Wine is a rare passion that weaves itself through every corner of our lives. Whether at work or at play, a love for wine is not just a pursuit but a way of living. David Nash and the experts at The Wine Room embrace this philosophy with genuine enthusiasm. As the year ends, it’s time to celebrate the business relationships built over shared experiences. The Wine Room excels in creating refined, personal occasions — offering exclusive food and cellar experiences designed for meaningful client hosting.
Members at The Wine Room curate a tailored cellar to share rare bottles in an intimate setting. This level of personal detail transforms professional events, making each occasion distinctive in Auckland’s hospitality landscape. Guests are welcomed with unique selections that blend private cellar exclusivity, chef-driven dining, and memorable service, creating lasting impressions that linger long after the final toast.
Here, wine connoisseur and founder David Nash shares his advice for entertaining clients at The Wine Room.
Allow for an icebreaker
“When creating an experience for a lunch or fully hosted private event, we always orchestrate the service to be the piece that first breaks the ice, then ensures the conversation flows in the right direction,” Nash explains. “Our hosting is not the main event; it’s there to foster an entertaining, emotive atmosphere that encourages great discussion. We always plan for the space in between our hosting as much as we do for our hosting itself. Nothing is left to chance.”
Take your time
“What should you invest in? Time,” he says. “Time with our venue, time with our layout, and taking the time to meet our team. Discuss the outcome you want to achieve, and you’ll have the entire service team behind you, supporting you to seal the deal.”
Go bespoke
“In the corporate world, once you’re at a celebratory level, everyone’s been taken to lunch 100 times — it does get tiresome,” admits Nash. “It’s a large investment for someone to take an afternoon off, so you need to respect that time. Every experience at The Wine Room is bespoke; for that reason, we don’t offer any set piece experiences,” he says. “We tailor every lunch, dinner, and full venue event to be 100 per cent about the guests — and making the experience relevant to them. We research the guests, their firm, or their family background, to ensure that we have the stories to tell that will resonate and create a sense of nostalgia, which I believe is the heart of great hospitality.”
Escape the everyday
“The most consistent feedback we get is that The Wine Room is an ‘international experience’, you’re five minutes from Auckland’s city centre, and yet you feel like you’re in another country,” explains Nash. “It’s the feeling of escaping the day-to-day, when you walk through our doors, you’re not next to the office at the same old bistro — you’re in our world now, you’ve got a private chef who changes the menu on a daily basis (much to the delight of our front of house team), and quite possibly the most extensive wine list your clients and guests have ever seen. Not to mention the best hosts, sommeliers, and service team in the country.”
