We had some extra time in the afternoon and decided to do a wine tasting. You must have a…read morereservation so reserve your spot before you head out. The road there is a bit scary but don't let it deter you. It's not meant for two cars and it's gravel so drive slowly and stay safe. We were early and joined two other couples in their tasting. It was a hoot. The lady who was our host was entertaining and very knowledgeable about the wine. We compared travel experiences with the other couples. Even found an Aussie Timberwolves fan. We bonded in our love of basketball. The grounds are beautiful, located between towering mountains and a deep river gorge. So glad we chose this place to try a variety or wines.

We headed to Chard Farm Winery, a picturesque spot located on a rugged, winding road with views of…read morethe Kawarau Gorge. You will miss this winery if you're not looking for it. Known for its elegant Pinot Noir and vibrant whites, Chard Farm delivered exceptional wines with every pour.

I asked my wife, "how did you find and decide on this winery, The Cloudy Bay Shed?" Because it was…read morean amazing experience! We passed by at least half a dozen wineries/vineyards, driving from Queenstown to Wanaka. One of the reasons besides its beautiful views, was that it wasn't touristy. There's no tours available to take you here, so it's not those tourist trap places where you get the generic experience that'll usually involve shopping. That's a good point! You can make reservations online for lunch or wine tasting, or both. It wasn't busy when we went, but still recommended. While driving on the highway, don't be too focused on the beautiful, pristine, majestically blue body of water known as the Clutha River, because the entrance to the Cloudy Bay Shed is right across. You'll drive up a dirt driveway, and make a left to another dirt path. You'll see a small parking lot, which might suggest you park there, but keep driving up, and you'll reach the correct parking lot at the main entrance. We arrived much earlier than our reservation time, which gave us the chance to freely walk around the grounds, and wow, what a beautiful and relaxing place! The trees, grass, bushes were green and very well-maintained. There's even a small pond right in the middle adding onto the already picturesque landscape of the snow-capped mountain range and Clutha River. I feel I could sit here for hours! But lunch awaits! In "The Shed", there's a wine tasting room where you can also purchase many different types of Cloudy Bay wines from different years. After that is the dining/restaurant area, which is big and spacious with only a few tables, and big glass doors and windows that faces the beautiful scenery of the pond, mountain range, and rows of trees. It is definitely quite homey and comfortable, quiet and peaceful. The menu is not expansive, but it was hard not to order everything! There's a little Asian/Japanese influence is a few of the dishes. We thought the Chef might've been Japanese. Her name was Chef Momo. We found out she is Nepalese, but studied Japanese cuisine. Nice! We started with the Tuna Tartare Taco. This was delicious! Uber fresh cubed of diced ahi tuna that was very nicely seasoned, topped with fried shallots, chili pepper, and pickled onion. The creme fraiche went really well with this, and the wonton skin was fried nicely, and held onto it's crispiness. Next was the Fiordland Venison Tataki, and WoW, what an amazing dish that was wonderfully prepared, and visually pleasing. The venison was really fresh, tender, and very well seasoned. The highlight of the dish was the char and smoky taste that added new dimension to the already flavorful sauce with the beetroot, quince, chestnuts, and edible flowers and herbs. The Market Fish for this menu was the Blue Warehou with spring greens and cauliflower. The fish was nicely prepared--moist and fresh with a meaty and flaky white flesh, and a crispy crust. Lastly we had the Lake Ohau Wagyu Short Rib in a BBQ Glaze with Jerusalem artichoke and silverbeet. The short rib was amazing! Tender, well seasoned, and perfectly cooked. Personally would have like a bit more of the BBQ glaze. The roasted artichokes were really good. Crispy skin, and soft and toasty meat. The silverbeet or Swiss chard was almost Kim chee like in taste. Don't forget the wine! We ordered the Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc and Te Wahi Pinot Noir. These two wines were very smooth and the tastes were really clean with distinct notes. We learned these wines go through strict evaluations, and would only proceed with the winemaker's approval, which has been disapproved before. Overall, The Cloudy Bay Shed was a memorable and an amazing experience. The whole property was very well maintained with stunning views. It was quiet and peaceful, and just an overall relaxing environment. The Shed itself was clean, spacious, comfortable, and quiet and peaceful as well. The staff there were very friendly, informative, and pleasant. Our server was attentive and friendly, and gave clear descriptions of each dish. I highly recommend stopping by here!

