Extreme Wine Tasting, New Zealand Style


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Last Updated on April 26, 2024 by Audrey Scott

This is our on-the-ground introduction to the New Zealand wine scene, focused on the South Island regions of Marlborough, Central Otago, and Nelson. It includes recommended wineries, a wine cottage experience for the romance bucket list, and an insight into how wine tasting in New Zealand can be more frightening than jumping off a bridge.

new zealand wine tasting

As we motored down the Gibbston Highway outside of Queenstown, I reached for my turn signal to point our way towards a dirt road for Chard Farm. For the tenth time in as many tries, I fired up the windshield wipers instead.

The cleanest windshield in all of New Zealand,” our friend Andrew quipped. His joke would never lose its luster, as I could never really conquer the control panel of a left-side drive car in New Zealand.

Old dogs, new tricks. But we were on our way to taste wine. Things were about to look up.

Then the driveway-cum-access road began to narrow. The gravel softened. Guard rails vanished. Were there ever any? The mood, precarious. Vertical drops into the canyon were beyond the crane of the neck.

The gorge-read leading to Chard Farm Vineyards.
Can you spot the vineyards in the distance?

I white knuckled the steering wheel. The irony: I’ve been bungee jumping, cave diving, and hang gliding all over New Zealand and here I am, examining my own mortality on the way to a wine tasting. For passengers and driver alike, navigating this wine road was quite possibly more frightening than bungee jumping the bridge just across the way.

I see dead people.”

Instead, we found a few glasses of exceptional Pinot Noir. Much nicer. And this was just the beginning of our dive into New Zealand wine — the aromatic usual suspects Riesling and Pinot Gris, surprising unoaked and restrained Chardonnays, inimitable Sauvignon Blanc, and even well-executed Syrah. But where did we find it all? And how? This is the full story.

Wine Tasting in New Zealand's South Island: Get Amongst It

If you do it right, your wine tasting experience in New Zealand's South Island will not only encompass drinking good wine, but it will also be about the people you meet, the landscapes you drove through to find them and how everything comes together to produce the wines you are tasting.

Small private tasting rooms are the best. As you enjoy a taste from white to red, chat with the sommelier. There are no stupid questions, only ones that bring you closer to understanding what you are drinking and whether or not it suits your taste. Part of the fun of wine tasting in New Zealand is talking with people and tapping into their passions about the wines they serve, wines in general, and their country.

But how to get started to know which wineries to go to? The first step is to pick up a local wine route map. Then ask locals and sommeliers at the wineries for recommendations. Before you know it, your map will be filled with circled wineries, marginalia, and recommended vintages. That's how we carved our New Zealand wine experience and found all the wineries listed below.

Note: We had a rental car to get around (details at the end of this post) as this option provided us with our desired level of freedom and flexibility. This is our recommendation. However, if you are concerned about driving, it's also possible to rent bikes in Marlborough (that come with handy wine bottle panniers or saddlebags) or to take a wine tour.

Wine Tasting in Gibbston Valley, Central Otago

Central Otago, just outside of Queenstown, may just be the epicenter of New Zealand Pinot Noir. Warm days, cool nights. As you make your way, you can imagine ravine-cooled air toughening the skins of Pinot Noir grapes that will someday be pressed into something that you’ll eat with a steak. Yes, Pinot Noir with a steak. New Zealand’s got 'em.

Chard Farm
The reward for navigating the access road to Chard Farm, outside of the beauty of the scenery itself: a pleasant experience that encourages conversation. A solid go-to tasting room to begin (or end) your Gibbston Valley outing.

Wine Tasting at Chard Farm - Gibbston Valley, New Zealand
Wine Tasting at Chard Farm – Gibbston Valley, New Zealand

Chard Farm whites were eye-opening, particularly the peachy Pinot Gris 2011, the honeysuckle-like Gewürztraminer 2010 and the hint-of-apricot 2010 Riesling. We also tasted a few Pinot Noirs here, including the juicy Mata-Au Pinot Noir and the the top end 2010 Tiger Pinot Noir and 2010 Viper Pinot Noir. Of those two, the Tiger was our favorite — when we return, we're buying a bottle.

