After lunch at The Local next door, we decided to pop in and do a wine tasting to get a taste of…read morewhat Waiheke Island's wine scene had to offer. While the whole concept of serve-yourself wine dispensers seemed cool, it wasn't as much fun reading the description card next to each wine versus having someone giving me a live description and education. The samples we tried were great, but you're better off just going to the actual wineries.

This is so much more than an excellent wine store. Their selections of wines from around the world,…read moreand of course specializing in Waiheke wines are excellent, and prices are most fair. This package store takes a fantastic tasting concept and excells at implementation! You give them your credit card and they give you a store card which allows you to taste any of their tasting wines (about 36 wines which change monthly) in 25 ml pours. Again, prices for tastings are very fair; in fact cheaper than at the wineries. Service and attitude are great.

Cable Bay exceeded our expectations! We loved the gorgeous view and had a wonderful tasting with…read moreMJ. Afterwards, we enjoyed pizza at the restaurant. I was able to get mine vegan and gluten free, and they have celiac safe preparations which was so nice. Whatever vegan cheese they used was the best Ive had on pizza!

We came to waiheke island to check out the vineyards but couldn't make it to any more. Cable bay…read morevineyard was a beautiful experience. we did a wine tasting and after grabbed a bite from the restaurant as we soaked in the calm and relaxing scenery. our servers were great with recommendation . Definitely a must try amongst all of the vineyards.

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.

I normally wouldn't write about a chain wine store, but I want to write about a series of…read moreexperiences I had at Glengarry Parnell in 2012. I used to head in there once or twice a week in the evenings to get wine, and was always greeted by a staff member (whose name I can't unfortunately remember) who was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He was a tall long drink of water and a dab hand at finding the right wine for me - he taught me how to enjoy different notes in the wines I was drinking, and after a few visits to the store, I got a little bit more adventurous and got out of my comfort (Sauvignon Blanc) zone and tried a few Rieslings, unoaked Chardonnays and even a Gewurztraminer. I've been back to the store a couple of times this year and haven't seen him. I hope he hasn't moved on, but if he has, I hope Glengarry Parnell has replaced him with a few equally knowledgeable and helpful staff!

I've been coming to this local-chain retailer ever since I first visited Auckland, many years ago,…read moreand Glengarry continues to be my preferred vendor of wines, for many reasons. First and foremost, the quality of the staff, at each of the locations is most positive. Though this location is where I purchase the overwhelming bulk of my wines, and have actually stored many cases of wine here for years at no additional charge, I have visited many of the area stores, and have consistently found the staff to be knowledgeable, friendly and helpful at all locations. Obviously there is a positive ethos inculcated from the top management and it carries throughout. The selection of wines, obviously heavy in New Zealand wines, but also from every part of the world attests to their thoroughness in offering their customer what they desire. In addition, they offer an extensive selection of spirits, most notably, whiskeys, also from all over. Prices are most fair, and usually undercut what the wineries offer for sale at their cellar door by 5-10%. There are always specials, based by promotional buys, etc. Gift wrapping is available and graciously promoted at no additional charge. Credit charge usage does not incur any additional fee. This location has recently installed a full-service café to satisfy those caffeine and pastry cravings. Parking is ample, both on their lot and on the street a few steps from their front door.

I am so totally not a classy wine drinker, I mean I drink Coruba for Pete's sake. That should tell…read moreyou something. I ventured into Glen Garry's whilst looking for a present for my mother's birthday coming up, who is a classy wine drinker. The shop assistant seemed knowledgeable enough, and managed to find a suitable bottle of plonk for mummy dearest, from the reputable wine region of ze Hawkes Bay. There was quite a collection there, from the pricier French Wines all the way through to the cheaper homegrown stuff. They even courier all their product nationwide for a measly two bucks fifty. Prezzie sorted!

Nice ambiance . Pet friendly. Nice views indoor/ outdoor …read more Limitirfmenu . Quaint , busy and inside a mini mall. Serves everything from coffee/tea to wine and bar drinks Food was very good and served quickly once the order was taken . In a great location to go for a walk also .

I was really excited and been anticipating the opening of this joint venture of an experience local…read morechef and one of my favourite coffee shop. Maybe I caught them in a bad time, the experience was not what I expected. The location: newly revamped Orakei Bay Village, where things are really starting to pick up. Sits high above the Orakei Basin with a view of the bay and the city, perfect place to spend the weekend mornings. Very family oriented. There are two toilets in the restaurant also, so you don't have to go outside to the main area. The coffee and drinks: no complaints, try out their ice coffee!! they also have fresh juice and a small local brews on tap. Service: this is the biggest downfall. Maybe they just have not sorted out the flow, but it took way too long. We went as a large group, and have repeated requested them to serve the children's meal first, but it still took more than 30min before anything arrived. During that time, we ended up having to visit the nearby supermarket on 2-3 occasions to buy snacks for the little ones. Hopefully this will improve over time! Food: you can taste the freshness of the ingredients, unfortunately its sort of ruined by the amount of peas you see in each dish. Nothing against frozen pees, but when you are pay more than $20 for a branch dish, you hope to get some fresh greens as well. Everything in general is salty. The serving portion is also a bit on the small side for the price. Somewhat disappointed with the experience. Will give this place 4 for a coffee shop, but really a 2 for a restaurant. We've visited this place twice over the past 2 days, and similar disappointing experience each time. Hope they really get their act together, plenty of room for improvement.

This is my local liquor store which has a pretty decent selection with some decent prices to match…read more I've always found their staff to be friendly, fun and honest. Sometimes when you're not sure what wine to buy, they always add their suggestions which turn out to be great suggestions! They have a great selection of chilled beers/ciders/RTD's and wines. Their liquor/top shelf selection is impressive and matched by their even better pricing. Some places are $10-$15 more expensive than Thirsty Liquor. However even with all that being mentioned, it is just another liquor store. Aren't they all the same these days?

Herne Bay Cellars is my local wine shop and it stocks a good range of all varieties of wine, plus…read moreother alcoholic beverages. It's located in the arcade of Jervois Road, so make sure you hunt it down. The staff are, in general, fairly amicable and will help you find a bottle of wine that suits your taste and budget. They often have specials on (like buy 2 for $20) and they also have a loyalty programme that gives you every 10th bottle free. Quite convenient when you shop here regularly! They store your info in the computer so no need to fuss around with stamping cards or having a card in your wallet. They don't always open at their advertised hours... but they sometimes stay open later so I guess I can't complain! A good local store.

Hidden towards the back of a small and reserved arcade off Jervois Road I have walked past this…read morewine vendor without noticing on far too may occassions as I thought there was only a video shop and bar barber down there. Well I am glad I have found it, becuase despite it's less than classy decor Herne Bay Cellars has a jolly fine selection of grog. They must have a loyal fan base as there is almost zero passing trade! I can imagine people are drawn back to their friendly and welcoming nature. We joked about my struggle to pick wines based on anything but price but then I left with a couple of bottles from a deal... go figure