The Cloudy Bay Shed had the best overall selection of wines among the four wineries we visited in…read moreCentral Otago in 2019. Their vineyard is about an hour's drive from Queenstown, including a scenic, winding route through the Gibbston Valley (it's also on the main road between Queenstown and Mt. Aoraki/Cook). It's well worth the hike. The property includes vineyards, a sleek tasting room, an expansive lawn on which to enjoy your flights, and friendly staff (we flew to the other side of the world to meet an American host behind the bar, and that's par for the course in New Zealand). Tastings run 3 wines for $10 NZD and 5 for $15. The wines available for tasting included both those made from grapes grown on the property as well as their Marlborough vineyards. The quality was consistently high across both the red and white flights we tasted. We had a voucher from our hotel for a free tasting, but we also ended up buying a bottle of their bubbly, the Pelorus, for later on in our trip. It was outstanding. They do have a menu of light fare available (https://www.cloudybay.co.nz/sites/cloudybay.co.nz/files/asset/document/the_cloudy_bay_shed_summer_menu_2020-2021.pdf). Cloudy Bay also offers an array of more boutique experiences like vineyard tours and private tastings/meals on their website (https://us.cloudybay.co.nz/).

Had a great day out around Queenstown's wineries. Our driver was very friendly and helpful and the…read morewine was superb. Mt Rosa was our favourite. My partner and I would definitely do it again

From the owner: Join our flexible & hassle-free local winery shuttle service. Departs daily from Queenstown at…read moremidday/12.00pm. With no set timetable & no stress, you simply discuss with your friendly onboard wine guide, the options of where you'd like to be dropped off to & picked up from. You will be well entertained with lots of freedom at an array of winery restaurants & tasting rooms, all highlighting our amazing Central Otago wines. There’s lots to do, such as wine & cheese tastings, or enjoying a local craft beer. All the wineries are very close together making it easy to give you the best day out & we'll have you back in town by 6pm approx. Our Wine Hopper service offers you the easiest way to enjoy the wineries at your own pace, in your own way, on the day. Check out our reviews & give us a call if you have any questions. Our Wine Hopper Bus is proudly locally owned & operated by a wine-only specialist company in Queenstown NZ.

Gibbston Valley was our first winery (out of three) that we visited in the Gibbston area. They're a…read morevery popular spot; they also have a restaurant, cheesery and bikes for hire. We dropped in on a Saturday morning (around 10:30am) and the place was quite busy. They do daily tours for a fee. The inside has a wooden cabin glam to it that makes for a great place to drink. There's several options for their wine tastings (wine and chocolate tasting and oysters and bubbles were the most unique); they range in price from $5.00 to $30.00 NZD/person. Make sure you check out the cheesery on your way out (Gibbston Valley Cheese). - GV collection tasting ($5.00 NZD) - you get to taste three (out of five) of their newly released GV collection wines. We tried the pinot gris 2016 (very average), riesling 2016 (dry, sour tones of lemon and lime) and Gibbston Valley pinot noir 2014 (not as full bodied or luscious as others we've had. Didn't like the dry finish). The wines are expensive and service not very personable. Decent but we didn't like it as much as the other two wineries. 3.5 stars.

