I am in the process of planning a New Zealand trip for early 2025 and it looks like we potentially have time for cellar door visits in Matakana, Hawkes Bay, Marlborough and Central Otago. Hoping for recommendations from the board on where to visit. We prefer smaller, proprietor run wineries to the big corporate ones. Thanks for any help.
There will be few big corporate operations there, so youâll have a vast array of choices.
Whilst near Hawkes Bay, do find some time to spend in Napier. Levelled almost 100 years ago, when it was rebuilt, it was done so in the style of the time - Art Deco, and much has survived the intervening period. Itâs quite striking.
One winery that should be interesting to visit is Mission. Itâs still run by a religious order, yet there is real quality in the wines (especially the Jewelstone range).
Thanks Ian. Napier is on the planned itinerary. Will check out Mission.
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There are a couple of older threads already on here with good recs. Though, they might need to be updated.
Hi Jud
I just made a post; New Zealand Trip Report April '24
And i used Jon Philipsâ thread for inspiration; New Zealand Report: South Island, November 2022
Besides i think @brodie_thomson will have some great ideas.
Overall, with more reflection, if I could do it over again, Iâd probably research the styles and producers a bit more before going. Thereâs a whole world of winemaking between Felton Road, Mt. Difficulty and people like Luta, or Sato, and they all deserve such a careful reading in their own way, and thatâs where iâd plan from, if you know what i mean. Find and visit the style you prefer.
If iâd do it over again, iâd visit Rippon purely for the view and ask if you can walk down to the lake, so you can walk through their vineyards. Iâd visit Prophets Rock, Sato, Cloudy Bay, Valli and Jenny Dobson. My preference is clearly in the low-intervention camp.
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I would add Burn Cottage with a recent fun tasting amongst the vines of the Burn Cottage vineyard, and the Rippon Mature Vine 2019 is excellent
Hi Jud,
To give you the best advice, can you give some extra info in your trip please?
How long will you be in NZ?
Have you decided on time in Nth Island vs Sth Island (I always recommend 70% in Sth Island).
Is this a wine based vacation or is it a ânormalâ sightseeing type holiday with some wine related activities squeezed in?
Are the others coming with you as interested in wine as you are?
With this context, there a lots of options and choices and recomendations that can be made.
Driving in NZ is slower and requires more attention than you may be used to. Narrow windy and hilly roads with limited abIlity to pass slower vehicles is the norm. There a few faster sections of motorways but only close to the bigger cities. The time to get from A to B will be longer than you might expect. So you need to allow more time to get around. Also you will want to stop and take photos quite often depending on where you are the country.
I would avoid all wineries in the greater Auckland area. They are all too close to Auckland and so get a lot of cellar door traffic and this makes the cellar door experience not great. The only world class winery in Auckland region is Kumeu River. They make amazing single vineyard Chardonnays and it is a family run business. But even so not much of a cellar door experience.
For me the best two Pinot Noir regions in NZ are Martinborough and Nth Canterbury. But then I prefer the lighter more gentle styles. Central Otago mostly produces darker riper richer styles of Pinot that are very good if you like them that way.
Anyway let me know what your overall itinerary is at this stage and we can work from there.
Cheers Brodie
After 6 weeks touring⌠Felton Road is a great experience, as is Destiny Bay. Both require advance reservations, at Destiny Bay you need to indicate an interest in their âwine Clubâ, which incidentally is a great deal, and the best experience we have had in a long time.
Coal Pit probably had our favorite NZ Pinot and SB, and it just up the road from Felton.
Brodie - thank you so much for the thoughtful response and all the other responses on the the thread. We are about a 50/50 split between the islands at the moment, in part because I am going to play Cape Kidnappers and Te Airi. It is just my wife and I and our main focus is seeing some of the great scenic areas of the beautiful country as well as some cultural stops. We both love wine country and would like to fit a few days in. We are going to be hiring a guide/driver as I remember from my last trip that driving would be challenging. Some great suggestions so far in the thread.
OK - so here is my âidealâ itinerary / direction of travel in NZ. I am a geologist so this itinerary is design to maximize the amazing landscapes and different regions in NZ. This not what most folks do (sadly).
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Fly into Akl, get connecting flight to Christchurch
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Pick up hire car in Chch and drive north to Kaikoura / Malborough
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Drive west and then south down the West Coast all the way to Haast
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Cross over to Wanaka from Haast then onto Arrowtown and Queenstown
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Drive from Queesntown to Christchurch via Sthern Alps and Mt Cook
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Fly from Chch to Wellington, pick up hire care in Wellington
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Drive to Wairarapa and then onto Hawkes Bay
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from Hawkes Bay to go Taupo then drive to Tongariro National Park
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Then on to Rotorua area and on to Auckland via Matamata (Hobbiton)
This gives you the most incredible landscape experiences possible. This is about a minimum 3 week itinerary.
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Thank you Brodie
I spent four weeks in NZ recently this past March/April. Travelled with friends, one of which is a Kiwi and has family on the North Island. We must have visited 30âish winery (cellar doors) during the trip. Like you, we prefer smaller, family-owned and operated wineries, - regardless of spot on the planet⌠On your list of places to visit, Marlborough is the only one I can comment on.
