It’s wine harvest season in New Zealand so what’s better than to sample New Zealand wines on a New Zealand wine tour? Whether you go on an independent road trip past Marlborough’s vineyards, take a guided wine tour in Central Otago or choose a wine cycle tour in the Wairarapa – there’s something for everyone.
If you want to join a guided wine tour you can choose anything from budget-conscious short winery trips and small-group tours of a New Zealand wine-growing region through to a custom-designed wine tour including scrumptious vineyard lunches and your own personal guide.
The more active amongst you might want to book a cycle wine tour for which the Wairarapa town of Martinborough is especially renowned. Book a guide or pedal independently amongst the vines!
If you’re after the ultimate self-guided New Zealand wine trip, the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail is for you. This trail takes you through New Zealand’s biggest wine-growing regions from the North Island’s Hawke’s Bay via Wairarapa to Marlborough in the South Island.
If you still haven’t had enough, you can head on to Riesling vineyards in sunny Nelson, sample Chardonnay in Canterbury and sip a world-renowned New Zealand Pinot Noir in Central Otago. Back up north, Northland is famous for Cabernet Sauvignon, Auckland produces superb Chardonnays, the Bay of Plenty is good for Sauvignon Blanc and Gisborne is known as the Chardonnay capital of New Zealand.
But don’t let your New Zealand wine experience end with vineyard tours! New Zealand bars and restaurants serve a great variety of local New Zealand wines to accompany international and New Zealand cuisine, and you’ll find a myriad of New Zealand food and wine festivals throughout the year. On top of that you can find vineyard accommodation all over New Zealand. Whether a home stay on a working winery, boutique accommodation amongst the vines or a backpacker hostel nestled next to a vineyard – there’s something for every budget. Cheers to that!
