New Zealand is known for it’s spectacular views, sunshine, laborious hikes, kind people, and more subtly it’s known for good wine. Both the North and the South Island produce award winning wines with full and unique flavors that delight taste buds globally. The best opportunity to taste those creations and delve into the process from vine to wine is to explore the wine regions in person, roaming through hectares of vines and indulging in fresh samples.

We explored the Marlborough region in the South Island because geographically it was closer to where we were currently living. Hawkes Bay is the wine region in the North. The launching off point for tours in the south island is the town of Blenheim, cute and cozy next to the Marlborough Sounds. But most of the vineyards and their cellar doors reside in the neighboring town of Renwick. There are tour vans out of Blenheim as it is considered the center of New Zealand’s wine industry, but DIY tours should begin in the town of Renwick.

There are 22 vineyards in the area which can be explored through either a self-guided bike tour or by joining a guided tour which run both vans and bikes. Both the self-guided and guided tours leave the professional cellar representatives in charge of explaining their products and answering questions about the specifics for their wine, so if taking a guided tour it would be beneficial to consider what extras the tour provides that you can’t do on your own. We opted for renting bikes to navigate the region and we were up for the challenge of tipsy navigation around the region.

Vineyards In Renwick

Whitehaven Wine Company

Sugar Loaf Wines

Hunter's Wines

Allan Scott Family Winemakers

Hans Herzog Estate

Advantages Of A Self Guided Bike Tour: Visiting by bike allows for more freedom in your schedule. You can adjust for how long you desire to stay at one vineyard and navigate to the vineyards you choose rather than ones that are set out for you. You may opt to only visit vineyards that have free samples and you can do so when you travel by bike. It’s more fun to be outside and to travel the distances by bike.

Disadvantages To A Self Guided Bike Tour: When traveling by bike you have to go with the flow of either the heat or the rain. It is a lot of work to bike between the vineyards because after all they cover several hectors. You have less of an opportunity to visit and take time at each vineyard if you want to see all the stops in the loop in one day.

Advantages Of A Tour Van: It’s always a plus with guided tours that there is no planning involved. The van operators pick you up and map out the route for you. It is also a plus that after a few drinks you don’t have to walk or drive to the next destination. When traveling with a group there is a benefit to usually getting undivided attention by a cellar door attendant because they know that there’s a schedule to keep.

Disadvantages To A Tour Van: With any guided tour, the experience is shared with however many other people are in your group. You have very little control over how long you can stay and where you are headed. It’s also more expensive.

When studying the layout of the cellar doors or what we’ll refer to as the tasting rooms, it was pointed out that the region is set up in somewhat of a loop. The tasting rooms all follow the along the main road and are easily accessible. There are a few big name vineyards that are farther off the map or out of the way like the Brancott Estate, Hunter's, and Clos Herri, in which case a guided tour might be more beneficial in order to see them all. But we found that there were plenty of amazing wines to keep us busy on the main roads as well as a brewery wedged in-between all the Sauvignon Blanc vineyards just in case you need a break from wine. The loop itself is 18km long and as we discovered after a long day of drinking, it’s a lot of work to do in one day if you consider stopping at them all. We’ll break down two suggested itineraries either one day or two with the stops along the way.

Optimistic One Day Tour 18km:

Give yourself plenty of time leaving early to cover more distance. Remember to pack your water and either bring lunch or prepare to dine at one of the tasting rooms.

Gibson Bridge— Boutique vineyard with a cozy tasting studio, as they call it. Very fun winemakers with sensational dessert wine. They offer up to three complimentary samples of their large selection of Pinot Gris.

Forrest— We spent a good hour dissecting the tastes of the wine here, sitting in the sun and playing with the dogs. It’s comfortable, and the staff was professional, but it was still very laid back. We love their Bubbles For Beth. They don’t offer free samples, but instead, you can buy a tasting tray with six different types of wine for around $15NZ.

Framingham— Right across the road from Forrest is Framingham. It almost looks like a castle with the grand entrance and elegant atmosphere. They have a lovely set up for entertainment and enjoyment in the courtyard. They have a good Sauvignon Blanc that is aged in an oak barrel and they do provide free samples.

Giesen— They have a nice open tasting room that harnesses a welcoming atmosphere. We enjoyed spending almost an hour there listening to one of their representatives, who was originally from the Czech Republic, talk about his love for wine and the ways in which you can denote each element in good red wine. They do not offer free samples unless you buy a bottle in which case the fee is waived.

Huia Vineyards— Small and standard tasting room, with standing room only. They have a bright young staff that enjoys sharing their expertise on good wine. It’s family owned and operated and they have a very fun and artistic element to their branding. We enjoyed their Pinot Gris and they do provide up to three free samples of the bottles they have open.

Moa Brewing Company— Great chance to give your wine pallet a break and explore some hops. The tap room is set up very openly with a nice outside seating area under the trees. They have affordable samples, $2/taste, and they have a really delicious White IPA.

Allan Scott Estate— The tasting room is cozy, standing room only, but their staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. They have space to sit outside and they do have a restaurant. We really enjoyed their sparkling white wine. They offer free samples for interested visitors.

Cloudy Bay— Simple tasting room, but very knowledgeable staff with a passion for wine overall, not just their own product.

Fromm Winery— A good place to end the day after a long cycle and bellies mixed with dessert wine and Sauvignon Blanc. They consider themselves the red wine makers of the region and they have a variety of good heavy reds to try. We loved their Pinot Noir. They offered free samples.

More Manageable Two Day Tour:

Because there are so many vineyards in the area it’s helpful if you break up the adventure into two days allowing for more time at places you enjoy and less distances to be covered in one day. There are a few hostels in Renwick some of which just ask for a small fee and you can pitch a tent.