We spent time on both islands, flying from Aukland into Blenheim, then Christchurch back to Aukland. We rented SUVs on both islands to get around. We stayed in Blenheim for four nights and days and visited many wineries around Blenheim. Learned real quick that Sav Blanc is not the preferred grape of smaller operations. Itâs what they consider - an exported product that has given NZ wineries a rep of only producing SB. Also learned that Pinot Gris is an exceptionally good wine in NZ. I was literally shocked at how good it can be. Prior to this trip, I would rarely reach for one. At any rate, in and around Blenheim, I would recommend you visit Gibson Bridge, Bladen, Lawsonâs, and FROMM. I brought back wine from each of these. Rimapere is also good. Benjamin Rothschild has a hand in this one. Iâd also suggest you have lunch at Saint Clair Family Estate Vineyard Kitchen. That was probably the best meal we had in this area, and quite frankly, I do not recall having a bad meal the entire trip. (There must be some kind of foody revolution occurring in NZ, because the food was exceptional, no matter where we ate. Hell, even the little restaurant at Hobbiton was excellent). Saint Clair also makes some good wines too. Gibson Bridge is a master with Pinot Gris. Try their library vintages. Some are 15 years old and drinking exceptionally well. And if you like Gin, go by Roots Gin Shack and sample their Gin. I liked one so much I brought a bottle back in my suitcase.
Something to be aware of, is that the Hawkeâs Bay area is still recovering from significant flooding back in early 2023 (Cyclone Gabrielle). Some wineries/vineyards were devastated and some roads were washed out. We planned to visit this area, but my friendâs family all advised against it, as the traffic was horrendous due to road construction and repair. It may be better when you get there, but you should check and plan accordingly.
We spent several dayâs / nights on Waiheke Island too. I can give you some recâs if you think you might go there. Destiny Bay was mentioned earlier. We were able to get an impromptu tour/tasting with the owner. Left a Patreon member and about 5k poorerâŚ. Fantastic wine. Take note of what these bottles go for when you wander through the duty-free shop⌠If you become a member, you can buy them direct for a fraction of what they go for on secondary.
I donât log onto this site much anymore, but if you want additional info, just shoot me a message. Be happy to help if I can. NZ was a lot of fun. Glad we went and I look forward to going again.
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Thank you Michael!
@MadsW has the right idea for reference threads. We had a wonderful trip in March on the South Island and the WB threads were a great resource.
Agreed that taking in the scenery and hiking/golfing/outdoor recreating should be the priority, especially on the South Island.
We stayed at Kinross Winery and their regular tasting included wines from Valli, Coal Pit, and Wild Irishman. Itâs a busy spot (read âtour bus accessibleâ) but a great way to figure out what to aim for if you continue on to Bannockburn/Cromwell. We found out that we didnât need to push to visit Valli or Coal Pit, which was great to learn for our trip. We visited Felton Road and I would still recommend it due to the access of wines available for tasting/purchase; though I agree with others who have said the tour almost puts you on the defensive. Quartz Reef and Burn Cottage are the wines and experiences we keep bringing up. Had a 2019 Sauvage Pinot this weekend and it got us looking at tickets.
Arrowtown: Arrowtown Wine Store has the better selection IMO. Patagonia Chocolates has great ice cream. We ended-up eating most of our meals at Fork & Tap in Arrowtown over beers. Itâs the natural hangout though we did have a nice evening at Aosta.
Wanaka: Highly recommend seeking out the white wines from Maude. Their Pinot Gris and aged Riesling are fantastic. Rippon is a beautiful setting but no single wine stood out from the rest. Wanaka was impressive, especially for food. Highly recommend eating at Kika. We ordered the entire appetizer/first offerings and loved every dish. Thereâs a great pocket of food trucks just down the street and I had the best lamb of my life from the âslow cooked meatsâ truck (no direct website reference).
Love reading before trips, recommend Sea People and the new Hampton Sides, The Wide Wide Sea
Enjoy the trip!
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Hope you enjoy your trip, Jud. Some friends and I just did a tour of some of the wineries in the Hawkes Bay a couple of weeks ago. We based ourselves in Havelock North and went from there as the village of HN is close to many of the best vineyards ie Craggy Range, Te Mata Estate etc.
If you want to go to smaller properties as you state, then I highly recommend a visit to Redmetal Estate. It is everything but corporate. You will need to make an appointment (no cellar door) but if you do, you will be invited into the owner and winemakers home (literally his kitchen) where he will take you through his wines. It was our highlight of our trip and his wines are IMO some of the best in HB at very reasonable prices (unlike many of the wineries in HB).
Also, there is a great restaurant in Hastings (10 minutes from Havelock North) called Cellar 495 (the owner is the 495th Master of Wine). The food is fantastic as is the extensive wine list. You will need to book in advance however as it is small and popular.
Hope that helps.
Ian
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Thank you Ian!
Went to NZ in January of last year and loved Waiheke Island. Very curious why itâs not getting more comments from this group. Would it be considered too commercial or the wines inferior to whatâs found further south in Hawkeâs Bay (similar style of wine, darker reds), or that Pinot noir is the better grape of NZ (no Pinot on Waiheke)? I didnât get to visit Hawkeâs Bay, but enjoyed my time in the other areas mentioned so far.
In terms of visiting, itâs a little more awkward, so thatâs one factor. A cool day trip from Auckland though I guess.
I reckon the second factor is one that may affect Berserkers less than other people, is rather than being âinferiorâ / âcommercialâ Waiheke wines are never cheap, whereas Hawkes Bay covers a broader spectrum of pricing.