Wonderful winery near Matakana and Warkworth with the owner / winemaker on site. We loved our short…read moretime here tasing their different wines which are made with Sangiovese Italian grapes. We opted for a tasting plus purchased some cheese and crostini for a snack. David was a joy to speak with and had a lot of great insight on places to go and things to do in the area. If you're in New Zealand, don't miss this spot!

This place is just beautiful sitting up there on the hill, you really could be forgiven for…read morethinking you were in Italy somewhere when you come to Mahurangi River Winery. It just lovely on a nice sunny day to sit up there and sip away at some of the lovely wine and food chatting with friends and family. The owner is also so friendly and comes out and has chats with his clients, if you are interested in wine and the history of the place its great. For me this winery is a must if you are coming to visit the Wineries in the Warkworth area. You really don't need to go all the way to Italy when you have places like these.

Tucked in next to the Matakana Cinemas, the Vintry is a lovely little wine bar stocking only wines…read morewithin a 14km radius. This may not seem a big area, but encompasses 25 vineyards! Some of my favourites; Takatu, Matakana estate, OBV, Brick Bay...ah, the list goes on. They are experts on the developing wine region, and a good starting point if you're looking to explore it. You can buy by the bottle or glass; or try a bit of everything with a tasting. These start from $5 (for a trio) to $12.50 for a specialized flight. I love it; it's a great way to sample what the area is producing and try and 'develop' you palate (or just have a bit of fun). If you're just after a casual drink there is a nice verandah to laze on or comfy couch seating inside too. I really like the Vintry, it's cosy and elegant and has a nice little spot in Matakana.

Wow, went last weekend on a magic day Went to the casual…read morerestaurant and had half the menu it was so good Service was great really good vibe Bread starter is a must Loved it

One of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever experienced was eating dinner at Mudbrick. The view is…read moredivine, and the garden feels so quaint and picturesque that I was completely wowed. It's nice coming here for the ambience alone! They have two or three course dining options and I went with the two course plus a bread order which ended up being the perfect amount of food. The dishes were surprisingly innovative for being a winery restaurant, and I really appreciated the pairings they suggested with each dish. I especially liked their Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot options. It's definitely pricey, but I am glad I got to try dinner here. Only catch is that it's quite difficult to get a car back home - we had dinner at 7:30 pm and it was a bit harrowing getting a taxi. The hotel will help call for you but our driver double booked himself for extra business so we stood outside almost half an hour in the dark. Regardless, the restaurant itself was great and worth the trip.

I'll be honest, tough to get a last minute reservation, but good if you get one outside when it's…read moreexpected to be bad weather but not so bad!

Lunch for the four of us was in their covered atrium; a large glass enclosed dining room, with…read moresliding doors and curtained ceilings. Very pleasant surroundings, with vineyards and ponds around us. Service was not at all professional.... a very casual and lackadaisical affair. A server presented the menus, and waited for us to order, without giving us a chance to review the menu. We requested that she return, and yet, though they were not busy, it took a very long time before another server came over to take our order, who we had to flag down. When yet a 3rd server then brought our chilled rose ($32/bottle), she poured a taste, and then left, leaving one of us to finish pouring glasses for us all. No chilled decanter, or ice bucket was ever brought, and the chilled wine was left on the table to warm up to room temperature!!! I certainly expected better wine service from a winery!!! Food was very good. Two of us had the chicken salad (small portion of poached chicken), served with quinoa, cos lettuce, feta and sliced carrots & zucchini (courgettes), $18 (see photo). A Grado cheese salad w/ beetroot and nuts ($18), and the lamb Kofta (3 spiced pan fried lamb balls) w/ accompanying hummus and yoghurt ($19.50) for the other two diners. All exclaimed pleasure with their meals. For dessert, we had chocolate espresso puff ($4.50), citron orange tart ($6.50), and the sweet, chocolate orange cake ($6.50). All were devoured with glee. A pleasant enough luncheon with good food and drink amidst a nice environment, except for the sub-standard service.