Wine tasting details: Monday-Friday: 10am-5pm, Saturday-Sunday: 11am-5pm. Wine tasting is free, but if you don't buy a bottle they suggest giving a donation for a local charity the winery supports. Address: 205 Chard Road.

Brennan Wines
Not only is the wine tasting fun and personal, but the Brennan Wines setting — against a backdrop of flinty mountains — is pretty spectacular. It was thanks to a recommendation that we found this small boutique winery tucked away off the main road as it didn't appear on the wine map. The winemakers are experimenting with varietals like Termpranillo and Pinot Grigio, as well as producing a range of Pinot Noir.

Our suggestion is to spend some time here and enjoy a picnic amongst the vines. At the winery you can buy a plate of local cheeses, sausages and breads (NZ$25) and while away your hours playing pétanque (boules).

Brennan Winery - Gibbston Valley, New Zealand
Brennan Winery, New Zealand's most beautiful pétanque pitch?

Although we appreciated the distinction between the Italian style Pinot Grigio and French-style Pinot Gris, the Pinot Noirs ruled the day. The 2009 Brennan Pinot Noir was perhaps our favorite taste (with the warm 2008 a close second), but the 2010 B2 Pinot Noir was perhaps the easiest-drinking value buy, in case you don't have room in your luggage.

Wine tasting details: Monday-Sunday: 11am-5pm. Tasting fee: NZ$5, waived if you buy a bottle. Address: 86 Gibbston Back Road

Central Otago Wine Tasting, Maps and Additional Wineries of Note

If you'd like to plan a full day or multi-day wine tasting outing on your own, download the Central Otago wine maps. When you are on the ground, you can get all these maps in one nice little free brochure. This is pretty much all you need. Here are the Central Otago sub-regions and a few more recommendations we were given.

  • Gibbston — Mt. Rosa – if we'd had a little more time, this would have been our last stop. Peregrine Wines and Amisfield Wines also came recommended.
  • Cromwell
  • Bannockburn – Felton Road winery also came recommended.
  • Alexandra

Wine Tasting in Marlborough

New Zealand's Marlborough wine region is akin to California's Napa Valley in the way that small, independent wineries sit proudly next to big wine powerhouses. Vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see. As wine tasting in the region has become more popular, bistros have popped up at wineries or along the main wine routes. So you'll be able to find something other than meat pies and fish & chips — though those both go well with the right bottle — to compliment your wine of choice.

Herzog Winery in Marlborough
Herzog Winery in Marlborough

Although the Marlborough wine region is known best for Sauvignon Blanc, you'll find a surprisingly wide selection of Riesling, Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Gris — all along with Pinot Noir and even some courageous vintages of Syrah. Outside of wine-tasting, simply driving through the region will take hours, if not days, just to accommodate ogling and pulling over to take photos of stunning scenery.

Hans Herzog Estate Winery
Hans Herzog Estate is where wine, good food and atmosphere all come together. We suggest that you plan a lunch or dinner stop at the Bistro to enjoy dining outside in the garden. The menu changes regularly to reflect what is fresh in the garden or region. Even though the food and garden setting are exceptional, we found that the prices at the Bistro ran about the same as a decent pub in the city. (Note that the menu at the restaurant is more upscale than that of the bistro.)

Sample Starters at Hans Herzog Bistro - Marlborough, New Zealand
Sample Starters at Hans Herzog Bistro

Herzog Vineyard Cottage – Splurge Suggestion: If you're looking for one place to splash out during a visit to the South Island, the vineyard cottage at Herzog is it. We don't easily succumb to accommodation, but this is a special place. The cottage is the epitome of coziness. And then you fall out the front door right onto the vineyards. That is, if you manage to get beyond the decor and vegetation snaking around your own private deck. We had to be escorted from the premises after checkout time had passed. (We kid.)

