New Zealand Wine Tours

In January we had the pleasure of our first trip to New Zealand. Whilst we were planning our trip, one of the many events on our "must have" list on vacation was a wine tour.

Although there are numerous vineyards scattered around various regions of both the North Island and South Island, we had decided that a visit to the heart of New Zealand's wine country was in order.

For sure, the country's "wine capital" is the Marlborough region of the South Island - especially famous for its wonderful Sauvignon Blancs. Blenheim is the main town in Marlborough, and it certainly seems to dominate when it comes to tourists visiting the area. We arrived in lousy weather, courtesy of a cyclone that had decided to descend upon the country, and we were expecting to wear raincoats for our wine tour the following day. So we were very surprised when the morning brought beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine instead, allowing us a very different view of the region's scenery which had already proven itself to be glorious, whatever the weather.

There are any number of great tour groups to choose from in Marlborough - I’d pre-booked our tour with "Bubbly Grape". Their owner, Kerry, is an Australian implant in the region - she was so much fun, very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the wine industry in general, as well as about the wines of New Zealand.

They offered customized tours for clients - we chose a half-day option, since a whole day drinking wine seemed quite counter-productive (albeit fun!). There were four of us on the tour, and Kerry showed us around five local vineyards. One of my favorites was Bouldevines Estate (http://www.bouldevineswine.co.nz/) which not only offers the typical cellar door for wine tasting, but also a liqueur tasting room. Additionally they had a little café and gift shop, as well as ice cream & fudge shops. This proved to be a great place to spend an hour or so, allowing us to experience many evils!

We also visited Fromm, Terravin, Bladen and Cloudy Bay wineries, and each had their own special thing to offer, as well as their own unique wines. Being a huge fan of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, I was fascinated by how very different they can be. We sampled many wonderful wines at each vineyard – and not just Sauvignon Blancs either. We got to enjoy some other lovely whites, including Chardonnay, Gewurtztraminer & Pinot Gris. Additionally we got to try some wonderful reds too, despite the fact that Marlborough is definitely more famed for its whites. And very aromatic they were too - I especially enjoyed their regional Syrahs, as well as some of their delightful Merlot-Malbec blends.

It's safe to say that we thoroughly enjoyed our wine tour, as well as Kerry's fun, friendly & informative company! If you are lucky enough to find yourself in New Zealand at any point, please don't leave without a visit to the Marlborough region. Even if you’re not a grape-enthusiast, the scenery itself will make your stay worthwhile.