Collaborators included Angry Fox, Papaiti Gin, Good Bones Distilling, Lads Brewing, Roots Brewing, Teal Lounge and the Waimarie Operating Trust, she said.
“Someone will have an idea, we contact each other, then we get together and do something cool. There’s not much time wasting.
“One example is an event I organise called a wine walk.
“I get a group of people and we visit different establishments, who each showcase their wines or wine-based cocktails.”
Van der Walt also “jumps on board” with other people’s projects, such as Edition Dining run by Article Cafe’s Jack Mitchell Anyon, musician Anthonie Tonnon and chefs from Big Moose and Easy Tiger.
“They need wine so they pull me in to offer advice and give some options.
“I just love that everyone is open and is keen to work together. We aren’t competing.”
Joamari van der Walt (centre) with (from left) Jack Mitchell-Anyon, Michelle Excell, Anthonie Tonnon and James Schellenberg of Edition Dining.
Originally from South Africa, van der Walt moved to Whanganui from Singapore in 2018.
“I wanted to explore New Zealand and I applied for a few jobs. The first one that worked out was here,” she said.
“It looked like a beautiful city, there’s the river, the ocean, so I thought I’d give it a go.
“Whanganui just sucks you in, it’s a wonderful community.”
Van der Walt said the public had embraced her venture, with most events selling out.
Joa’s Wines focused on getting products from boutique wineries around the world, she said.
“There is definitely a group of people who are interested, who want to learn about it and want to be involved.
“Would I do better if I was in a bigger centre? Who knows, but it’s working well here. I want to make Whanganui a sophisticated wine city.”
It was hard to pick a favourite wine but “champagne is always a treat, no matter how many times you drink it”.
She studied law in Stellenbosch, the major wine region in South Africa, van der Walt said.
“I ended up studying wine there as well, at the Cape Wine Academy, and the passion has been alive throughout the years.
“At the moment, I’m studying through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, preparing to be a Master of Wine, and through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Association de la Sommelierie Internationale.
“Basically, it’s all wine, all the time, and I’ve got more exciting stuff in the pipeline.”
Joa’s Wines is at the Whanganui River Markets most Saturdays, with more information available at joaswines.co.nz.
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.
Dining and Cooking