2013 festival's line-up was designed to appeal to the most discerning of wine connoisseurs.

"It's a showcase of the very best that our region has to offer, and a unique opportunity to taste the wines that have taken Martinborough to the world."

Local cafes and restaurants offering food at the festival include Cafe Medici, Wharekauhau Country Estate, Tirohana Estate restaurant, Bar Salute and the Vineyard Cafe.