Where are the best wineries in New Zealand?

The Best Wineries in New Zealand are the ones you visit

We visited New Zealand wineries in the spring, when the sun was shining and the wisteria was in full bloom.

It should be spring in Canada, with the sun shining and tulips in full bloom. Instead, spring has been cancelled. Spring has been replaced by two more months of winter. This weekend we had a two-day Canadian cocktail of freezing rain, driving sleet, snow, and gale-force winds, topped by a day of pelting rain, followed by days of snow showers. I am so done with winter.

A column in the Toronto Star wrote about our collective existential despair:

We all know what extreme weather brings. Cancelled flights, messed up social plans, multiple car collisions.

 

On the upside, extreme weather has always been pure poetry. Read the first line of “Storm Fear” by Robert Frost, written in 1915 long before we realized we had most probably screwed up the planet: “When the wind works against us in the dark…”

 

That is much more visceral than whining, “The weather is so gross today!” All this past weekend we were subjected to a series of extreme weather events that created existential despair in even the most hardy of us.

 

 

Twitter became, as the late media writer David Carr once beautifully wrote in the New York Times about a much more serious storm, a “little campfire of Twitter posts” we could all sit around with our smartphones.

 

One friend tweeted a picture of pink tulips, saying they were the only thing keeping her going.

 

I posted a picture of a blazing fire in our hearth—a rare enough occurrence mid-April- and also noted that I had seen a robin wandering dazed in our icy backyard and I’m pretty sure I heard it chirp: “WTF.”

My escape from the existential despair is to tell you about our road trip through wine country in springtime in New Zealand.

Marlborough County is Big-Sky Country

We explored New Zealand’s largest and best-known wine region: Marlborough County.

Norman did lots of research on the wine industry in Marlborough County. This is what he wrote for this post:

What is unusual about Marlborough County’s wine is how quickly it grew to prominence. It often takes centuries for a region to become famous for its wines. It the case of Marlborough County, it took less than 25 years.

 

The first commercial vines were planted in Marlborough County in 1973. This was the direct result of one determined viticulturalist, Wayne Thomas. Thomas had been retained by Montana, one of the largest New Zealand wine producers based on New Zealand’s North Island, to find suitable areas to grow wine on the South Island, where land prices were much cheaper.

 

After thorough investigation, Thomas found the perfect conditions in Marlborough County. While small vineyards had existed there in the past, the area that Thomas had picked was growing barley and alfalfa. He thought that area showed good wine growing potential. He got a second opinion from world renown viticulturist, Professor Harold Berg, at the University of California at Davis. Montana took a gamble and purchased 1173 hectacres.

 

Why was Marlborough County so suited to growing grapes? It gets the most sun of any region in New Zealand and minimal rainfall during the vintage season. It has hot days and cool nights, perfect for grapes. It has free draining soils of medium fertility (grapes do better when the soil is not too fertile), and no frosts during the growing season.

 

After Montana bought, so did other wineries.

 

By the early 1980’s Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough were winning world-wide competitions.

In an earlier post on Napier, we explored New Zealand’s oldest winery, Mission Estate in Hawke’s Bay in the North Island. It is fun to compare New Zealand’s oldest winery with its younger cousins in the South Island.

Our first stop on our tour of Marlborough County was at Hans Herzog vineyards.

Hans Herzog winery was very picturesque and peaceful

Hans Herzog promotes organic wines

I like the idea of organic wine. It makes it seem like drinking organic wine is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.

Giesen Winery also has a line of organic wines

Rosé wine is a perfect springtime treat

A fresh lemon is the perfect picture of spring

I would love to have a lemon tree outside my kitchen window.

Cloudy Bay is our favourite Sauvignon Blanc

Norman was happy to do lots of research on Cloudy Bay

When we lived in London from 1996-98, Cloudy Bay, one of the top vineyards in Marlborough County was already winning awards and unseating Sancerre’s from the Loire Valley in France as the source of the best Sauvignon Blancs.

 

Since our time in London, there has virtually never been a time when we do not have an open bottle of Marlborough County Sauvignon Blanc in our fridge, so it was wonderful to finally see where our favourite wine for the last 20 years is grown and produced.

 

Now, over three quarters of the wine produced in New Zealand comes from Marlborough County and over 80% of the wine produced in Marlborough County is Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Today, more than 24,000 hectares in Marlborough County are covered in vineyards, a far cry from 1973, when barley and alfalfa were the main crops.

You can find more information on Cloudy Bay on its website: https://us.cloudybay.co.nz/

Cloudy Bay is one of the most popular destinations for winery tours.

Cloudy Bay is surrounded by beautiful gardens

I like the wall-art at Cloudy Bay

Cloudy Bay and fresh New Zealand cheeses: a perfect pairing

Wine tasting at Cloudy Bay

Nautilus Winery has lovely outdoor art

This New Zealander was happy to pose under the wisteria at Wairau River Winery

The best of the vineyards are located on the Wairau plains.

Many of the wineries have restaurants. We reserved a table at the Wairau River Wines: https://www.wairauriverwines.com/

The wisteria was in full bloom at Wairau River winery

This is the outdoor sculpture garden at Wairau River winery

Wine bottles make a beautiful display

We are ready for our picnic lunch at Wairau River winery

A picnic lunch with New Zealand wine and cheese is perfect

The food in New Zealand was excellent, everywhere. I took a couple of pictures of our delicious lunches and dinners.

This smoked salmon is dip-dyed in beet juice to create Ombré Salmon

I had fresh New Zealand fish every day

This is me after too much delicious New Zealand wine