Recognised the world over as a producer of simply great food and wine, New Zealand is also known as a superb tourist destination. Wine lovers visiting these shores are thus presented with the best of both worlds. All the expected choices are available for dining pleasure, from the original Kiwi fast food ‘fish and chips’ through the full range of ethnic delights this multi-cultural society has on offer, to the very best home-grown top of the range export quality food. More than that, there’s a quality Kiwi wine to go with them all.
For travel through some of the best New Zealand wine regions that combines wining and dining with demonstrations of the vintner’s craft, great sightseeing experiences and the warmest of hospitality, a culinary tour of central New Zealand comes highly recommended.
Sunny Hawkes Bay, Historic Wine Country
Hawkes Bay was where New Zealand’s first commercial quantity wines were produced. The east coast of the North Island’s warm, sunshine-filled summers were recognised by the earliest settlers as a great place not only to grow grapes, but also to produce a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. The sheep and cattle farmers followed, and today some of the best New Zealand beef and lamb still comes out of Hawkes Bay. But the winemakers have reclaimed much of the region, from the shingle river flats of the Heretaunga Plains to the rolling hills of the hinterland, as the Hawkes Bay’s reputation for its superior quality red wines and rich chardonnays has grown.
Boutique Wineries in Martinborough
Good things come in small packages, and it could be said that the wineries of Martinborough are packaged to perfection. A smaller New Zealand winemaking region, and a relative newcomer to the age-old craft, Martinborough is just over the hill from the capital city of Wellington. Founded at the centre of a booming 19th century sheep industry, Martinborough has risen to fame over the last 25 years with the success of its pinot noir wines, which today comprise nearly half the area’s plantings. ‘Toast Martinborough’ is the region’s social event of the year, one of many food and wine festivals in New Zealand, this one held annually in November.
Marlborough - Sauvignon Blanc and Much More
While Martinborough has built a name as a producer of quality pinot noir wines on a small scale, Marlborough is New Zealand’s biggest wine producing region. Over 4,000 hectares of grapes grow in the region that has become recognised internationally for its sauvignon blanc wines. Arguably New Zealand’s sunniest region and also one of the driest, Marlborough’s South Island location also ensures a long cool ripening season – ideal conditions for the wide variety of grapes grown there.
The Fine Wine New Zealand Experience
Wine is one of many attractions that tempt travellers to consider a tour to New Zealand. Grapes are grown and wineries operate the length of the country, and a cellar door is always open for casual visitors and those on organised tours alike to engage in a wine tasting, purchase a bottle to take away, or stay awhile for the full culinary tour experience. One operator providing wine tours of New Zealand is Wellington’s Feast and Vine. Not only do their tours take in three of the best New Zealand wine regions, but they also include a stay in Wellington to experience the capital city’s delights.
Feast and Vine’s next food and wine tour of New Zealand takes place in March 2011. That’s a wonderful time for culinary travel in New Zealand. The peak summer holiday season is over, but warm temperatures are sure to linger still. In the vineyards, the grapes are ripening with the full flush of harvest time just around the corner.
A Feast and Vine New Zealand wine tour includes a finely balanced mix of organised wine appreciation sessions (at some very special locations), sightseeing highlights that include the journey by ferry through the magnificent Marlborough Sounds, a tour to view some of Wellington’s splendid cultural and natural attractions, and not forgetting of course some great dining experiences.
All that in seven days, so there’s plenty more time to explore the rest of scenic New Zealand.
Brian Cross - Brian is a feelance writer specialising in content for the corporate sector, based in Wellington, New Zealand.
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