Craggy Range
Craggy Range is in Havelock North, on Hawke's Bay.
Bushmere
12 Dancing Petrel Paewhenua Island, Northlands
By contrast with big bustling places, the Dancing Petrel is a quiet secluded place. We phoned them to get the passcode to their gate. Drove down on the waterfront house where we found their place, run by a husband and wife team, plus a lady manager. The couple are attuned to nature and we sat sipping wine and smiling and admiring the sea.
But the label is distinctive and memorable. It shows a sea bird, the dancing petrel. We sat in the back yard of the owners who are small scale producers, nature lovers, whilst they described the petrel they promote on their label.
8 Man O'War
Named after the beach which is named after a war boat. Despite a drive along a narrow road, a tour bus comes this way.
I was there on Valentine's DayFeb 14th, 2025, and the staff and guests all seemed in the romantic, seasonal spirit. Handsome young men with ear-rings hurried back and forward. Pretty girls, guests and couples, flounced past and posed in their finery, like something out of a Shakespeare play.
Tasting room, plus an open sided lunch resturant overlooing the trees over the busy lawn by the car park behind the beach. They say it's the only beachside winery on the island of Waiheke, and probably New Zealand and possibly the world.
11 Marsden Winery, Russell, Northlands
Marsden Winery was big and bustling, a very popular eating place. A location with a story. The current, chatty, owner who we met, was greeting regular customers at the door and bar counter. In between, he was keen to tell us how he had bought the place and battled to keep it going as a winery. Competing interests were thinking the site was better used by uprooting the vines and tradition and introducing a modern new housing estate.
Matawhero
13 Millton Vineyard Winery
We saw the vines and orange trees outside.
Their label Libiamo is from Verdi's opera, the old Italian word which is the equivalent of 'Cheers!'
While the owner was away, we had a private chat with a knowledgeable staff member. He told us that their 2020 Te Arai (grape chenin blanc) is from the Maori words, te meaning the and arai, river. The cow is the symbol of biodynamic production.
I loved their muscat wines. I always love sweet muscat. The aroma was sweet, though the wine struck me as dry. About 30 NZ dollars a bottle, and $180 for a case of 6.
Fou can join their mailing list. Freight $12 North island and $18 South Isalnd, with a $4 rural delivery charge.
14 Mission Estate
Historic estate. Lots of pictures downstairs. Lots to look at.
NORTHLANDS Wine Region has four places we visited.
10 The Omata Estate - for a perfect pizza
We stopped around lunch time, watched them cooking pizza in a hot pizza oven. After sampling wines, we ordered a pizza, the best pizza I've ever had. Just a thin base, not overwhelming you with filling flour, supporting and spread with a mixture of savoury white cheese and sweet red cranberry which was divine.
9 Paroa Bay - Gourmet Dinner
From Russell take a winding road, or the shuttle bus free for diners at the Paroa Bay restaurant. On the hilltop overlooking their vinery is a top grade restaurant, with a tasting menu. At lunchtime or early evening there is a fine view, which we captured when we stopped there and on seeing the menu immediately made a booking. But returning late at night with twilight we found outdoors breezy, chilly, and took their advice regarding tables and happily ate indoors.
We had a private look at the vineyards and winemaking below the next day. The novelty for me was seeing the wines drawn out of the barrel by the winemaking to check the tast, using what looked like a huge pipette.
Stonyridge
15 Urban Winery
16 Vilagrad, at Ohaupo, in the Wikato region,
Useful Websites
Casita Miro
Leveret
Paroa Bay
Website Thelindisgroup.com/paroabay
Email @paroabaywinery
Soljans
Urban Winery
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