On our second visit through Renwick, we had a chance to revisit one of our favorite stops and to sit down with sales representative and cellar door expertise, Becky from the Forrest Family Winery. Tom and I first visited The Forrest block in January, during the rumble of the high summer season and our taste buds were never the same after we tried their signature sparkling Shiraz— Bubbles For Beth.

“We only make about 900 hundred cases of it, six back cases as well,” Becky said. “It’s just for the cellar door. It’s just something fun to share with you guys coming in. We don’t export it and it’s nowhere else in New Zealand.”

We discovered it takes 20 months to make with Malbec grapes, which Becky pointed out are very difficult to ripen in the region. However, sparkling wine calls for grapes that are greener and a little less ripe. It was a blind experiment as winemaker John Forrest set out to secretly make a sparkling Shiraz for his daughter, Beth, who was studying the art of wine making in South Australia at the time. The result was the first vintage 2009 Bubbles For Beth, a taste we haven’t been able to find anywhere else, born from an idea started decades earlier.

Becky explained that as all good ideas are hatched, surrounded by good people and a few good bottles of wine, John and Bridget Forrest fell into the art of wine making—leapt really.

“The joke got put up, ‘John, if you’re so unhappy with what you’re doing, why don’t you buy the block across the road (11 hectors), start planting grapes, and be a wine maker.’ Four weeks later, that’s exactly what they did,” said Becky.

At the time, 1988, it was an apple orchard and a single garage. They started from scratch having to learn even the basics of how to plant and harvest grapes. As two doctors, John as a biochemist and Bridget as a physician, the two were dependent on passion rather than raw experience. While traveling for years through California and Australia their love for wine and appreciation for heavy reds fueled a new carrier.

“(John) was really disappointed with the quality of red wine coming out of New Zealand at the time,” Becky said. “With his very scientific mind, he thought ‘If I pluck the leaves off and expose the berries to full sun, will they ripen better?’ This is how it’s done with cabernet and merlot, the really heavy reds we now know that we can’t grow in the (Marlborough) region.”

Their ideal wine was a wild quest, considering most reds are made in the North Island of New Zealand (Hawkes Bay and the Bay of Plenty). They were dreaming of bringing the practice to the South— an island of Sauvignon Blanc.

“The first bottle he made was meant to be this big heavy red and he overfilled the tank. He had wine exploding everywhere,” Becky said. “He actually made a Rosé by accident. The tanks are overflowing, he’s panicking, what do we do? Take out a few hundred liters and he made a Rosé. It won a Championship Medal in the New Zealand wine awards that year (1991).”

They have a photograph of the family hanging on the wall, following the success of their first bottle. The proud new wine makers huddled with their two children on the block where it all began. It’s a photograph that feels so perfectly placed. The cellar is quite modern after a remodel from what Becky calls new generation Forrest, but the photograph and several other commemorations of the 28-year journey are a balanced touch. It’s humbling to see the family working together as they keep the business largely within the family.

Their winemaking was gaining success when in 1992, their first red wine won gold in the New Zealand wine awards. They’ve since been continually daring to make wines that others aren’t in the region, such as Arneis (Italian White) and Petit Manseng. They also produce Chenin Blanc, a popular grape from the ‘70s and ‘80s, used to create sweet wine in bulk that Becky says John grows just because he loves it, not because he knows it’s going to sell. Their success is continually finding the perfect balance of science, earth, and passion.

Becky had no shortage of passion in her introduction of the winery. And although their passion translates into money, it’s refreshing not to feel the aristocratic stuffiness that often comes with the territory of good wine. The atmosphere is very much an experience as Becky describes. It’s a bean bag, play some lawn games, pet the dogs type of winery, where we felt right at home.

A downfall for some might be that Forrest doesn’t provide free samples of their wine, which many of their competitors in the area do. Instead, they offer a tasting tray of six wines for around $15NZD. Personally, we enjoyed lounging in the sun deconstructing the flavors and sensations of each wine without anyone hovering. An added bonus is that the vineyard and cellar door are tucked away from the main road providing serenity and a fully attentive staff.

As a customer and as a backpacker, we loved that there wasn’t any pressure to buy a bottle. During our self-guided wine tour in Marlborough, we often felt guilty and obliged to buy after a free tasting, but the atmosphere at Forrest was undeniably chilled out.

“Because we’re far back here and it’s mainly travelers like yourself there’s no pressure to buy…We understand that you’re really transient. Pocket money means that maybe you’re not really eating tonight sort of thing. You’re either (having) ramen and a bottle of wine or a good meal and no wine,” Becky said. “A bottle is a bonus, but for me, there’s no pressure to up sell. Just come and enjoy it while you’re here.”

Update As Of August 2017

We recently had a chance to email back and forth with some of the vineyards in the area to talk more about the practice of free samples in tasting rooms and the factors that guide them. We learned that vineyards have to pay taxes on the samples they give away. This isn't a big deal if wineries are making that money back when they sell a bottle, hence the waived fees if you purchase a bottle. But for some of the boutique wineries like Te Whare Ra, who don't cater to big tour groups, they're dependent on walk-in customers and small bike groups to visit with the intent to experience good wine — not just free samples.

We are just as excited as the next human to indulge in anything free, but it's better to know exactly what free entails on the back end before blindly accepting. In the case of boutique wineries, many of them are dependent on the tasting room sales because they're not exporting internationally.

Te Whare Ra put it perfectly by stating that, "Small winemakers are a lot like boutique farmers and none of us are millionaires – but we do love what we do and I think you see that in our wines."