So I have two beefs here, but both are somewhat excusable given that our tasting experience was a…read moregood one, delivered by someone knowledgeable and passionate. Wifi is dreadful. Staff and management know its dreadful. Yet nothing has been done (yet). I tried (unsuccessfully at first) to get someone to take my money to ship to a friend in Australia. Despite my protestations that I wanted to do the order then and there and that I would be focused on getting home after leaving there, I was told to leave my credit card information and then send in the order to the manager by email. What a totally strange way of doing things, but thankfully the order did make it to my friend. I got an email about 48 hours after sending in an order. Don't make it hard for your customers to give you money.

Kinross was our second winery (out of three) that we visited in the Gibbston area. We had no idea…read morebut they are purveyors for about 5 other small, boutique wineries. We dropped in on a Saturday morning (around 11:45am) and were able to squeeze in a wine tasting. You can do a guided tasting or else you can get a flight of wine and drink at your leisure. Both are the same price ($15.00 NZD) for 5 wine tastings. Get a guided one. You only get the fee waived if you make a purchase of at least $75.00 NZD (crazy). We had an excellent host that really knew his wines and described in detail the wine maker, flavours and food pairings that each wine would excel with. Really impressive. He even catered the wines to our preference so that we had 3 whites and 2 reds. They also have a food menu but it's pricey. Menu consisted of sharing, snack & sides, pizza and mains. The wood stove pizza oven outside looked pretty legit. - Rosé - off dry, lighter, paler rosé. You smell strawberries. Definitely one of the better rosés we've had. Perfect for summer drinking. - Pinot gris - very luscious, full body which was pretty unique for a pinot gris. Pairs well with lighter food. - Riesling ($29.00 NZD) - pear at the beginning and then cuts to a citrus acidy flavour. Off dry. Very nice and it's an organic wine. This would be good with spicy food. - Pinot noir - this one was a biodynamic wine ($47.00 NZD for a bottle). Pairs well with duck or a spicy lamb. - Pinot noir 2016 - softer tannens and smoother than other young pinot noirs. Another that excels with rabbit or gamey food. Fantastic, knowledgeable host. This was our favourite winery of the three that we tried in the area.

Kinross was an amazing experience! The cottages were relaxing and cozy, offering rest I hadn't had…read morein years! The wine tasting experience was a great deal and I loved how they showcased the different wineries in the area. The first evening was made complete with a pizza and a picnic hamper to complement the Kinross Pinot Noir. We sat at the picnic table on the hilltop that overlooked the vineyard with the mountainside as a backdrop. These elements made for a romantic atmosphere for when I proposed to my now fiancé . We received a breakfast box to make use of the kitchenette in the cottage and enjoyed the freshness of the specially curated menu. I could not have been more pleased with the experience at Kinross! I would give them 6 stars if I could!

Incredible tasting with great customer service. The ambience and views were incredible! We will…read moredefinitely be back!

Wet Jacket is a relatively-new winery that is worth a visit…read more The tasting room (once you find it) is quite novel. Rather than a large wall of bottles or lots of other visual noise, there is a simple table where you can sample ($5 a person) 4-5 of their nice wines. Wet Jacket does a Pinot Grigio, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a Rosé among others. The wines are all nice and at a moderate price point. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were my personal favourites. After sampling the wines, take time (on a nice day) to enjoy their beautiful outdoor space. Here you can grab a wine by the glass (your favourite from the tasting) and have a taco or cheese board from the Taco Medic food truck. The space out here is relaxing and the service is excellent. At the entry to the winery, there is a quaint cheese shop where you can sample and purchase some delicious cheeses as well.

We stumbled upon this winery on our travels through the South Island and were glad we did. It is…read moreset in lovely garden in gorgeous scenery and the host was very entertaining and helpful. We had a tasting session of 6 of his wines for 15 NZ dollars and my friends had the cheese board as well. The wine can be shipped, and it was, straight down my throat! lol....throughly recommend. Monty the cat was a pleasant guest at our table!

