REAL New Zealand Festival – Our Food & Wine

New Zealand is a country with a bounty of resources producing spectacular, fresh and glorious-tasting food and internationally acclaimed award-winning wines.

Food and wine events abound in the REAL New Zealand Festival with some truly mouth-watering events on offer. Savour oysters – the Russell Oyster Festival and Bluff oysters in Southland; head to the West Coast for whitebait; Whitianga for scallops; Hawke’s Bay for olives; and enjoy seafood from Dunedin, Kaikoura and the Bay of Islands. Taste of New Zealand and Taste at The Cloud (both in Auckland) celebrate the very best restaurants and the finest produce that the country has to offer while special wine events include Wairarapa Vintage Wings & Wine in Masterton, the Central Otago Pinot Noir Experience, Nelson Wineart First XV Wine Competition, Villa Maria – A Day in the Vineyard in Auckland, Marlborough Wine and Cuisine at Brancott Vineyard and the Gisborne Wine and Food Festival.

Nationwide

• Farmers’ Markets Various cities and towns throughout New Zealand. Farmers’ markets offer the best and freshest of locally grown and artisan-crafted produce.
• Out Standing in Their Fields (9 Sep – 30 Oct) Selected Farmers’ Markets Nationwide. Cooking and producer demonstrations where grassroots growers and local chefs combine to show what is truly and tastily possible with local fresh produce.

Auckland

• Taste of New Zealand (19 – 22 Oct] Auckland. Taste of New Zealand is a spectacular celebration of the best restaurants and finest produce that New Zealand has to offer.

The Coromandel

• Whitianga Scallop Festival (17 Sep) Whitianga. A day of indulgence, with over 60 food and wine stalls, seafood demonstrations and cook-offs.

Wairarapa

• Martinborough Unmasked (10 & 11 Oct) Martinborough. A sneak peek behind the scenes of Martinborough’s top vineyards, olive groves and food producers.

Marlborough

• Indulge Marlborough (30 Sep) Blenheim. Indulge Marlborough showcases New Zealand food, wine and fashion.

Nelson

• RugBeer Hopfest (17 Sep – 1 Oct) Nelson. Craft beer event celebrating the Nelson region’s status as the centre of New Zealand hop-growing and boutique brewing.