cavergirl

We are in the beginning planning stages for a 3 - 4 week trip to NZ and plan to visit both islands. We will be renting a car. We are big wine lovers and want to include some time in our trip for visiting one of the wine regions. We are predominantly interested in red wine and from what I have read, the North Island/Hawke Bay area has more red wine whereas the South Island/Marlborough area is more focused on sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. I am looking for input from wine lovers who have been to both regions and can recommend one over the other relative to quality of wine, beauty of the area, itinerary (convenience to other places), etc.

Melnq8

Don't dimiss the SI for reds. The Central Otago region the on SI has some pretty fabulous pinot noir -

http://cowa.org.nz/central-otago-wine-region.html

Melnq8

Sorry for the typo, it's 3:20 am here.

Kiwi_acct

There are wine growing regions scattered all over New Zealand with a wide variety of grapes grown in each.

Starting in the far North there are good wines made near Kaitaia. The Auckland region produces many good wines. On Waiheke Island (40 minutes by ferry from downtown Auckland) there are several good vineyards, many with decent restaurants/cafes attached which produce good reds. In West Auckland there are some good whites produced, these vineyards are about 30 minutes by car from downtown Auckland.

South of Auckland there are scattered vineyards as you head south. On the East coast is where you find the greatest concentration. In Gisborne (About two hours drive north of Hawkes Bay) some good chardonnay is produced. Hawkes Bay as you have noted produces some good reds, Cabernets and Merlots. There are also some good white produced here as well.

If you keep heading south on Highway 2 you will head toward Martinborough in the Wairarapa (Actually Martinborough is on Highway 53 just off highway two, turn left at Featherston) here there are some really decent Pinot Noirs produced. It is worth haveing a look around here and a bit of an explore of the local vineyards.

When you have crossed over the Cook Strait to Marlbrough (Blenheim) you will be in Sauvignon Blanc territory , though this is not all that is produced here. A couple of days looking round will provide a few highlights to tempt your taste buds.

Keep travelling down the East Coast, this time on highway 1 and you will hit vineyards as you travel all the way down Canterbury. Keep an eye out for signs. More good white wines produced here.

Then onto my favourite wine district, Central Otago. As Melnq8 says, fantastic Pinot Noir. A few days exploring this region will unearth some great tastings for you.

On a bit of a cautionary note, and hopefully not to put a downer on your plans, Be aware that there are strict drink driving laws and traffic police do note people going in and out of vineyards. On a good note though. At all the visitor centres in these regions you can arrange wine trail tours where you are taken around a selection of vineyards by minibus and generally very well looked after (No worries about driving).

Here is one for Auckland http://www.winetrailtours.co.nz/

Here is one for Gisborne http://www.wtn.co.nz/winetours/gisborne.asp

Here is a self drive one for Hawkes bay http://www.winehawkesbay.co.nz/wine_trail_hawkes_bay_/

Another http://www.classicwinetrail.co.nz/

Here is a posh one, quite good, they take you around to a select few vineyards

http://www.grapeescapenz.co.nz/

Martinborough http://www.martinboroughwinetours.co.nz/

In Marlborough there are several, I suggest checking at the visitor centre in Blenheim (Or even the one in Picton when you get of the ferry from Wellington)

Otago self drive http://www.otagowine.com/winetrail/

Guided http://www.queenstownwinetrail.co.nz/

These are just seggestions to get you started. There are many other options. As I said above, the visitor centres in each area will be a very helpful resource.

Good luck and enjoy.

Diamantina

There is a magazine in New Zealand called "Cuisine" and they put out an annual "Wine Country" issue, which features maps of all the wine regions and lists more than 330 wineries with opening hours, addresses, and the varieties of wines on offer. Not all wineries are listed, but I think you will still find the guide useful. I suggest you pick up a copy at the newsstand when you arrive in the airport. It costs about NZ$18 and it makes for a nice souvenir, as well, as it has photos of the wine regions. You might also have a look at the book, "Michael Cooper's Buyer Guide to New Zealand Wines" Toward the front of the book, he lists classic New Zealand wines. He also has a website:http://www.michaelcooper.co.nz/wa.as...&idDetails=168

If I had to choose one wine region I would choose Marlborough, which not only produces beautiful white wines, but, also, along with Martinborough and Central Otago, produces some of the country's best pinot noirs--too many to name. Their pinot noirs from Marlborough tend to be less pricey. There are also some gorgeous sparkling wines to be had--I love Cloudy Bay's Pelorus. Marlborough is the country's largest wine region so you will have lots of choices. I also find it scenic, as it is surrounded by mountains and is not far from beautiful Marlborough Sounds.