View from our wine cottage at Hans Herzog Estate, Marlborough
View from our wine cottage at Hans Herzog.

Wine tasting details: Monday-Friday, 9am – 5pm; Saturday-Sunday, 11am – 4pm (summertime). A tasting of three wines will cost NZ$10. Address:81 Jeffries Road, Blenheim

Seresin Estate
A few turns into the hills and you'll find Seresin, a tiny boutique winery. For pure vintage quality, particularly given the strictures of organic and biodynamic winemaking in New Zealand, Seresin is hard to beat.

2011 Sauvignon Blanc, one of our favorites in the region, with a bit of toast, honey, wild yeast and not so much of the tomato stem. 2010 Pinot Gris, our favorite of this aromatic, offered a little voluptuousness that would go nicely with pork. The 2010 Chardonnay, another winner with its creamy, yeasty roundness touched with flint.

Wine tasting details: Every day, 10-4:30pm. Cost is NZ$5 per tasting, can be applied to the purchase of a bottle. Address: 85 Bedford Road, Blenheim.

Fromm Winery
Each time someone circled Fromm Winery on our wine map, they'd say, “Now this is the place for reds in the Marlborough area.” In the land of white wines, Fromm Winery bucks the Marlborough region trend by focusing mainly on its red varietals. And its experimentation with big red wines like Syrah pays off.

Wine Tasting at Fromm Winery - Marlborough, New Zealand
Wine tasting at Fromm Winery, Marlborough.

Wine tasting details: Every day, 10-5pm in the summer (Oct-Apr). In the winter (May-Sept) the tasting room is open on Fri-Sun, 11am-4pm. Cost is NZ$5 per tasting, waived with a bottle purchase. Address: Godfrey Road, Blenheim.

Giesen Winery
Although Giesen Winery can get busy with cruise passenger traffic, the sommeliers really went out of their way to ensure a personal tasting experience. If you have a bit of time, consider snacking on a cheese and salami plate with a bottle of wine in the garden. Giesen offered some of the least expensive wines along the route, with entry level wines running $16NZ a bottle.

2010 Brothers Viognier to pair with food. Riesling 2012, our favorite. Also a winner of one of the Air New Zealand wine awards. Perhaps what I liked best about this wine, the tasting notes included “a hint of petrichor.” Among our new favorite words.

Giesen Vineyards - Marlborough, New Zealand
Looking out over Giesen Vineyards in Marlborough.

Wine tasting details: Every day, 10-4:30pm. Address: 26 Rapaura Road, Blenheim.

Marlborough Wine Maps and Other Wineries

Among a pretty tight consistently recommended group of wineries in Marlborough that we missed: Dog Point, Rock Ferry Wines, Framingham, Auntsfield Estate, Yealands Estate (picturesque), and No. 1 Family Estate (particularly if sparkling wines are your thing).

For an overview of your options in the Marlborough wine region, check out the Marlborough Wine Trail map, a copy of which you should be able to pick up from any local tourist office.

Seafood Odyssea:

The Seafood Odyssea leaves from Picton on summer afternoons and takes you through the Marlborough Sounds for a detailed look at a green-lipped mussel farm and salmon farm. Honestly, we never imagined learning about local seafood farming methods would actually be so interesting. Or, so beautiful. And we enjoyed a huge bowl of tender, fresh green-lipped mussels, cold-smoked salmon and Tio Point Oysters all finished with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Not a bad afternoon.

Green Lipped Mussels on the Seafood Odyssea - Marlborough, New Z
Green Lipped Mussels on the Seafood Odyssea

Seafood Odyssea Details: Book in advance here to ensure your spot. The boat leaves at around 1:30pm and the journey takes 3-4 hours. Price: $135/person (includes seafood and wine mentioned above). Hint: If you are a group, are interested in a broader selection of wines to taste, and you haven't taken the Cook Strait Ferry, contact Marlborough Travel to see what it would take to arrange a custom experience with a sommelier on board.

