Today is the day before the long awaited new incarnation of Toast Martinborough, one of the longest running wine festivals in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The new version of Toast will take place on Sunday 19 January along a 2.2 kilometre stretch of walkable festival road, which will see six wineries open their doors, their bottles and their gates to wine lovers, musicians and chefs. 

Those six wineries are Ata Rangi, Luna Estate, Moy Hall, Palliser Estate, Runholder and Tirohana Estate. The traffic free road will make for an easy walk between each winery site, with a shuttle bus available for those who prefer to be transported along the stretch of road. 

Toast Martinborough has traditionally been held on the third weekend of November each year. The move to January is a nod towards Wellington Anniversary Weekend, which means that those who attend from the greater Wellington region can enjoy the Monday off work.

The new festival runs from 11 am to 7 pm; a slightly longer duration with a smaller area of the wine village taken over for the event. 

Tonight is the pre dinner at Runholder winery. This outstanding site is home to Te Kairanga Wines, Martinborough Vineyard and Lighthouse Gin distillery. 

Watch this space for my report on the dinner event, which is hosted by winemakers, and on the daytime event.