My wife and I are headed to New Zealand for a week and I’m looking for some winery (and food) recommendations. We’re spending 3 nights in Hawke’s Bay and 3 nights in Queentstown. As we live in Washington, DC, I’m interested in wines that are under the radar and would be difficult to taste or find in the states. Some of the wineries our friends have already recommended in Hawke’s Bay include Black Barn, Unison, Zeppelin and Sileni (also Mission, Church Road, Brookfields, Te Mata) so any feedback on those is also helpful.
Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated.
One suggestion I would make for the Hawke’s Bay region is Millton in Gisborne … http://www.millton.co.nz .
Millton is one of NZ’s top vineyards and well worth a visit. However, it’s a day trip from Napier, 2-3 hours drive each way to Gisborne.
FWIW, NZ is such a beautiful country why are you going (out of your way) to go wineries. Enjoy the vistas of this wonderful country and drink its wines everywhere you eat,
Bobby,
Out of Queenstown I would suggest a visit to Rippon. Great wines and terrific scenery. Francesca’s in Wanaka is a nice casual place to eat before or after a visit to Rippon.
In Queenstown make sure you check out Fergburger, a fantastic Burger joint with a good bakery next door. Saffron is a nice restaurant about 20 minutes away in Arrowtown and for high end dining in town Rata is good.
Best Regards
Jeremy