Having a vine old time

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TASTE TREAT: Wine lovers came in their thousands to sample the wares on offer at Martinborough's wineries

ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post

CATCHING SOME SHUT-EYE: Emma Dawson snoozes at Te Kairanga vineyard.

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SUN SMART: Rebecca Field, left, and Daisy Chan avoid sunburn at Palliser vineyard during Toast Martinborough.

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BRIGHT DAY: Alain Marcuse, left, and Dave Dyer make a colourful statement at Toast Martinborough.

ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post

WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT: Wine pouring at Te Kairanga during Toast Martinborough.

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Thousands of revellers - and perhaps even a Hollywood A-lister - toasted Martinborough on a day of sunshine and vino.

The talk on the grapevine was that Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom, no stranger to these parts, was among the 10,000 people at the annual Toast Martinborough yesterday.

Some revellers thought they had spotted him, but general manager Rachael Fletcher was being coy. "I did hear a rumour but I can't confirm or deny it.

"I certainly did hear that he might have been here. I wasn't lucky enough to meet him myself - maybe next year."

With temperatures in the mid-20s, festival-goers spent the day wandering the vineyards, swilling 12,666 bottles of wine, devouring 15,500 portions of food - including more than 3000 whitebait fritters - and injecting more than $1 million into the Wairarapa economy.

"It has been an absolutely fantastic day," Ms Fletcher said. "We've had really good crowds, we've been lucky with the weather and everyone has had a great time."

The 10,000 tickets sold out in a record five minutes. Each of the 10 vineyards involved creates its own mood with live music, wine and food. Guests can walk between the wineries or catch a free shuttle.

- © Fairfax NZ News