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The cricket pitch is not the only place New Zealand will be competing during the Cricket World Cup.
New Zealand wine is battling it out with Australian and English wine in a series of cricket-themed blind tastings this month to celebrate the start of the competition.
To kick-off the celebrations, New Zealand sparkling wine will compete with English sparkling wine in the “Battle of the Bubbles” on February 19 in Wellington. Two teams, each headed by one Wine Captain will blind taste 12 wines from each country. Jane Skilton MW will captain New Zealand with moral support from cricketing legend Stephen Fleming. Wine super-star Oz Clarke will lead the English team.
On February 26, New Zealand will face Australia in the Trans-Tasman Wine Challenge in Auckland. Again, two teams will taste a line-up of wines from each nation. Wine Captain Bob Campbell MW will be leading New Zealand into battle, with Nick Stock flying the flag for Australia.
The cricket-related ‘friendly’ taste-off between the nations will showcase the diversity of New Zealand wine, says Chris Yorke, global marketing director at New Zealand Winegrowers. “New Zealand produces a wide range of world-class wines, and the Cricket World Cup provides a fantastic backdrop for us to tell this story. All three nations are known for their sporting rivalry, and there’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition”.
The results of both tastings will be announced at media events later in the day.
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