This is an interesting wine region which has it’s streets laid out in the shape of the Union Jack – didn’t get the story behind that. It’s also a great place to cycle or even walk around as the vineyards and small and close together. I decided to walk and I have to admit it was further than I expected. I struggled to get lunch as well as it was a Saturday and the place was littered with hen parties. The weather was pretty good though after all the rain. The main grape is Pinot Noir but they grow everything from Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and some odd ones like Tempranillo.
Margrain had a huge list for tasting. You could go on and on. The winery is small and they only sell at the Cellar Door. They also claimed that you cannot put bottles of wine in your luggage when you leave NZ so the only way to take wine with you is to buy it at Duty Free. This is of course complete rubbish and I have no idea where that came from.
Poppies had been recommended to me by Dale from Sileni both for the wines and for the lunch. As it was a Saturday it was completely booked out and they couldn’t even squeeze one person in after I asked. I did stay to taste the wines which are excellent and Poppy is even a real person. My favourite here was the Pinot Gris.
Luna was the winery next door which did have room for me for lunch. The food is Asian fusion and I had the Okonomiyaki which is a Korean kind of vegetable pancake with a glass of Pinot Gris. By the time I had eaten the hen party sitting next to me (very fancy ladies in summer dresses and a cut out of the famous rugby star who was the groom) were doing their tasting and there wasn’t really room for me. I avoid being a singleton taster in such situations as you get ignored…
Stone Cutter is a tiny boutique winery only selling at the cellar door and the only place in NZ I didn’t have to pay for the tasting. I was the only one there and the lady was very welcoming and asked me lots of questions about myself. This is always appreciated as we all know.
Palliser is a well-known winery in the UK and their wines were very good but by this time I was exhausted from the walking.
All in all a good place to visit – I didn’t really have a favourite – so you will just have to go yourselves.
Anna's Travels 