Wine Tasting in Nelson Region

While Kiwis are friendly in general, we found people in and around Nelson to be notably hospitable and fun. Compared to Marlborough, the Nelson wine region is less well-known, but its popularity for viniculture is growing. After you visit Marlborough, you'll find that the style of Sauvignon Blanc from this region to be even more distinct, with even more hints of tomato stems and green pepper. Sounds crazy, maybe, but go stick your nose in a glass and experience it for yourself.

Neudorf Vineyards
Every person we spoke to in Nelson steered us to Neudorf Vineyards. It's easy to see why. Although Neudorf is larger than most in the area, its wines retain a personal, family feel. Across the board from the whites to the reds, Neudorf wines are consistently good. Buy a picnic plate of cheeses, meats and olives to enjoy with a bottle of wine for the afternoon in the garden.

Tasting included a distinct 2012 Sauvingnon Blanc with more than a hint of tomato stem and a 2011 Viognier, the red-drinker's white wine, with a touch of wood and oil, not quite a Chardonnay. Loved the Pinot Noir, all around. Our pick for taste and value: 2010 Tom's Block Pinot Noir.

Wine Tasting at Neudorf Vineyards - Nelson, New Zealand
Everything marked with a dot is part of that day's standard wine tasting.

Wine tasting details: Daily, 10am-5pm in summer. Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm in winter. Address: 138 Neudorf Road, Upper Moutere

Greenhough
Tucked back off the main road amidst fruit orchards is Greenhough Winery. We were fortunate to have our tasting with one of the owners, so we heard the story of how the family has developed the winery over the last twenty years while maintaining an organic approach.

2012 Apple Valley Riesling, liked the crisp with a bit of acidity. Apple Valley 2012 Sauvignon Blanc, less grassy than most, even a little creamy. 2012 Chardonnay, similarly surprising with hints of oak and stone, vanilla and spice. Finally, we picked up a bottle of the 2012 Riesling Noble (botrytised dessert wine) that we will serve with the right fresh cobbler or plate of ripened soft cheese.

Wine tasting details: Daily, 1pm-5pm from Christmas through January. Weekends only, 1pm-5pm from Labour Day to Easter. Address: 411 Paton Road, RD1, Hope

Rimu Grove Winery
This small boutique winery not too far from Mapua is worth visiting just for the views of Tasman Bay, Rabbit Island and Waimea Inlet. The wine tasting experience itself is personal and fun; our sommelier not only knew her stuff about Rimu Grove, but about all the wineries in the region.

Pinot Gris 2010, a bit of oak, a touch of acidity, otherwise soft on the palate. A versatile and surprising Chardonnay, mild oak with hints of nuts and melon.

Wine tasting details: Daily, 11am-5pm in summer. Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm in winter. Tastings are free. Address: Bronte Road East, Upper Moutere

Wine Tasting in Waipara Valley

If you happen to be in Christchurch and are looking for a wine tasting opportunity nearby, consider Waipara Valley. While we don't consider ourselves authorities on the region, we did aim to check it out on our way back from Hanmer Springs to Christchurch and were glad we did.

Pegasus Bay Winery
After a quick poking around online for wineries on our return route to Christchurch, we happened upon Pegasus Bay Winery, noted in the region for its restaurant.

Penny, the sommelier, took us through a broad range. Of note: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc uncharacteristic of those at the north end of the South Island. 2010 Bel Canto Riesling, perhaps our favorite of the tasting with hints of citrus and even jasmine. 2010 Gewürztraminer fascinating with rose water, jasmine and even other floral notes like hyacinth. 2010 Pinot Noir deep color, plums and cherries, velvet and spice.

For more information on Waipara Valley and North Canterbury wineries, download the North Canterbury Wine Guide and Map.

—-

A note of thanks: Many people came together to make our final week in New Zealand a tasty, romantic and memorable one. In addition to the people and companies we thank below, we also would like to give a shout out to all the Kiwis we met along the way who steered us to many of the wineries you see above. They never seemed to tire of our questions and some even provided us a ride when we needed it.

