We enjoyed the sweeping views during our tasting at Mt. Difficulty in 2019…read more The winery itself is perched on a ridge that offers beautiful sight lines to Lake Dunstan and the surrounding mountains, and we enjoyed relaxing and taking it all in on their patio. Honestly, the views alone were worth the $2 NZD tasting fee (based on their website, it looks like that fee may have been raised since our visit). They also poured plenty of wine to cover that fee. The wine itself was forgettable. There was a drinkable Chardonnay, and it helped us enjoy the views, but that's about it. The staff was pleasant, and although the cellar door got quite crowded by the time we departed, the facility was big enough to handle the scrum rather well. I'm rating this at a generous four for two reasons: (1) we enjoyed our visit, and honestly we enjoy tasting and talking about wine whether the juice is distinguished or not. (2) We didn't eat in their restaurant. The menu looked enticing, and I'll grant that this could have significantly elevated our good experience. If you're passing through on Highway 6, Mt. Difficulty is worth a stop on a sunny day.

Our second winery (of three) was at Mt. Difficulty after our server at another winery recommended…read morewe check this place out in Bannockburn. It's a very popular spot! We dropped in on a Tuesday (around noon) and it was busy. The restaurant (only open at lunch) was completely full so make sure you make reservations if you want to eat here. Your tastings get comped if you dine in otherwise it's only $2.00 NZD/person. You get 5 wine tastings (four regular wines plus one of your choice from the entire list). Our server, Nicki, was chatty and outgoing. We found out Bannockburn is known for their pinot noirs. - Roaring Meg central otago pinot noir 2014 - not as good as the second pinot noir. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn pinot noir 2016 - this is their bread and butter winner. Very smooth and apparently goes great with Thai green curry. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn sauvignon blanc 2016 - not as good as the ones we had in the Marlborough region. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn target riesling 2016 - unmemorable. It was a medium sweet style. - Mt Difficulty long gully chenin blanc 2017 - this was delicious. It smells like guava and had a smooth, tropical citrus flavour to it. We considered getting a bottle ($30.00 NZD) but had too many already. - Roaring Meg Central Otago pinot noir rosé 2017 - this one was decent but it pales in comparison to the chenin blanc. Try/buy the chenin blanc! Another cool winery with a solid wine tasting.

I asked my wife, "how did you find and decide on this winery, The Cloudy Bay Shed?" Because it was…read morean amazing experience! We passed by at least half a dozen wineries/vineyards, driving from Queenstown to Wanaka. One of the reasons besides its beautiful views, was that it wasn't touristy. There's no tours available to take you here, so it's not those tourist trap places where you get the generic experience that'll usually involve shopping. That's a good point! You can make reservations online for lunch or wine tasting, or both. It wasn't busy when we went, but still recommended. While driving on the highway, don't be too focused on the beautiful, pristine, majestically blue body of water known as the Clutha River, because the entrance to the Cloudy Bay Shed is right across. You'll drive up a dirt driveway, and make a left to another dirt path. You'll see a small parking lot, which might suggest you park there, but keep driving up, and you'll reach the correct parking lot at the main entrance. We arrived much earlier than our reservation time, which gave us the chance to freely walk around the grounds, and wow, what a beautiful and relaxing place! The trees, grass, bushes were green and very well-maintained. There's even a small pond right in the middle adding onto the already picturesque landscape of the snow-capped mountain range and Clutha River. I feel I could sit here for hours! But lunch awaits! In "The Shed", there's a wine tasting room where you can also purchase many different types of Cloudy Bay wines from different years. After that is the dining/restaurant area, which is big and spacious with only a few tables, and big glass doors and windows that faces the beautiful scenery of the pond, mountain range, and rows of trees. It is definitely quite homey and comfortable, quiet and peaceful. The menu is not expansive, but it was hard not to order everything! There's a little Asian/Japanese influence is a few of the dishes. We thought the Chef might've been Japanese. Her name was Chef Momo. We found out she is Nepalese, but studied Japanese cuisine. Nice! We started with the Tuna Tartare Taco. This was delicious! Uber fresh cubed of diced ahi tuna that was very nicely seasoned, topped with fried shallots, chili pepper, and pickled onion. The creme fraiche went really well with this, and the wonton skin was fried nicely, and held onto it's crispiness. Next was the Fiordland Venison Tataki, and WoW, what an amazing dish that was wonderfully prepared, and visually pleasing. The venison was really fresh, tender, and very well seasoned. The highlight of the dish was the char and smoky taste that added new dimension to the already flavorful sauce with the beetroot, quince, chestnuts, and edible flowers and herbs. The Market Fish for this menu was the Blue Warehou with spring greens and cauliflower. The fish was nicely prepared--moist and fresh with a meaty and flaky white flesh, and a crispy crust. Lastly we had the Lake Ohau Wagyu Short Rib in a BBQ Glaze with Jerusalem artichoke and silverbeet. The short rib was amazing! Tender, well seasoned, and perfectly cooked. Personally would have like a bit more of the BBQ glaze. The roasted artichokes were really good. Crispy skin, and soft and toasty meat. The silverbeet or Swiss chard was almost Kim chee like in taste. Don't forget the wine! We ordered the Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc and Te Wahi Pinot Noir. These two wines were very smooth and the tastes were really clean with distinct notes. We learned these wines go through strict evaluations, and would only proceed with the winemaker's approval, which has been disapproved before. Overall, The Cloudy Bay Shed was a memorable and an amazing experience. The whole property was very well maintained with stunning views. It was quiet and peaceful, and just an overall relaxing environment. The Shed itself was clean, spacious, comfortable, and quiet and peaceful as well. The staff there were very friendly, informative, and pleasant. Our server was attentive and friendly, and gave clear descriptions of each dish. I highly recommend stopping by here!

