Wine Tasting Tour and Winery Lunch

Get ready for a full day wine tasting tour as you journey around the Hawke’s Bay region by chauffeured mini bus! On the morning of your wine tasting tour, we’ll collect you from your accommodation in the local area at approximately 9am. In our wine tasting tour and appreciation class, you’ll learn about the visual aspect of wine and the sense of smell and taste of Hawke's Bay wines. Taste the difference between the many varieties and learn how to identify them before testing your skills in a wine options game. Along the way, we’ll tour a winery and see how wine is made, followed by a visit to New Zealand’s only wine museum, where you will learn about the history of wine. Afterwards, its time for lunch and our group heads to one of the local winery’s for a delicious meal. With our appetites satisfied, we’ll head off for a 20-minute drive out to the first winery for the day through tree-lined avenues surrounded by the many fruit producing orchards of the Heretaunga Plains. Along the way, we learn about the areas different grape varieties and some local history. As soon as we reach our first winery, we’ll take time to walk among the vines and learn about the unique growing conditions of the Gimblett Gravels district. During your wine tasting tour, you’ll taste classic red European varieties such as Syrah / Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Pinot Noir. The area is also famous for the white varieties including, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Semillon, Pinot Gris and Viognier. During the course of the day, you can expect to visit 4 – 5 wineries with time taken to enjoy various cheeses from around New Zealand. Some of the preferred vineyards we may visit include, Trinity Hill, Matariki, Church Road, Craggy Range, Ngatarawa, Kim Crawford, Unison, Sileni and Te Mata. At the conclusion of the tour, you will be returned to your accommodation at approximately 5pm.