Brigitte Tait has found her place.
The Cromwell businesswoman is well known in the town for her community involvement, business acumen and love of people — so her latest venture should come as no surprise.
Mrs Tait and her husband Paul have taken on their own slice of paradise ‘‘up the hill’’ in Cromwell — the Scott Base Cellar Door.
The tasting room and venue is nestled among 6ha of vines from Scott Base Vineyard overlooking the Central Otago town and Lake Dunstan, belonging to Marlborough winemaker Allan Scott.
‘‘It’s funny because for people that know me it certainly isn’t a surprise, but people who don’t know me are [saying], ‘you’ve done what?’,’’ she said.
‘‘This is something that we kind of talked about, dreamed about and joked about probably since we moved to Cromwell 12 years ago. Paul’s a natural behind the bar, I’ve always worked with people.’’
With a background in tourism — as well as event management and marketing — taking on the cellar door was a natural fit for the couple.
The couple opened the venue at the beginning of November and it quickly became a family affair with Mrs Tait’s parents roped in to help out on occasion.
They hoped that relaxed family feeling would extend throughout the Cellar Door.
‘‘It is a local space, it’s accessible, it’s easy, but also a tourist destination and we do wine tasting, craft beer tasting,’’ she said.
While the inside of the building and bar had been painted and alterations made, the couple did not want to change too much.
Plans were in place to host regular live music and entertainment on site, as well as functions, events and weddings.
‘‘I feel like this is what I’m supposed to be doing, it’s got the business side and the people side — and anyone who know me knows I like a challenge,’’ Mrs Tait said.
Scott Base Cellar Door is open from Thursday to Monday.
