Full-Day Wine Tour in Marlborough with Tastings

Enjoy a full-day tour visiting some of the fantastic wineries of Marlborough, New Zealand and discoverind the amazing wines of the region.

Marlborough in known around the world for its unique fresh, fruity and vibrant Sauvignon Blanc wine. The second variety of the region is Pinot Noir, with Marlborough being the largest Pinot Noir producer in New Zealand.

The largest wine producing region in New Zealand, Marlborough has around 150 wineries and 30 tasting rooms. This tour explores a number of these wineries, but with a focus on family-run wineries offering a real taste of Marlborough. 

You will visit around 7 wineries and enjoy wine tastings at each. 

Sample Itinerary:

You will be picked up from your accommodation in Blenheim or Renwick at approx 10am in the morning. The first stop of the day will be at Lawsons Dry Hills, a small family-run winery and a great introduction to the wines of Marlborough. Ross and Barbara Lawson were very early growers in Marlborough and chose Gewürztraminer as their first planting. Enjoy a tasting of five wines (two Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir).

Next, discover Villa Maria, the largest privately owned winery in New Zealand, but still family-run. Villa Maria grows grapes in different regions of New Zealand. Most of the wines are from Marlborough, however, they usually have 2 red wines from the Hawks Bay region in the tasting. Usually a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, two North Island Reds and a dessert wine.

Enjoy a delicious lunch paired with wines at Allan Scott Family Estate. Allan Scott was involved in the initial planting in the Marlborough region. Learn about the region and its history. You will taste four wines from a Method Traditionelle bubbles, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Rose, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

The tour continues with Nautilus Estate, another family-owned winery offering a variety of wines to try. They will offer about five wines from Method Traditionelle, Pinot Gris, Gruner Veltliner, Albarino, Chardonnay, Rose and Pinot Noir.

The Framingham Estate, known in the Marlborough region for their Riesling wines will welcome you for a tasting of five of their wines which are usually Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Riesling, Medium Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. After the tasting you will go into their cellar for a discussion on Screw cap seal versus Cork seal for the wines. The visit will end in the vines where your guide will educate you on pruning, planting and harvesting in Marlborough.

You will also discover No1 Estate, a Method Traditionelle specialist (Champagne in all but name) and unique in New Zealand as the only winery that only makes Method Traditionelle wine and no still wine. Here you will get to taste two or three of their wines made from the Traditional grape varieties of Champagne being Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

The final stop of the day will be at Lake Chalice, a small winery bought by the St Clair Family estate. Enjoy a cheese and wine matching. All the cheese is from small producers and most are local. You will taste five wines, each matched with a different cheese. The wines tasted varies per day but will be from, Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

At around 5pm you will return you to your accommodation.

Please note: The above is a sample itinerary. The tour is flexible and the wineries visited will be matched with your requests or wine preferences.