As the first bottles of Cloudy Bay’s 2010 sauvignon blanc hit shelves this week, wine lovers across the globe are applauding the Marlborough winery's commitment to producing excellent New Zealand sauvignon blanc for 25 years.

Most could not have anticipated, back in 1985, that a winery under the stewardship of an Australian-born winemaker, Kevin Judd, could have grown into one of the most respected sauvignon blanc producers in the world. Now owned by a French luxury goods empire (LVMH), Cloudy Bay is not what it was but we must not deny the company its due accolades.

The success of Cloudy Bay helped to create the Marlborough sauvignon blanc phenomenon, and set a high standard for the countless wineries who followed suit. New Zealand is rapidly changing wine-producing country, yet with every vintage the production standard gets better.

To celebrate Cloudy Bay’s 25th anniversary, the winery invited 25 extraordinary New Zealanders to reflect on the small things they treasure in life in homage to a small winery who strove to reach great heights.

Filmmaker Taika Waititi, journalist Mike McRoberts, David Trubridge and artistic director of Black Grace dance company, Neil Ieremia were all invited to contribute as was, Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand, who chose a rather worn pair of trainers: "These shoes are the ones that I wore on Black Magic for the final race of the America’s Cup in 2000. They bring back a lot of the memories and emotions from that day and the campaign. They are a motivation to bring the America’s Cup back to New Zealand."

Rachel Rakena, a video artist who selected to exhibit at the Venice Biennale in 2007, chose a heitiki. She explains: “[this] is the first taonga pounamu my father ever carved. He gave it to me 20 years ago when I was an art student and I’ve worn it or carried it with me ever since. The pounamu is from the Arahura River near Hokitika where I grew up. I wove the little case for it from flax from my great grandmother’s garden in Rapaki, and when I’m not wearing it I keep it or travel with it in this case."

In a similar vein, Cloudy Bay chose their wine bottles’ label as the small thing it treasures.  "The original artwork for the Cloudy Bay label is a daily reminder of the Richmond Ranges, an inspiration to the many talented and committed individuals who are part of the Cloudy Bay team – the inspiration to create exceptional wines, which speak honestly of the Marlborough region."

MiNDFOOD has three copies of Cloudy Bay, Twenty Five Years to give away.  Enter now and discover the small treasures New Zealand’s most creative professionals hold dear.