The Cloudy Bay Shed had the best overall selection of wines among the four wineries we visited in…read moreCentral Otago in 2019. Their vineyard is about an hour's drive from Queenstown, including a scenic, winding route through the Gibbston Valley (it's also on the main road between Queenstown and Mt. Aoraki/Cook). It's well worth the hike. The property includes vineyards, a sleek tasting room, an expansive lawn on which to enjoy your flights, and friendly staff (we flew to the other side of the world to meet an American host behind the bar, and that's par for the course in New Zealand). Tastings run 3 wines for $10 NZD and 5 for $15. The wines available for tasting included both those made from grapes grown on the property as well as their Marlborough vineyards. The quality was consistently high across both the red and white flights we tasted. We had a voucher from our hotel for a free tasting, but we also ended up buying a bottle of their bubbly, the Pelorus, for later on in our trip. It was outstanding. They do have a menu of light fare available (https://www.cloudybay.co.nz/sites/cloudybay.co.nz/files/asset/document/the_cloudy_bay_shed_summer_menu_2020-2021.pdf). Cloudy Bay also offers an array of more boutique experiences like vineyard tours and private tastings/meals on their website (https://us.cloudybay.co.nz/).

Misha's was recommended to me by a sommelier friend. How could I not stop by? Well, after several…read moredays in Central Otago tasting wine (and decades besides that) I'm no stranger to the fineries of good wine and hospitable service. This was our BEST stop with the best interchange and the best wine top to bottom. Michelle was our gracious host and she was personable, knowledgeable, engaging, generous (yum), and a real pleasure to sip wine with. And the wines? Superb. The Pinot Noirs are first rate, the Pinot Gris superb and the other aromatics incredible. The Gewurtztraminer was a big surprise with notes of ginger! Distinctly different and amazing. If only I could get Misha's wines in the US....

What a fabulous place! My partner and I stopped here spontaneously on our way to Queenstown from…read moreWanaka. We had no idea what to expect, but we really stumbled on a gem. The tasting room is an adorable little cottage filled with wines and happiness. We got a taste of some Pinot Gris and a few Pinot noirs, mostly hand made by the adorable family that runs the place. I love the fact that the wines are all organic and made old-school style. We had a little chat with the guy running the place, he was super friendly and told us quite a bit about their wine practices and how they are made (I LOVE to talk wine so I was a huge fan of this). We ended up buying a bottle of the estate Pinot noir to take back to Queenstown and had it with dinner a few nights later - such a great pairing with pizza and Queenstown sunsets

A quaint winery off Hwy6, with Pinot varietals. Great experience as we were served by winemaker…read moreLucie. The Pinot Noir is characteristic of The region light bodied, slight acidity, light tannins. They also have a selection of fortified dessert wines which was delicious. Got a bottle of the Port Molyneux, a light white port wine.

