A great place to add to your vineyard stops when touring the Waipara region. Black Estate has a…read morequaint tasting room that features riesling, rose, sauv blanc and pinot noir that are all of exceptional quality. My favorite is their sauv. Don't stop your tour there though, continue into the dining room for a gorgeous view overlooking the Waipara valley and enjoy a top notch lunch. Don't be turned off by their simplistic chalk board menu as the food is truly quality. I especially love the ciabatta with truffle butter and the pan roasted duck leg. For a light nibble, try their Akaroa salmon.

The view here is spectacular! The Rose' has a lovely rich blood hue to it and I brought some home…read morewith me to share! The tasting room staff could have been more engaging and interesting, however that seems to be the New Zealand way. No fuss, no muss. Cheers!

What a beautiful setting for lunch and a wine tasting. This is the quadfecta: Beatiful…read morevenue/setting, excellent wines, delicious meals, and pleasant/knowledgeable/attentive staff. The setting is lovely, with indoor and outdoor options. Even though this venue can cater to large tour groups, it doesn't feel institutional/cafeteria style, or like livestock herding like some other more commercial options we experienced in Australia. Lots of delicious options on the menu. We can attest to the steak sandwich and sliders. And the wines are all sublime. Definitely recommended for 2 or 200.

I'll keep this factual, which I'm sure will still potentially be controversial but that is the time…read morein which we live. Waipara Hills is no doubt one of the significant wineries in the region and often frequented by tour groups, especially now that Lyttleton is open to cruise ships again. The estate is as-reviewed elsewhere and of typical kiwi quality and charm, with lovely dining courtyard etc, again as-reviewed elsewhere. Additional observations for those who may be interested, as of March 2023, we were greeted upon arrival by a Sommelier wearing an N95 covid mask. Accompanying us were our daughters, ages 20 and 22, whom the masked employee asked for ID. Not unprecedented, but also not entirely necessary as evidenced by our experiences elsewhere. Upon presenting USA Drivers Licenses establishing they were both 20+, we were informed by the masked individual that a PASSPORT is the only acceptable form of ID. Again, per our experiences elsewhere this was totally beyond the pale, with a flair even for the dramatic, much as the mask was, in this reviewers opinion. If this kind of story turns you on, Waipara Hills may be fit for purpose for you. If it does not, I suggest you avoid the hassle and theatre, and try any/all of the other amazing wineries in the region.

On our way back from Akaroa, we decided to stop into a winery on the way back into Christchurch…read more That place was Rossendale. It's close to The Bicycle Theft restaurant. They're also popular for weddings and events. We dropped in on a Tuesday afternoon (around 3:15pm). You need to walk to the office and ring/call for someone upstairs if you want to do a wine tasting. Our host was very sweet and conversational. The wine tasting was free and guess what, we got to try 8 different wines! The most samples given out of all the wineries we've went to. - Rossendale Sauvignon blanc 2017 - smooth and crisp. We bought a bottle ($13.00 NZD). Apparently, you can find this in all the Earls Restaurants in Canada (but it's under the label Seven Terraces). - Rossendale pinot gris 2017 - Rossendale chardonnay 2016 - Cottesbrook gewurtztraminer 2017 - this is their label that they use in the States. - Rossendale sparkling sauvignon blanc 2017 - Rossendale gewurtztraminer dessert wine 2012 - you can only get this in the shop. This is from when they used to run a restaurant. Pretty interesting as it's aged in brandy and has a 19% alcohol level. - Rossendale pinot noir 2016 - Rossendale pinot noir fortified 2012 - this was between a sherry and a port. Again, super different and had nice brandy tones. Smooth and went down easy. Would be great on a cold winter night. Pretty impressed with the friendly service and good variety of wines. Definitely worth a visit!

The entree took half an hour to arrive. Main meals took an hour after that - were tiny portions…read more The coq au vin had reheated mushrooms, the pork belly was about 5cm x 5cm and had a pitiful amount of beans with it. Although well cooked, the delays made us irritable, and portions that don't fill a person up is not ideal. We ordered desserts and 40 minutes later they were delivered to 2 different tables (neither of which were our table), before we took our leave. Would not recommend unless you are only getting taster options.

When we approached this tasting room, I seriously thought it was closed. What a bummer! Especially…read moresince we had driven 40 minutes to get there. We walked around back and saw an open door by the kitchen. Behold! They friendly staff let us in and we had a private wine tasting for the four of us. The Rosè is devine. I'm usually not a rosè fan by any means. We bought two cases (Pinot noir, rose, Pinot Gris and Riesling. Yes they let us mix the cases!) and were on our way. I highly suggest stopping by if you're in the area!