This winery is owned by a doctor who created fruit focused wines & wines lower in alcohol content…read more The grounds were beautiful Jan gave us 3 free complementary samples of delicious wines. She was knowledgeable, friendly and generous. I really enjoyed the Forrest rosé it was creamy summary and had strawberry flavors. TheSauvignon Blanc was quite good as well and the Forrest Albariño was smooth & zesty. My husband enjoyed his doctors Riesling but preferred the Forrest Petit Manseng. We were told that we can get some of these wines in and 400s of dollars contract and shipped to the United States.

Third winery stop (out of six) was at Forrest Wines. Lucky us, we managed to bump into the same…read moremassive bus tour group. The outside is where most of the seating is; a bunch of bean bags looked loungy. Service is friendly and helpful. There's a couple of tasting options. You can get 2 free bar tastings per person otherwise, you have to pay. There's a tasting tray (7 wine tastes) that seemed the most popular. There's also a small food menu: picnic hamper, platters, cheese and proper crisps (aka. chips). Didn't see anyone eating here. - The Doctors' bubbles for Beth 2010 - you don't see bubble reds often. Interesting, sweet and different. - Forrest sauvignon blanc 2017 - you can smell the guava. Much softer and subtle than other blancs we tasted. - The doctors' rosé 2017 - very light - Forrest albariño 2016 - pretty different; we've never had an albariño before. It's a little salty. - The doctors' riesling 2016 - way too sweet for our tastes. - Forrest pinot noir 2014 - this one had a dry finish. - Forrest petit manseng 2017 - this would be a good dessert wine. You can smell the mango. Not as sweet as the riesling. This one was our favourite out of the seven. A couple different wine types that may peak your interest. 3.5 stars.

A modern art gallery in the small town of Nelson with very interesting displays. The architecture…read moreof the building is modern, light and airy. The restrooms are very nice. Admission is free. I had to chuckle about some items in the gift shop, I was drawn to some very colorful socks and considered purchasing a pair only to discover they were made in California.

Delicious breakfast, eggs Benedict, out on the patio next to the pond. Attentive service. Good…read moreselection. Awesome baked goods. Fair price for the setting and quality of food. Casual, rustic vibe. And a fabulous art gallery attached to the restaurant.

Our fourth winery (out of six) was at Wairau River Wines. This was our least favourite…read more Oddly, this place only had standing room for tasting. There's a restaurant inside that I read has good food but it's pricey. Starters and mains (hello soufflé). Only open for lunch from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. Our server, an older lady, was terrible. She was caught up with some other party coming in and ignored us. We waited it out but should have just left. Not very informative or helpful and she was stingy with her pours. The wine tastings are complimentary but there's only four options. A small, sad list. - Sauvignon blanc 2017 - a little bit drier than the norm but not bad. - Pinot gris 2017 - a little more spice and punch to this pinot gris. - Gewürtztraminer 2017 - decent but nowhere near the quality that we had at Wither Hills. - Rosé 2017 - good with an off dry finish. Do yourself a favour and avoid WRW. So many other wineries to choose from, don't waste time here.

A wonderful place to spend the afternoon on the Marloborough region of New Zealand.The Maori (I…read morethink) lady behind the tasting counter was super lovely as can be, and so were ladies in the dining area. I had the smashing Green Mussel Chowder with smashing Pinot Noir I purchased and it was fantastic! Cannot go on more because running out of Kiwi superlatives. Just go there for lunch if you happen to.be in the hood

What a wonderful place at the end of a long country road near Abel Tasman. It's one of the oldest…read morewinery in the area. The clay soil means that no need for irrigation. There whites are great. The Riesling and the Sauvignon blanc and Pinot Gris are light and very drinkable. But they are known for their Chardonnay's and Pinot Noirs. It's a big beautiful spot with an excellent patio. They have nibbles and things and a great view of the vineyard. A spot to stop if you are going up to Abel Tasman from Nelson.

Our fifth winery (out of six) was at Giesen Wines Cellar Door. This was our other favourite winery…read moreof the day. There's a restaurant inside with a very small menu: a vintage platter, cheese platter, kid platter and two desserts. As for the wine tastings, it's $5.00 NZD/person and you get 6 tastes. The best part is you can choose ANY of the options. All the expensive ones please! It's standing room only but has a smart layout. Service was fantastic as our server was friendly, knowledgeable and approachable. Very down to earth and knew when to leave us alone. - The fuder sauvignon bland - Matthews Lane - pretty decent but not worth the $45.00 NZD price tag. - The brothers riesling - this one was very, very sweet. - The brothers gewürtztraminer - almost heading into the territory of a riesling for sweetness. Full bodied. - Classic cuvee - you taste the Chardonnay at the end. - Single vineyard clayvin syrah - good mouth feel. You can taste the lingering savoury finish. - The brothers late harvest sauvignon blanc - a dessert wine for sure. Super good with tones of pineapple and honey to finish. It's sweet but would be perfect in small doses. We almost got a bottle of this. Definitely worth checking out Giesen.

Free tasting! Our vintner was very knowledgeable and lovely to talk with. She was able to…read moreaccommodate a tasting of entirely reds. They have a nice garden patio for lunch, but only had a meat platter, a cheese plate and mussels on the menu.

Our second winery was at the Te Māina and Richmond Plains estate. Interesting that both are served…read moretogether under one roof! First time seeing that. We dropped in on a Saturday morning (around 11:00am) and were greeted by an enthusiastic, fantastic server (Jo). She's actually the first person to formally introduce herself. Very personable. They also sell Hogarth Craft chocolates ($12.00 NZD). We actually sampled these at the Nelson Farmers Market; pretty tasty if you like dark chocolates. Wine tastings are $2.00 NZD each and there was 8 types available (4 from Te Mānia and 4 from Richmond Plains). We tried half of the options. As always, fee is waived when you buy a bottle. - Blanc de noir 2017 - this is their award winning wine. Pretty unique as it's made with red pinot noir grapes but in a white wine style. We liked this best and bought a bottle ($22.99 NZD). - Blue moon sauvignon blanc 2016 - this one was interesting as the green capsicum was very prominent. - Pinot noir rose 2017 - pretty refreshing with a dry minerality. - Ice riesling 2017 - quite reasonable for a bottle. Light but closer to a riesling. We liked this spot. Two in one!