International wine judge and Master of Wine Sam Harrop has newly joined SKYCITY Auckland as a beverage consultant ambassador. A highly-awarded wine professional with more than 20 years experience in the industry, Harrop will use his extensive wine and sake knowledge to provide advice on drink offerings across SKYCITY’s restaurants and bars, bringing expertise to the business as well as providing support at upcoming functions and events.
Harrop started as a winemaker in New Zealand, before gaining experience in California, Australia and Europe. While in Europe he achieved his Master of Wine Qualification, receiving the Tim Derouet Award for outstanding performance. He is currently co-chair of the International Wine Challenge, and consults for several wine producers and related businesses in New Zealand, Europe and Canada, as well as producing his own wine on Waiheke Island.
SKYCITY General Manager Auckland, John Mortensen, said Harrop's international experience in addition to his qualifications and connections make him the ideal person to assist with SKYCITY’s beverage offerings.
“At SKYCITY we pride ourselves on providing exceptional experiences and we welcome Sam on board to complement SKYCITY’s pool of talented staff, working alongside world-renowned chefs in our many award-winning restaurants,” Mortensen said.
Harrop said he’s excited to work with SKYCITY Auckland because of its range of high-quality restaurants and bars, which already offer many drink options for customers.
“I’m looking forward to exploring new opportunities to help SKYCITY expand on what they are already doing in the food and beverage space, including working with local and visiting artisan producers,” Harrop said.
There are currently 340 Masters of Wine worldwide.
