'The Cellar Door' is the place to go for a memorable wine-tasting experience!…read more Foxes Island offers a delicious selection of white and red wine including Pinot Noir (2008/09), Chardonnay (2009), Riesling (2009), Sauvignon Blanc (2011/12) and lastly, Lapine (2010) from the 'Icon' Series, equivalent to their hero wine. From walking in the 'Cellar Door' on Williamson Avenue, to greeting one of the team from Foxes Island, to tasting a drop of your choice, to taking in the ambience of artwork from Dick Frizzell is definitely a hedonistic experience, for any wine and/or art lover. They have monthly masterclasses to educate and showcase their wine, along with other speakers and artists intermittently. Open 6 days a week as well! Yelp out.

We're so lucky to have such a wonderful cellar door right on our doorstop! Foxes Island, of course…read moresells Foxes Island wine but they also have a lot more going on in their beautiful space. They sell the amazing Zalto glassware, which is beautiful and dishwasher friendly plus they host a ton of events be it exhibitions, meet the maker nights to new vintages of their wines. Owners, Kelly and John are lovely and well-respected in the wine industry. Highly recommend popping and picking up a bottle (or case) of their beautiful wine!

Adorable family vineyard!…read more This was the second vineyard from the Fuller Taste of Waiheke Tour. We were given a small tour of the vineyard. Then we were taken through the restaurant, up the stairs to the gorgeous patio area. We were given a flight of 4 wines, each topped with a small bite pairing. The Tasting: 1. Sauvignon Blanc paired with house bread and Romesco. This was my all-time favorite out of the entire tasting. 2. Pinot Gris paired with dried Gouda cheese. This pairing was phenomenal. The wine and cheese complemented each other wonderfully. 3. Summer Aphrodisiac paired with Kalamata olive. This one seemed to be the majority favorite of the group. 4. Madame Rouge paired with Sweetened walnuts. This was my least favorite of the pairing. Not that it tasted bad, it was just too sweet for my liking. Overall this was a wonderful vineyard to visit, I'm so happy it was included in our package tour.

Cute but out of some of the white wines also if not eating dinner hillside seating only. Beautiful…read morequaint winery hike to get here so beware if taking hop on hop off bus.

Wow, went last weekend on a magic day Went to the casual…read morerestaurant and had half the menu it was so good Service was great really good vibe Bread starter is a must Loved it

We walked into the bistro ready to have a terrific dinner experience based on their website photos…read moreand the warm, inviting appearance as we walked up. The ambiance was nice and felt like a cozy ski lodge. However, the hostess wasn't exactly warm or charming. She seemed to have a bit of a control issue. When we moved one of the 2 chairs at the 4-top to another side of the table, she expressed her displeasure and stated that we had to make sure that we gave the table next to us enough space, but there was definitely enough room for a small pony to walk through. The server was pretentious. The vibe we got was that he was busy with something else and could barely be bothered to share the specials and take our order. Because we weren't getting a great vibe, we decided just to order overpriced drinks instead of drinks and overpriced food. Do NOT order the old fashioned unless you like them super sweet. My husband is a fan of old fashioneds and had never had a ridiculously sugary drink as this before. The espresso martini was okay. Definitely not worth $26 though. This place is definitely overrated.

We came here as part of a wine tour. Honestly for me the wines here were my favorite out of all the…read morewineries we visited that day. I love how they paired each wine with a small bite. I absolutely loved the chardonnay, rose, and pure merlot that they sampled for us. Our group loved it so much we all purchased at least one bottle from here. :3

Perfect pairings!! Very friendly and good wine. They also share their recipes!! I would return…read morehere again.

Not my first visit, and definitely not my last! This is one of my favorite wineries on the island…read more The ambiance is always wonderful, whether you're sitting indoors or outdoors. The staff are super friendly, and the food is fresh and very good. And of course--the wine! Any bottle you choose, or any recommendation from the staff, is always spot on and absolutely delicious. See you again next time I'm in New Zealand!

Our first stop on Waiheke Island was Wild Estate for a wine tasting. As we were going to have…read morelunch later, we didn't order any food aside from some olives to tide us over until lunch, although the charcuterie boards looked amazing. A sample of three wines was $20NZ, and on offer was a rose and two reds, "Wilding" and "The W", all of which I enjoyed. It's unfortunate that our stop at Wild was such a short visit, as the grounds were lovely (there were neat sculptures and activities offered such as archery), the restaurant decor was warm and inviting, and the menu had a good selection. [Yelp collections: NZ/Fiji 2023; New Zealand 2023; Wine Time!]

