KEY POINTS:
Gisborne - first city to see the sun. That phrase is so entwined with everything we learned at school about our eastern-most city - but Gisborne has another, possibly more satisfying, claim to fame, as one of the country's leading wine-growing and wine-making destinations.
This year, the key time for the region's wine and food industry is Labour Weekend when the International Chardonnay Challenge and the Gisborne Wine and Food Festival will leave foodies and wine lovers fully sated.
The festivities and serious wine business begins on October 17-18 with judging in the Chardonnay Challenge, which is recognised as the largest chardonnay competition in the Southern Hemisphere.
Last year, the record-breaking 520 entries came from vineyards in South Africa, Canada, India, Argentina, Chile, France, Australia and, of course, New Zealand. The event concludes with the chardonnay awards gala dinner on October 19, and the Italian long lunch on October 20. As it focuses on just the one variety, it provides a chance for fans and aficionados of chardonnay - the leading variety of the Gisborne region - to appreciate all the different styles of the wine.
The Italian Long Lunch, at which diners can sample the winning wines, while dining on Italian food, makes a nice link to the Gisborne Food and Wine festival on the Sunday.
The festival is held over eight venues, all within 20km of the city centre. All feature music and entertainment and fantastic food, as well as the finest of the region's wines.
The best way to get around on the day will be to use the public transport included in the ticket price. The buses will run on a 20-minute cyclical circuit between all venues.
Alternatively, anyone who wants to visit a particular destination or two can, for an extra cost, grab a ride on the Venue Hoppers transport and go directly there.
This year, too, tickets for the food and wine festival are limited to 4000 to prevent overcrowding.
The city gets in the spirit leading up to the festival. During the week, there will be special shop displays, the annual wine waiters' relay will be run and a market day held.
- Detours, HoS