We stumbled upon this winery on our travels through the South Island and were glad we did. It is…read moreset in lovely garden in gorgeous scenery and the host was very entertaining and helpful. We had a tasting session of 6 of his wines for 15 NZ dollars and my friends had the cheese board as well. The wine can be shipped, and it was, straight down my throat! lol....throughly recommend. Monty the cat was a pleasant guest at our table!

We stumbled upon this place and it is just opening. What a find!!! The view is stunning,…read moreabsolutely stunny. One of the most beautiful wineries I have been in. It is small but worth the visit. There is no food yet but once officially open they will apparently be having platters. And on top of the friendly service and the amazing view, the wine was spectacular. The top of the line pinot was brilliant (and yes we bought some). We would highy recommend this place

It was a rainy, dreary day so we decided to stop at a couple wineries coming from Wanaka. Our first…read morewinery (of three) was at Wooing Tree Vineyard. We dropped in on a Tuesday morning (10:45am). There were a few others tasting but other than, it was dead. Our server was friendly but the pours leaned towards the small side. Wine tastings are $5.00 NZD/person and you get to sample 5 wines. Interestingly, they only waive the fee for each bottle that you buy per person that tasted. That was a first. - Rosé 2017 - off dry, tasted strawberry tones. Pretty decent. - Pinot gros 2016 - we liked this one. Nice full bodied with a touch of dryness. - Chardonnay 2016 - Beetle juice pinot noir 2016 - we liked this the best. Portions of sales go to helping the endangered beetles in this area. We bought a bottle ($28.00 NZD). - Pinot noir 2013 Decent little winery but we enjoyed the other two wineries that we stopped at more.

Wooing Tree is a nice winery with friendly service…read more Here you can choose from a range of wines, enjoy lunch, and hear the story of the Wooing Tree, which is located right outside in the vineyard (I won't spoil it for you.) While I did not relish every wine I tried, I was a huge fan of the Blondie...a light, white dream of a wine. Definitely make Wooing Tree a place on your winery list.

The tastiest Pinot in New Zealand comes from Felton Road…read more That's it, that's the review.

This was another favorite on our tour of the wine country. The grounds are simple but stunning. An…read moreold church serves as the tasting room and the outdoor seating is just so relaxing. Sitting under a giant poplar with a cool breeze.... I went outside the box and ordered a flight of their brews which they plan on putting a brewery right on site in a few old shipping containers. I liked them so much, I bought a 6 pack which now makes my backpack weigh a few extra pounds. Their cider was sweet and refreshing after pedaling all day. I also really enjoyed their lager....light and a hint of sweetness. The porter was robust but not thick. Service was friendly and engaging. Another must on the wine tour.

A cellar door in a restored stone church? Sounds about right…read more Look, I'm not going to go into details about microclimates and soil profiles that make Gibbston one of the most splendid wine growing regions in the world, you'll just have to trust that drinking this wine, in this location, inside the walls of an old church is pretty damn amazing. Plus, the food is delicious! Of all the wineries in the region (trust that I've been to quite. a. few.) this was my favorite. It had as much to do with the friendly, helpful, non-pushy staff as it did the immensely drinkable wine. If you happen to be lucky enough to be there during Christmas time, grab as many of their Christmas cakes as they'll let you. You won't be sorry.

We had some extra time in the afternoon and decided to do a wine tasting. You must have a…read morereservation so reserve your spot before you head out. The road there is a bit scary but don't let it deter you. It's not meant for two cars and it's gravel so drive slowly and stay safe. We were early and joined two other couples in their tasting. It was a hoot. The lady who was our host was entertaining and very knowledgeable about the wine. We compared travel experiences with the other couples. Even found an Aussie Timberwolves fan. We bonded in our love of basketball. The grounds are beautiful, located between towering mountains and a deep river gorge. So glad we chose this place to try a variety or wines.

We headed to Chard Farm Winery, a picturesque spot located on a rugged, winding road with views of…read morethe Kawarau Gorge. You will miss this winery if you're not looking for it. Known for its elegant Pinot Noir and vibrant whites, Chard Farm delivered exceptional wines with every pour.