Wine Tours in Marlborough

WINE TOURS OF MARLBOROUGH

Marlborough Wine Region Blenheim, reputed to be the sunniest town in NZ, is the centre of the Marlborough wine growing region.

In 1973 the Montana Company planted the first grapes here. Montana runs informative 50 minute daily tours of its vineyards. It, like many other vineyards, has tasting and cafés. The Marlborough Wine Festival takes place on the second Saturday in February every year on Montana’s Brancott Estate. The sunshine, the soils, long autumns and crisp winters have proved a winning combination. Now the Marlborough region is NZ’s largest wine producing area, exporting world class wines. It’s best known for sauvignon blanc wines, but also produces chardonnay, riesling, pinot noir, pinot noir, pinot gris, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and sparkling wines. The harvest is in March and April. Most wineries are open daily.

Seen from above in late summer, the river plains of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley are a patchwork of multi-coloured vineyards. As earlier varieties turn to russet colours, later varieties are still being harvested, their green leaves shining in the sun. The last to be picked are still sitting under their white protective netting, like demure brides waiting to be married. Buoyed by two excellent vintages in 2004 and 2005, Marlborough’s glowing wine reputation looks set to continue.

Now producing 58% of the country’s wine from 9,800 hectares of vines it initially made its name with sauvignon blanc. Now, other varieties, like pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, gewurtztraminer and pinot gris also rate highly, with acreages and harvests increasing. There are now over 100 wineries in the region, supplied by more than 400 growers. In 2005 they yielded over 81,000 tonnes of grapes, more than three times the harvest in Hawkes Bay, the country’s next biggest wine region.

A good place to start your exploration of Marlborough wines is at Montana’s Brancott Winery on the main road heading south from Blenheim. Montana has a huge, umbrella organization that produces and markets for many of Marlborough’s smaller wineries and their tasting area is just the spot to check some of these beauties out. It can get busy in summer but there’s plenty of room to spread out, have a meal, try some wines and join a winery tour.

Having seen how the big boys do it, move out to some of the smaller but no less successful wineries through the river valley. Hunters, Allan Scott and Highfield also have quality wine selections and excellent onsite restaurants. There is no better way to discover the local wines than sitting down with a plate of freshly steamed mussels from the Marlborough Sounds and a glass of delicate, summery pinot gris. Many wineries are open for tastings, particularly in summer, and some good wines can be found further south in the Awatere Valley as well.

But for a concentrated experience, all the corks are popped for the Wine Marlborough Festival held each year in February. Now an internationally recognised event, it showcases all that is good about Marlborough wines, and the foods that go so well with them. Featuring over 200 wines from 40 wineries there are far more choices offering than one person could consume in a year, but it’s worth a try.

© Sue Farley 2006

Blenheim by Timo Ranalli

WINE TOURS OF MARLBOROUGH