Hooray for rosé: The Hunting Lodge Crowd Blend

What makes the perfect bottle of rosé? Is it the subtlety of colour, or the burst of fruit? The Hunting Lodge have taken their quest to the people.

The Hunting Lodge are no stranger to our favourite summer wine.

Yet this season, the team thought they'd do things a little differently. In a bid to seek out the perfect rosé blend, The Hunting Lodge decided it was about time to take their quest to the people – employing the help of 500 Kiwi wine-enthusiasts.

The idea was simple. Wine-lovers around the country were invited to head online, secure their very own Crowd Blend wine-blending kit, and curate their own blend of rosé, using three distinctly different yet equally delicious rosé blends from The Hunting Lodge to perfect their rosé game.

Participants were encouraged to send in their composition for winemaker Pete Turner to consider ahead of creating The Hunting Lodge 2017 Marlborough Pinot Noir Rosé – just in time for summer. Budding blenders shared their efforts via social media, in a bid to win an incredible private dining experience for a group of 20, valued at more than $3000. Come Sunday, October 15, the beloved Kumeu-based winery will reveal their 2017 blend during an unmissable launch event.

The west Auckland vineyard boasts a casual grazing feel where the fare is inspired by the seasons and has just recently undergone a Spring menu refresh at the hand of its ever-talented chef, Des Harris. From the cedar barn to the cellar door, The Hunting Lodge serves as a beautiful venue and a fun family day out. Sitting within the Waimauku area, this is a steady little wine region that's garnered a reputation for its crisp, dry white wines.

With winter's big chill finally behind us and warmer weather on the not-so-distant-horizon, a celebration of rosé season is precisely what we need. Cheers to that.

To learn more about Crowd Blend and The Hunting Lodge, see their website right here.