If the many wineries of Marlborough are not enough for you, you can always go over to Nelson, which is about an hour and a half from Blenheim and also produces some tasty wines. Neudorf, in particular, produces notable pinot noirs. Plus, Nelson is a place you would probably want to visit anyhow, if you are planning to go to nearby Abel Tasman National Park.
http://www.wineart.co.nz/wineries.htm

I like Hawkes Bay as well. I love the Syrahs from this region. They are more Rhone-like in style, less similar to the syrahs/shirazes of South Australia (which I also love). Look for Craggy Range's Le Sol and syrahs from Bliancia, Esk Valley, Mills Reef, Trinity Hill, Te Mata, Villa Maria, to name a few. One of the top red wines of this region is Te Mata's Coleraine, a Bordeaux blend (cab-merlot-cab franc). I am big fan of Napier, the largest city in the Hawkes Bay region. Hawkes Bay has beautiful beaches, good restaurants, pretty scenery, wildiife viewing opportunities and other attractions, but I think there are greater varieties of activities and sights around Marlborough.

If you were driving around the South Island you could easily begin your journey in Marlborough after crossing over on the ferry from Wellington. By the way, Martinborough is about an hour or less from Wellington.

You will no doubt be going to Queenstown, so you wouldn't be going out of your way to check out Central Otago wineries, which are within 15 minutes to an hour away. The closest is Amisfield, which is just outside of Queenstown on Lakes Hayes Road. As Melnq8 and Kiwi_acct have already told you, the pinot noirs of Central Otago are often excellent. They tend to be pricey. I am primarily a red wine drinker as well, but I love the beautiful pinot gris and rieslings (dry style) of Central Otago, so don't neglect to try them. The roses are also terrific, very Provencal-like. And Quartz Reef produces some wonderful sparkling wines (their pinot noir is also delicious). As I said, if you get an early start to the day, you could easily visit some Central Otago wineries as a day trip from Queenstown, but if you plan on visiting many you might want to spend the night in Cromwell, which is centrally located and has nice, affordable self catering apartments. My favorite wineries are in Cromwell, Bannockburn, and on the road between Cromwell and Queenstown. Rippon Winery in Wanaka is also a must-see; the view is impressive. Keep in mind, that some of the wineries are closed on weekends, such as Felton Road and Quartz Reef.
http://www.cowa.org.nz/downloads/map...ap_2009_02.pdf

An absolute must-visit winery is Villa Maria, which is only a 10 minute drive from the Auckland Airport. Too easy. Their reserve wines are great. The winery also has a cafe.
http://www.villamaria.co.nz/

With the three to four weeks that you will have, you could easily do a drive that could combine sightseeing of NZ's scenic highlights with visits to major wine regions. The country is not so large.
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/get...ing-routes.cfm
http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/itiner...and/index.html
http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/itineraries/south-island/

Cheyne27

Hi - all the information you might like on Hawke's Bay wines is on our website including wine trail maps and the type and style of wines we produce. It's a great region as a wine and food destination and feel free to contact me from the site anytime.

www.winehawkesbay.co.nz

Cheers
lyn

cavergirl

Wow!!! Thank you all for the info. I am going to print all this out and take with me. I didn't realize there were as many regions as mentioned here. I thought Otago was really almost nothing so especially appreciate the input from Melnq8. We love pinot noir and will put that stop on our list as we will definitely be in that area. Melnq8 - Hope you got back to sleep.

All the links provided will be extremely helpful in my further trip planning. After I posted this question, I read in my travel book that the Marlborough (Sounds) area itself is one of the prettiest areas in all of NZ. Okay I know the whole country is gorgeous but that was what my book said. After reading that, my husband and I talked about it and decided we are going to NZ to see the country not just drink the wine. With limited time, we figured it was better to see the Marlborough area than the Napier area even though we are red wine drinkers. We can still drink the reds throughout our trip without going to the winery itself to taste them. BTW, I had read about Coleraine wine and that is a must taste for us. Will pick up that wine book as soon as we get there. I am glad to know that we will be driving through plenty of wine regions so will get a lof of exposure to all the varietals and whatever we don't taste at the winery, we will buy at a shop or at a restaurant. And don't worry about the drinking and driving issue. We live in the US which is also very strict about that. Thanks again for all your input.

Diamantina

Believe me, you will find some excellent pinot noirs in Marlborough too--you won't be diappointed. Just as in California, very fine pinot noirs can be found in various regions.

Yes, you can easily combine sightseeing with wine going without going out of your way. Plus, you can buy wines at the supermarket and take them to drink in many restaurants (look for "BYO" not "fully licensed" if you want to do this).I always check out this column in the Otago Times, you might want to start reading it too:
http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/food-...ws-pinot-noirs

cavergirl

Okay Diamantina. Thanks.

Kiwi_acct

Interesting that you have linked to Charmian Smith's column in the ODT Diamantina, It seems she has been writing on lifestyle for that paper forever. I remember her well, when I was a student at Otago well back in the last millenium,coming into a fairly well known wine and spirits store I worked at in North Dunedin commenting knowledgebly on the various wines we were carrying which were out of the norm for Dunedin.

BYO is a great recommendation as it means an excellent choice picked up on a wine trail can be enjoyed with restaurant food.

Just to add to the pot. Many vineyards bring in grapes (or juiced grapes) from other regions for there own winemakers to turn into their own label wines. Therefore you may be in a region well known for reds but be drinking a white wine. Generally the people conducting the wine tasting are very up front about this and are very good at explaining the reasons why.

This gives the individual vineyards the opportunity to offer many different varietals i.e. more choice for the consumer.