Said Sarah Jesson of Christchurch City Council, "After Christchurch South Island's acceptance into the Great Wine Capitals Global Network at the end of last year, we were thrilled to be offered the opportunity to host the next AGM."

To make the most of this unique situation, an international wine conference has been developed in and around this meeting. International delegates will be taken through the five South Island wine regions to discover the secrets behind South Island's premium wines.

It won't be an ordinary conference held in just the one spot, notes Jesson, rather a cluster of events incorporating stimulating and relevant programmes for local and international wine business, research and media participants. Along with tours to the regions, the Conference will include an international wine tasting evening, a gala dinner and two wine symposia, one related to business and the other focusing on research and innovation.

Great Wine Capitals, which has been in existence for about 10 years, links cities that are gateways to world renowned wine regions (for eg, San Francisco as the gateway to Napa Valley) with the aim of bringing these cities together to share, build and promote their wine related business, research and tourism projects.

In 2009, representatives from the five South Island wine regions of Nelson, Marlborough, Waipara Valley, Canterbury and Central Otago, jointly applied to be a member of the Network. "The Network's committee visited the region, approved the application and shortly after, Christchurch, South Island was welcomed with a warm French embrace at a function in Bordeaux," said Jesson.

For more information on Wine Discovery NZ 2010 visit www.winediscoverynz.com.