* Drove from Nelson to Renwick, which is a town in the heart of Marlborough wine country
* Dodged the rain to rent bikes and tool around the vineyards, stopping for wine tastings along the way
* Stayed at Watson’s Way backpackers, a wonderful place with big clean rooms, a gorgeous kitchen, and the friendliest proprietors (Pat and Paul) you can ask for – highly recommend if you are ever in the area
* Dodged the rain to rent bikes and tool around the vineyards, stopping for wine tastings along the way
* Stayed at Watson’s Way backpackers, a wonderful place with big clean rooms, a gorgeous kitchen, and the friendliest proprietors (Pat and Paul) you can ask for – highly recommend if you are ever in the area
The Good:
* We may have found the only good deal in New Zealand – wine tasting! Most of the vineyards do not charge for wine tasting, and often let you have 5 – 6 pours of their catalog! We only need to do that every day for the next 1-2 years to make up for the fleecing that has occurred on other parts of our trip.
* Our accommodations in Renwick were lovely, especially the owners Pat and Paul. They treated us like their children (even handing us chocolates on our way out!), have a good rate on bike rentals, and are ready to give great advice about which wineries to visit (and which ones are free!).
* We made some new friends at dinner – Oscar and Annika – who are from Sweden, on a 6 month journey that will take them to New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Africa. We hope to meet up in Southeast Asia in a month or so!
* Our accommodations in Renwick were lovely, especially the owners Pat and Paul. They treated us like their children (even handing us chocolates on our way out!), have a good rate on bike rentals, and are ready to give great advice about which wineries to visit (and which ones are free!).
* We made some new friends at dinner – Oscar and Annika – who are from Sweden, on a 6 month journey that will take them to New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Africa. We hope to meet up in Southeast Asia in a month or so!
The Bad:
* We had to be strategic about biking due to the off-and-on rain, but we managed to stay much drier than yesterday
After arriving at our hotel for the evening at around 12PM, we were greeted by the proprietors (Pat and Paul) and allowed to check-in. We then got our bikes rented and were off for an afternoon of biking through vineyards and wine tasting. Paul was nice enough to give us a briefing complete with a hand-written annotated map with notes on all the wineries (which ones are free, which ones have food, etc). It’s a speech he’s given hundreds of times before, but delivered it to us with the patience and excitement as if this were his first day on the job.
The Marlborough wine region is known mostly for its Sauvignon Blancs. Here are some pics of the vineyards:
Here is Carrie after a little wine…
…and here is Carrie after *a lot* of wine (oh dear!). Notice me in the background (I am being reflected by a mirror).
And, in case you’re interested, here are the wineries we visited, with a brief note on our favorites…most of these have distributors in the US so be on the lookout!
No. 1 Family Estate: Sparkling only, owned by Daniel LeBrun who is apparently some big-time champagne guy from the Champagne region in France; wines were pretty good although I don’t think we had a true standout
Huia (pronounced Hoo-ee-ah): we loved the Huia Botrytised Riesling 2009 (a dessert wine; in full disclosure we bought a bottle); also really liked the Huia Sauvignon Blanc 2012 and the Huia Merlot Rose 2010
Giesen: this is one of the bigger wineries in the region (which always makes me suspicious); we liked the Brothers Sauvignon Blanc 2011 and the Viognier 2010
Nautilus: another big winery, all of their wines were decent but did not standout; we liked the Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Framingham Wines: this winery has a gorgeous courtyard with rose bushes, and a cellar that anyone can go down to; we liked their Framingham Sauvignon Blanc 2012, the Framingham Classic Riesling 2010, and the Framingham Noble Riesling 2012
Gibson Bridge: this is a small winery that does not have a distributor in the US; it was started by a husband and wife as a second career to pursue their life-long dream; we enjoyed the Pinot Gris 2010 Reserve (Andy’s fav), Pinot Gris 2009 Reserve (Carrie’s fav), and the Pinot Gris 2010 Cellar Selection (serendipitously, a blend of Andy’s and Carrie’s favorites!)
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