Napier Wineries

This was our last wine tour on this trip, and I believe it was the best one.  We only stopped at two wineries, but they both served a bite of food to complement the wines they served, and that made a significant difference.  Also, because there were only two wineries, we could spend more time tasting at each one before we had to leave.

Clearview Estate Winery had some lovely wines, and we purchased a lovely Syrah to take back to the ship with us.  Most of New Zealand grows the grapes for Pinot Noir, and altho we did sample some lovely ones, Pinot Noir is still not one of my favorite grapes.  But, Syrah is nice!

Abbey Cellars Vineyards also had some nice wines, but there prices were rather steep, and much more than we typically spend on wine, even accounting for the favorable currency exchange in terms of the US dollar compared to the New Zealand dollar.  So, we just enjoyed our sipping at this winery and called it good!

Enjoy!

Boardwalk and Wineries in Picton

Our next stop in South Island, New Zealand, was in Picton.  We had time to actually take in the small port town of Picton, before heading out on our excursion of wine tasting!

The boardwalk in Picton was just a very short (5 minute) shuttle ride away.  Yes, we could have walked it, but the dock where our ship was at is a working dock and full of logs waiting to be shipped out.  The authorities felt it wasn’t safe for us to walk thru it, so it was a mandatory shuttle.  Still, worth the short ride for this very picturesque boardwalk.  A lovely park and bay full of sailboats (and other boats!).

The downtown area was also cool, with a number of different shops and eateries – we got a chuckle from the fact that this one pub had “drinking consultants” there to help out with beverage choices!  The white structure at the head of the stairs is actually an arch that is the entrance to the boardwalk from the business section of Picton.

But, on to the wineries.  New Zealand, especially the South Island, mainly produces white wines.  Jeff and I aren’t really white wine drinkers, and typically, I’m not a Pinot Noir fan, fun the pinots here were pretty tasty.

The next winery was Forrest Winery, which has a clever label on some of their wines.  The owners are both doctors – one a medical doctor and the other holds a PhD.  Therefore, the label for some of their wines has an old fashioned doctor on his bike making the rounds, as its logo!  I couldn’t resist – I actually got a t-shirt with this logo on it!

Our third, and last, winery of the day, was one called Spy Valley.  It’s a playful reference to the military satellite downlink station located near the vineyard and winery.  It was just a bit chilly to sit out and enjoy the wines at the picnic table, but I’ll bet during the summer months, this is a great way to spend an afternoon!

Enjoy!