Our first day in New Zealand proved to be quite the adventure. Andrew picked us up right on time, a…read morekind and informative guide. We visited Gibston Valley, Brennan and Kinross. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Queenstown. Thank you Andrew for truly going above and beyond from the minute we "hopped" on your bus to follow through the next day. You truly made our experience a great one.

Queenstown Wine Trail was a very enjoyable experience!…read more We were picked up by Grant in Queenstown and took a 45 minute drive to our first stop on the 'Wine and Food sampler'. Our Fist stop was Wild Earth winery where we sampled three Pinot Noirs (the type of wine Central Otaga is most famous for, a Riesling, and a Pinot Gris. Each was paired with delicious, and well presented food items made in a unique wine barrel smoker - very cool! Our second stop was to the Gibbston Vally Winery were we toured their wine cellar cave. The cave was very fascinating, it housed at least one hundred barrels of wine and has a cut out where at least one bottle from each vintage is locked up in a special room. The cave is a constant 56 degrees Fahrenheit year round (amazing for a region with such drastic temperature changes throughout the year). We tasted some fantastic cheeses and wines! Grant then dropped us off back in Queenstown after a quick scenic tour and stop at a beautiful viewpoint. Overall, I highly recommend the tour!

We enjoyed the sweeping views during our tasting at Mt. Difficulty in 2019…read more The winery itself is perched on a ridge that offers beautiful sight lines to Lake Dunstan and the surrounding mountains, and we enjoyed relaxing and taking it all in on their patio. Honestly, the views alone were worth the $2 NZD tasting fee (based on their website, it looks like that fee may have been raised since our visit). They also poured plenty of wine to cover that fee. The wine itself was forgettable. There was a drinkable Chardonnay, and it helped us enjoy the views, but that's about it. The staff was pleasant, and although the cellar door got quite crowded by the time we departed, the facility was big enough to handle the scrum rather well. I'm rating this at a generous four for two reasons: (1) we enjoyed our visit, and honestly we enjoy tasting and talking about wine whether the juice is distinguished or not. (2) We didn't eat in their restaurant. The menu looked enticing, and I'll grant that this could have significantly elevated our good experience. If you're passing through on Highway 6, Mt. Difficulty is worth a stop on a sunny day.

Our second winery (of three) was at Mt. Difficulty after our server at another winery recommended…read morewe check this place out in Bannockburn. It's a very popular spot! We dropped in on a Tuesday (around noon) and it was busy. The restaurant (only open at lunch) was completely full so make sure you make reservations if you want to eat here. Your tastings get comped if you dine in otherwise it's only $2.00 NZD/person. You get 5 wine tastings (four regular wines plus one of your choice from the entire list). Our server, Nicki, was chatty and outgoing. We found out Bannockburn is known for their pinot noirs. - Roaring Meg central otago pinot noir 2014 - not as good as the second pinot noir. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn pinot noir 2016 - this is their bread and butter winner. Very smooth and apparently goes great with Thai green curry. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn sauvignon blanc 2016 - not as good as the ones we had in the Marlborough region. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn target riesling 2016 - unmemorable. It was a medium sweet style. - Mt Difficulty long gully chenin blanc 2017 - this was delicious. It smells like guava and had a smooth, tropical citrus flavour to it. We considered getting a bottle ($30.00 NZD) but had too many already. - Roaring Meg Central Otago pinot noir rosé 2017 - this one was decent but it pales in comparison to the chenin blanc. Try/buy the chenin blanc! Another cool winery with a solid wine tasting.

Came here for a glass of mulled wine to slowly wind the day away on vacation. Unbeknownst to me, I…read morearrived with only 30 minutes left before they closed. Despite that, staff was kind and attentive, not rushing to close. The mulled wine hit the spot and sitting outside, even in winter, is well worth the views. There was also a woman singing opera on the wharf - drinks and show. Very nice spot.

Very attentive service and good flavors. Just beware if you order the meat trio, you should have at…read moreleast 2-3 people to take it on. 4 to be safe. Try the mussels and squid for sure.