I moved to live in New Zealand in 2003 – after living in Europe for the first two thirds of my life. And, specifically I moved from Bristol. It is a vibrant city with two Universities, and therefore a large student population – approximately 50,000. Pub culture is big in Bristol. Living in a shared house with a group of mates, we once decided to move house just to be nearer to the pub we liked best: The Cadbury House in Montpelier. Every now and then, we would catch a bus into the city and walk back to our student digs about 3 kilometres away, visiting the dozen pubs along the way. Bag of chips and slump into a deep sleep.
After quite easily managing to visit every pub in the city centre, I set myself a personal goal – every pub in Bristol. When I settled down a bit with the future Mrs WineFolio, we moved to the western side of town. Still about 3 kilometres from town, but in a less studenty area. Here they had decided that having a pub on every street corner wasn’t quite enough, so there was often one halfway done the street. Lots of potential targets for a man with a list to tick off..!
As the months came and went, I found it harder to unearth a new pub. I’d occasionally bring the car to a screeching holt, and run inside the new discovery. Have a quick half and mentally tick off another one. I’ve even been in the Black & White Café (google it) – now that was a very quick half (of Red Stripe).
Fast forward to new Zealand – and sorry, but the pubs are crap. So, a new goal has been set – visit every Cellar Door in the country. Now that might seem a fairly straightforward thing to do – but a lot of them are seasonal operations only. And some places are pretty out of the way.
For example, Hawke’s Bay is a big place, and I’m always thinking ‘bugger, not been to Monowai’ (replace with a few other names as appropriate). Mind you, Nick and I managed eleven in one Sunday when we were in Blenheim.
On WineFolio, you’ll find articles under the ‘Wine Regions’ tab that give you a guide for each region in the country, including the Cellar Doors. I’ll be re-visiting and updating these as I return to each area. There are notable omissions so far – I’ve not yet had the chance to visit Nelson or Gisborne; but there are also notable inclusions, such as the furthest north at Karikari Estate.
Visiting a Cellar Door can be a slightly daunting experience. Too often you are standing at one side of a wooden counter, with the host on the other, and it isn’t necessarily the most comfortable arrangement for the visitor who may know next to nothing about the region, the winery – or indeed wine, at all. New Zealand Cellar Doors do seem to be going through a change in style though – increasingly moving away from the counter approach, to a more relaxed style. In places like Wet Jacket in Central Otago, or The Hunting Lodge in West Auckland, the visit can be a destination – with food trucks, beanbags, and a range of options including beers or deli food on offer.
One of the most important aspects of the Cellar door are the people. If you’re in luck you’ll be met by a Cellar Door host who just elevates the visit to a whole new level. Also, the host might be the person who actually made the wine, or a member of the family that owns the vineyard. The stories that these people can pass on are absolute gems. There’s nothing wrong with someone who works in the place and that’s their job – they can be super-efficient and knowledgable about the product and place. We had a student serve us at Luna Estate in Martinborough who was studying at the Uni in Wellington, and working at Luna as a summer job. They were bright, bubbly and knew their stuff – even being comfortable enough to state their favourite wines and why. A couple more memorable visits to Tasting Rooms that spring to mind were Askerne in Havelock North, and Black Estate in Waipara – just with that extra X-factor.
It is no big secret that a Winery with a restaurant are often some of the best eating places in the country! Amisfield at Lake Hayes just can’t stop winning awards, for example. And a lunch at Tantalus on Waiheke Island this year was one of the best visits I’ve ever done anywhere. Other places where the food is as good as the wine – and equally popular – would be Marsden Estate in Kerikeri and Mt Difficulty in Bannockburn. Often there is a food truck, or the winery will supply platters – many of which are amazing gourmet delights.
A handful of Cellar Doors also offer up pure gold to the Instagram generation. Let’s face it, a vineyard is usually a lovely place to be, and New Zealand isn’t exactly bereft of scenery is it? Put those together and you’ve got jaw-droppingly photogenic spots. Rippon in Wanaka is the poster boy of this genre; but Dancing Petrel in Northland, and Mission Estate in Hawke’s Bay are right up there with the best.
I can’t claim to be even halfway through the complete list of Cellar doors, but I have been to hundreds in the last few years. New places are constantly popping up. I was at Alexia in Greytown on their opening day, and just last month I dropped in to see Daniel Brennan at Decibel Central in the cool part of Hastings, Mat Kirby at Helio in Haumoana, and Rhys Evans at Village Vineyards.
Whether the Cellar Door is rustic in style, or a cathedral of wine like some of the bigger operations, I’m totally convinced that time spent exploring these places is well worth any detour. Often it’s the best thing you’ll do any trip. And, if you buy wine, you’re supporting their continued existence, and putting funds directly into the makers pockets. Take a tiki tour through WineFolio Wine Regions and let us guide you to the best.
