While neither of us are wine experts; we are, shall we say, experienced wine drinkers and have enjoyed some great wine. Before leaving Nelson we were able to visit a few of the wineries and learn about the wine industry. New Zealand’s major wine areas include Hawke’s bay on the North Island and on the South Island there are many distinct appellations including the Central Otago area which is dry, and has the right temperature and soils for Pinot Noir though they produce very good whites. Moving North, the Waipara Valley outside of Christ Church has unique soils from old sea bed sediments in the Canterbury Plains., and Marlborough is known for Savingnon Blanc’s.

Nelson has many small wineries and some larger labels like Waimea, however we enjoyed driving up through the upper Moturere and visited 3 wonderful estate wineries. This upland area is also a major hop growing area and home to many crafters and artists. Along the road one of the more interesting uses of sheep we saw was keeping the grasses down in the vineyard but they also do a great job of thinning out the under canopy of the vines which helps fruit development. Perhaps that is one of the reasons lamb goes so well with Pinot Noir! The winemakers/vintners ranged from family run operations where they do everything from developing the land and cultivating the vines, to making wine, on up to somewhat larger estate wineries that operate similar to what we see in the states. They all share a common goal of letting the fruit tell it’s story through the wine, rather than using processes to drive the fermentation and character of the wine resulting in consistency in vintages year after year but limiting the opportunity to produce an exceptional bottle. Each Winery and vineyard we visited—Sunset Valley, Neudorf, and Mahana , had a passion for winemaking and were more than willing to take the time to explain not only how they made wine, but their philosophy behind their craft. Each winery’s uniqueness is expressed in the grounds, gardens, tasting rooms which are called cellar doors, and the friendliness and knowledgeable folks who made our day here so enjoyable. The upper Moturere is also home to many artisans and has a number of galleries and craft shops to visit.

Hop field mowing crew

Neudorf Winery

Mahana Wineery

Indoor and outdoor dining at Mahana

Mahana primary and secondary fermenting tanks

Upper Moutere arts and crafts town

Clay Slippers and handbag crafted locally

don and bonnie's 2015 New Zealand adventure