On our way back from a blissful Sunday afternoon spent at Anchor Bay in Tawharanui, the vineyards…read moreof OBV beckoned and a late afternoon refreshment seemed just the thing. We hadn't been here before and it was a bit of a random pick from the several vineyards on the road leading back to Leigh. We made an excellent choice. On walking into the lovely cool dim of the building we were welcomed and invited to try several wines before deciding which we would like to drink. By several I mean, most of them and the sample sizes were generous. We loved every single one of them but I settled on "The Imposter" Matakana Flora which has such a great name and was a zingy and fresh alternative to my usual Pinot Gris. It's now one of my favourite wines. Their Pinot Gris incidentally is also excellent. The husband had the reds with equal enthusiasm with us sharing all the huge testers, along with a gorgeous platter of goodies to snack on. The view from here is completely gorgeous and I could easily spend hours indulging my senses and blissing out. On leaving we bought up large and plan to return to replenish the stocks just as soon as we can afford to (average bottle price $30 which is definitely more than we usually spend). Great place run by great people with a great product.

Omaha Bay Vineyard is hands down my favourite in the region. It's very grand, perched up on top of…read morethe hill behind Matakana. Wednesday through Sunday you can pop in there and sample their delicious wine alongside a platter. We chose the cheese platter which went every well with our glass (or two) of Sauvignon Blanc. The local cheeses were scrummy; it was all very decedent overlooking the vines and across to the ocean. You can also buy wine by the bottle at the cellar door; it's far cheaper than buying from the bottle store and they usually have good selection. OBV is a great vineyard to stop in at, they are a friendly bunch and it's a lovely setting

This vineyard was a great way to end your day in Waiheke Island. There were 4 vineyards in this…read morearea #7 on your hop on hop off tour. We chose this place even we walked for 15 minutes . The vineyard has a great view of the grapes, the rough road with lustrous trees to take pictures. At the end of the road this very quaint restaurant was so beautiful. Rustic feeling yet serene when you look around. The staff were very nice. The wine was excellent. Agnes was our attendant, she was nice but not too attentive. We have to looked for her to give our orders. Waited for so long. We tasted their Red snapper so divinely tasteful. The fish was cooked to perfection. The sauce was amazing . Mouthwatering. We got their freshly baked focaccia with olive oil roasted garlic and balsamic vinegar so good. The best Their house salad was excellent. I loved the way all the leafy vegetables weren't cut by a knife. It looked like peeled by hands. So fresh and crunchy when you bite. The wine was good. We got 3 different wine my choice the Shiraz. Even the wait was long I still give them 5 for the view and excellent cuisine. Kudos to the chef.

We visited this winery as part of a wine tour. The tasting was 4 wines, a white and 3 reds. My fav…read morewas the Te Monty Kokoro. Our guide was well versed in the history of the winery and the making of the wines. Husband isn't as much of a wine drinker so it was nice that our guide offered him some lighter, more mild wines to taste. The tasting room was smaller and very busy with a casual vibe. Great stop.

Fantastic little winery featuring feijoa liquor and many delicious liquors to choose from! The…read moreowner, Danny, is very knowledgeable and makes it worth visiting the winery even if you don't drink! He had us try a dozen different liquors and several wines while regaling us with the amusing history of the feijoa. My favorites were the limoncello and the ginger liquor. Highly recommend a stop here if you are visiting the Coromandel area.

Best tasting I've ever experienced! Danny let us try all the different fruit liquors from the farm…read moreand told us the history behind the region, all in a very funny and entertaining way. He even ran down the hill to grab us some feijoas to try. It's clear the proprietors care deeply about both their customers and their business. Plus the view was SPECTACULAR. We bought a bunch of bottles to take home and will definitely return next time we're in the area. HIGHLY recommend!