I love love love Poderi Crisci…read more Situated on Waiheke Island, about a 25 minute drive from Kennedy Point Wharf, you will find Poderi Crisci, a vineyard and Italian restaurant owned and run by Antonio Crisci and his family. Surrounded by rolling hills and immaculate gardens, together with a stunning setting including an Italian style kitchen, displays of Italian cheeses and cured meats, and copper pots and utensils, you will feel like you are in Tuscany. I dined here for my birthday with my family and it was a very memorable meal... and day overall. Everything was exquisite - from the surrounds and views, to the alfresco dining and beautiful food and wine. The service is also very welcoming, professional and friendly. For starters, we enjoyed a glass of prosecco, accompanied by three platters, all of which were beautifully presented and each dish was savoured: - Pane & Olio (selection of homemade grissini, Italian inspired bread and olives with Poderi Crisci olive oil) - Contorni (selection of Antipasti style side dishes, including free range egg frittata, braised capsicums with smoked olives, chargrilled eggplant and garden zucchinis) - Affetato (traditional Italian selection of cured meats, Mozzarella cheese, olives, grissini and truffle paste) For the main course, I loved their Gnocchi alla Norma - Homemade potato gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella, garden eggplant, cherry tomatoes and basil. It was dreamy and melt in your mouth. My parents also enjoyed their mains, which included the Agnello - Hawke's Bay lamb rump served with potato and sage, zucchini, garlic sauce and jus and the Salmone Marinato - Home-marinated King Salmon served with almond and rocket pesto, mustard dressing and garden herb salad. And of course, dessert. You simply cannot dine at an Italian restaurant without ordering tiramisu. I think Poderi Crisci makes the most superb Tiramisu in all of the land - think Savoiardi sponge fingers with espresso and Italian liqueur, layered with mascarpone sabayon and dusted with rich dark cocoa powder. Dreamy...! And the best part? It arrived at our table with a lit candle, while all the staff sang 'Happy Birthday'. The Tiramisu was divine and it made for a very memorable lunch and birthday. Food aside, service was excellent - the waiters were attentive, welcoming and very knowledgeable about the menu and wine. I would happily re-visit Poderi Crisci in a heartbeat... and I think you should too! Note: If you can't get over to Waiheke, head to Non Solo Pizza (NSP) in Parnell as it shares the same owners as Poderi Crisci. Their food is heaven.

Honestly. I was shock....I went because I check some reviews in Yelp. I am not a fan of Italian…read more Because I always feel the food doesn't really fill the stomach hahaha. Anyway I am amazed by the food and wine they offer in here. The only think I needed to complaint is 1. The road to drive in is terribly bumpy 2. The Menu we toke is dirty as now the COVID-19 Pandemic we are very caution of anything we touch ! But the food the service and the environment will melt you and the love one you bring along :) just go and you won't regret

This is a beautiful winery! We visited Waiheke on our honeymoon and stayed overnight, and our…read moreAirbnb host recommended this vineyard as well as Mudbrick, so we visited both. Tantalus was the better of the two by far. The atmosphere is amazing; the grounds are landscaped beautifully and the decor inside is cozy but also incredibly modern. I would hire their interior designer for my home if I could! We had a great lunch sharing both the duck and lamb rump. The food tasted delicious but light, and we had very attentive and friendly service. Moving on to the wine tasting, our server was really friendly and knowledgeable. We both tasted the reserve reds and took home a bottle of Evoque 2014, and my hubby got himself a polo shirt as well. The only downside is everything was quite pricey, and we saw the Evoque for sale at several stores in town for $10NZ less, but oh well! When in Rome, right? Plus, we really enjoyed everything about this place.

This place is very appealing visually. I did the reserve wine tasting, which should have been the…read morebest of the best, but they were merely okay, unfortunately. Their reserve syrah had a VERY off-flavor to it. We brought this up to the server, and he quickly ran off to check with someone. When he returned, he said something like "oh, that's the typical floral something or other". We've experienced this before, and it turned out then that the cork was bad. This was likely the same situation. At the very least, I would have expected Tantalus to pour another taster for us to make sure there was nothing wrong with the first pour. That didn't happen though. The reserve chardonnay was good.

My wife and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary by…read morecatching the Sea Link car ferry from Half Moon Bay Marina to Waiheke. I had never thought of Waiheke as a weekend break let alone holiday destination. We stayed at the Cross Trees Chalet, conveniently located in the property adjacent to the Te Whau Estate. After two weeks of windy, rainy and cold weather, we were blessed to have clear, still weather on this jaunt. Arriving at Te Whau, we were stunned at the view. The restaurant is located atop a hill, and looks down at its vineyard. Across the small inlet, one can see the Kennedy Point Ferry terminal. And what a marvellous view made all the more spectacular by the fading azure blue skies and the sun painting the skyline above Auckland City a burnished gold. Just spectacular. We started with the entree of Seared Kingfish and my wife had scallops. I can't really say much other than superb. For my main, I had Gnocchi wrapped in aubergine while my wife had the lamb. Again, both dishes were just superb. For dessert, I had a cheddar cheese with a glass of Semillon. My wife had the sticky date pudding. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to get the cheese platter because I just wanted more. The sticky date pudding was the best I have ever eaten in the world. The flat white (coffee) she had with it was the best flat white she'd ever had. And she can drink coffee! ;-) This has been the best dining experience I have had in a long time. The service was great. Tony and Moira have really set the bar high with their care and attention to detail. It's easy to see why they have done very well with awards over the years. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Absolutely stunning view of Auckland and Waiheke Island, with a fantastic restaurant and tasting…read moreroom. The quality of the food and wine is easily matched with amazing service. I arrived at 2.50pm for lunch, which ends at 3pm. They were more than willing to accommodate my needs, and served me a fantastic lunch of pork and pistachio terrine (see photo). I will be back next time I'm in Auckland!