Four-Course Dinner Introduced alongside Wine Live Auctions
Dining Through the Catalogue: A new immersive concept from Webb’s pairs a sophisticated four-course menu with a curated beverage selection and a live auction for the Fine Wines & Whiskies department—designed to heighten the sensory experience. It’s a night where flavour, storytelling, and rare finds converge. You might even leave with a bottle you’ve long coveted. What began quietly as a one-off activation for astute collectors has evolved into one of the city’s most anticipated evenings—where seats sell out before the catalogue even lands.
Mount Eden’s design quarter is evolving. Once known primarily for interiors and homewares, it’s now home to a new kind of hospitality that blends culture, craftsmanship, and conviviality.
Webb’s has embraced this shift with a series of ticketed, curated, four-course tasting dinners that mirror the themes of its Fine Wines & Whiskies live auctions. Each menu is crafted to reflect the varietals and regions featured in the catalogue, offering guests a multi-sensory journey through taste, terroir, and tradition.
The setup is intentionally theatrical. Guests face the auction podium, not each other, and the auctioneer weaves bidding with lively commentary. The venue itself adds another layer of intrigue. One evening might unfold among significant New Zealand artworks. Another might take place beneath the sparkle of heirloom jewellery and luxury accessories. No two events are alike.
These dinners began as intimate gatherings for those in the know. Nearly a year on, they’ve grown in popularity, with each event’s tickets selling out quickly.
This feedback from one of our guests really does say it all “Excellent hosting and incredible service, food was exceptional. We also purchased some beautiful wine as well. The live auction dinners are fast becoming (if not already) compulsory attendance events”—Rob.
“It’s a four-dimensional immersion into the world of wine and spirits”—Marcus Atkinson, Head of Fine Wines & Whiskies.
“You’re simultaneously discovering innovative food and wine pairings, expanding your palate, and acquiring rare bottles that elevate the entire sensory experience. It’s part dinner, part theatre—you taste the wine, hear its story, and then get the chance to bid on a wine that comes up for auction right in front of you”.
Four Course Menu
Menus are curated by Webb’s Fine Wine & Whiskies team, wine professionals with deep international experience across Hong Kong, France, Australia, Bordeaux, and London. Their approach is grounded in balance and precision, with each course designed to complement the wines and reflect the rhythm of the evening.
The format follows the progression of the auction, for example, one of the recent menus moves from fresh, mineral whites through to structured reds and a considered finish.
The evening begins with a shared table entrée of chilled prawns, hot and cold-smoked salmon with crème fraîche and dill, pickled mussels, and rye toasts served with a classic mignonette and lemon. This opening course is paired with Domaine Besson 1er Cru Montmains Chablis 2023, whose bright acidity and saline edge bring clarity and lift to the seafood.
As the auction moves into more structured wines, the shared table mains offer slow-roasted leg of lamb with herbs de Provence, anchovy and garlic, alongside free-range whole roasted chicken rubbed with tarragon and black pepper butter, finished with a Cognac pan jus. These are served with French green beans dressed in beurre noisette with flaked almonds and duck-fat roasted potatoes with garlic and flat-leaf parsley. The dishes are paired with two Burgundian reds: Domaine Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Vercots 2023 and Domaine Joseph Voillot Pommard Vieilles Vignes 2023, whose depth and structure complement the richness of the mains.
To finish, a shared table dessert of dark Valrhona chocolate roulade is served family-style with warm salted butter caramel sauce and Chantilly cream. This final course is paired with Henri Giraud Ratafia, bringing sweetness and depth to close the evening.
Each course and each lot in the catalogue reflects a commitment to taste, provenance, and shared passion.
Whether you’re a seasoned collector or simply curious, this is an invitation to savour the moment, discover rare bottles, and connect with others who appreciate exceptional wine and spirited conversation.
About the Auctioneer
Marcus Atkinson, DipWSET
Head of Fine Wines & Whiskies
Marcus is a highly experienced and widely respected Fine Wines & Whiskies expert, auctioneer and educator at Webb’s. Before joining the company, he had 25 years of experience in the specialist wine trades of Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand. He has held previous appointments managing fine wine departments for Oddbins, Threshers and Sainsbury’s in London & Europe.
Marcus has also previously served as a sommelier at ‘Le Pont de la Tour’; a UK fine-dining institution with viticultural and winemaking experience of the 2000 vintage in Bordeaux and Jurançon. Marcus holds an Applied Biology BSc (Hons) from Nottingham University and holds a Diploma in Wines and Spirits (AIWS) with the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET).
Fine Wines & Whiskies
Live Auction Dinner Tickets: $99 per person
Location
Webb’s, 33a Normanby Road, Mount Eden
Contact
Marcus Atkinson, DipWSET
Head of Fine Wines & Whiskies
[email protected]
+64 27 929 5601