Disclosure: A big thanks to New Zealand Rent a Car for providing a car to us for our last week in New Zealand. We'd also like to thank the folks at Destination Marlborough for arranging our stay at Hans Herzog Estate Winery and getting us aboard the Seafood Odyssea with Chris and Jo, who shared their decades of knowledge of the seafood and wine industry with us. Our flights to New Zealand were kindly sponsored by Air New Zealand. As always, the opinions expressed here are entirely our own.
About Daniel Noll
Travel and life evangelist. Writer, speaker, storyteller and consultant. Connecting people to experiences that will change their lives. Originally from the U.S. Daniel has lived abroad since 2001 and most recently has been on the road since 2006. When he's not writing for the blog you can keep up with his adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And you can learn more about him on the About Page and on LinkedIn.

26 thoughts on “Extreme Wine Tasting, New Zealand Style”

  1. @Rhonda: Isn’t it funny how just the name of a winery can bring you back to a specific glass of wine and place in time? We got quite nostalgic writing this as well!

    Reply
  2. I was salivating as I read this, reliving our time in the region. I still dream of Seresin’s sauv blanc and others from the area. Green mussels, wine, lamb…set amidst mountains framing beaches… oh please transport me back to New Zealand!

    Reply
  3. @Tracy: Yup, those grapes certainly have a mighty fine view 🙂 Perhaps that’s why the wine is so great…

    @Rachel: Is your husband still drinking white wine after you left New Zealand? Or perhaps he’s only drinking New Zealand whites? I was really impressed with the Chardonnays we tried -they were almost like a completely different wine than the heavily oaked California and Australian ones that we’re so used to trying. After going to all these wineries we realized we need to return to try the North Island wines, too.

    Reply
  4. This post brings back fond memories of wine tasting in Marlborough last year. We barely scratched the surface of all the vineyard offerings but the tasting experience turned my husband into a white wine drinker, something I never thought would happen. Thank you sauvignon blanc! I’ll definitely refer to your list for our next visit.

    Reply
  5. Audrey…indeed!! I literally could taste the wine and remember the weather that day. oh, can’t wait to be back! I was mainly a red wine drinker until I drank the whites of South Africa and then New Zealand and got hooked.

    Reply
  6. Thanks for promoting our slice of heaven!

    P.S.- if you get back to Nelson look us up for a bike and/or wine tour- there’s definitely more to discover…

    cheers

    Reply
  7. Audrey he’s still drinking NZ whites–I’m trying to get him to branch out a bit, but that will take time, he’s a creature of habit. 😉 We’ve joined a wine club since returning that sources wines directly from smaller producers so we’re tasting things we wouldn’t find at the supermarket or liquor store.

    And yes, you will definitely need to do some North Island tasting, we had some excellent experiences around Hawkes Bay. On my list for next time is visiting Waiheke Island and sampling some local wine.

    Reply
  8. @Rhonda: Well, we hope dive into South African wines shortly so we’re looking forward to comparing them with what we tasted in New Zealand. Any particular wineries or varietals you recommend for South Africa?

    @Juliane: You’re welcome! We truly enjoyed ourselves in your slice of heaven. We will take you up on your offer next time we’re in Nelson. We’d love to do more biking and explore even more wineries in the area.

    @Rachel: That’s great about the wine club and that you’re able to get a really select group of wines to taste. And yes, next time we will need to spend time exploring the North Island wineries. We’ve been told there are some fabulous Viogniers up north 🙂

    Reply
  9. Not only you get to taste wines but you were also treated to superb sceneries. Thanks for allowing us to travel through your posts.

    Reply
  10. It looks like you had an amazing day out! How much wine did you end up drinking though? Hopefully it didn’t make you not be able to enjoy the scenes and landscapes.

    Reply
  11. @Ces: That’s the beauty of wine tasting in New Zealand – there’s so many great views and experiences to be had around the actual wine tasting.

    @John: At each tasting we usually tried 3-5 wines, but these were small pours and we were also throwing out excess wine as well. Don’t worry, we didn’t miss any of the great scenery around!

    Reply
  12. oh Gosh… sorry Audrey I just got back to this and know from FB you’re already wading through the wines of South Africa! Hope you’re having an amazing time. We just had a lovely chat at camp this weekend with a couple from Cape Town who shipped to Buenos Aires and are driving North on the Pan Am.
    As for the wines… I really, really loved the Chenin Blanc blends. We got politely chastised at the wine store at the waterfront in Cape Town on our first trip there in 2003 because “we” (Americans) don’t do enough blends:) (and he was right). I was never as fond of their reds but all the whites… Sauv Blanc, Chenin Blanc, various Viognier’s etc all were fantastic. Enjoy!

    Reply
  13. @Rhonda: Thanks for following up! We’ve done a small amount of wine tasting in South Africa near Cape Town (and hope to do more near Upington) and we have also been really impressed by the whites. The Viogniers have been fantastic, as have a few of the Sauv Blanc & Chenin Blanc. And yes, some of the blends we’ve had (red & white) have been great!

    Reply
  14. Very interesting and excellent photos! I would love to visit this area and enjoy the wine tasting, hopefully some day!

    Reply
  15. @Rhonda: Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go into Namibia as part of our last trip to Africa. But hopefully next time. We’ve heard such wonderful things about Namibia.

    @Joey: Small world! That’s hilarious. He was such a friendly guy – full of great suggestions for the region.

    @Barbara: New Zealand offers a lot of options for wine tasting. Hope you have a chance to visit soon.

    @Gabe: That water was rather chilly 🙂 Yes, bikes outfitted with wine bags = brilliant.

    Reply
  16. First I would like to say, great pictures! The main post pic makes me want to jump into that crystal blue water.

    Also motos with wine racks built in! Awesome =)

    Reply
  17. Amazing article, thank you! We’ll be visiting NZ very soon and we just wrote about 6 Pinot Noirs from 6 different locations in New Zealand! We’re now working on an article about NZ Sauvignon Blanc…

    BTW, nice pictures! 🙂

    Reply
  18. @Claudio: Glad you enjoyed it! New Zealand wine was more wide-ranging than we expected. And we never even made it to the North Island for wine tasting. Next time.

    Reply
    • Thanks so much for the suggestion, Melissa. Napier is definitely on the list for our next visit. For wine regions on the North Island, I’d also like to visit Martinsborough, among others as well.

      Reply
  19. Hi, I’m planning to do the same thing in my next trip to NZ. I thought about signing up for a wine tour but I think I could cover more wineries within a region like Marlborough if I do it myself with a car rental. How did you guys tackle the logistics of driving and drinking when going to multiple wineries throughout the day or how do you suggest I do so? I’ll be only tasting so I’m hoping I’ll still be fine after visiting a few vineyards.

    Reply
    • Hi Keith,
      Good question! Dan was the driver the whole time we were in New Zealand. When it came to wine tasting he either spit it out or took very small amounts (e.g., sips of my glass) so that he could taste the wines but not get too affected by them. We also took our time at wineries, which allowed the effects from the wine tasting to dissipate. Making sure that you have snacks or a full stomach is also important. Hope this helps and enjoy your trip!

      Reply
  20. We have a lovely little working vineyard in Martinborough. I am actually writing this from there where we are spending a weekend (a very rare opportunity as it is usually fully booked at weekends). We are surrounded by large vineyards in the heart of the appellation. We grow Pinot Noir and it is exceptional wine. We make just enough as long as my wife does not drink too much {joke}.

    Be sure to check out our website for more detail.

    When you come back to NZ and come to Martinborough get in touch and I will arrange a complimentary mid week stay for you in return for a mention on your blog.

    Loved your blog on the NZ vineyards which we are very familiar with.

    Cheers,

    Mike Nelson

    Reply

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