Monday, Dec 22nd, Mar, Dan & I rented bikes in Blenheim and took a tour of the local wineries by bike. The Marlborough area is New Zealand’s most important and largest wine area and is world famous for its Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
We got to visit 7 wineries in the area. Many are smaller and have wine you don't normally see in the grocery or wine shops. The people were very friendly and let us try lots of different wines. Mostly whites, especially savignon blanc which is what the area if known for growing.
The Gibson Bridge 'cellar door' was pretty fun - this guy and his wife run the whole winery themselves and set up the tasting area in their garage. They've already won a bunch of awards, and the wine was quite good.
The weather was amazing -- sunny and warm and great for a leisurely bike ride on country roads. We even packed a picnic for lunch.
The Marlborough area is beautiful. Lots of sunshine and vineyards everywhere.
This impressive winery is Highfield Estate. They have a nice restaurant as well as wine for tasting. We were able to go up into the tower to get panoramic views of the countryside. This was one of the only wineries that charged a fee for wine tasting (so we just took a look around and skipped the wine at this one).
We enjoyed sitting outside and tasting the wines at Matua Valley winery. The scenery is so beautiful and the setting so relaxed. We didn't see a lot of other visitors when we were at the wineries -- some other bikers but that was about it. I think it gets quite busy on some summer weekends, but it was so nice and relaxing when we were there.
Dan and Marlene riding along the country roads. It was a very good day. By the end of the day we had our wine panniers almost full of wine and olive oil (which some of the wineries also make). It was a really fun day.
We got to visit 7 wineries in the area. Many are smaller and have wine you don't normally see in the grocery or wine shops. The people were very friendly and let us try lots of different wines. Mostly whites, especially savignon blanc which is what the area if known for growing.
The Gibson Bridge 'cellar door' was pretty fun - this guy and his wife run the whole winery themselves and set up the tasting area in their garage. They've already won a bunch of awards, and the wine was quite good.
The weather was amazing -- sunny and warm and great for a leisurely bike ride on country roads. We even packed a picnic for lunch.
The Marlborough area is beautiful. Lots of sunshine and vineyards everywhere.
This impressive winery is Highfield Estate. They have a nice restaurant as well as wine for tasting. We were able to go up into the tower to get panoramic views of the countryside. This was one of the only wineries that charged a fee for wine tasting (so we just took a look around and skipped the wine at this one). 
We enjoyed sitting outside and tasting the wines at Matua Valley winery. The scenery is so beautiful and the setting so relaxed. We didn't see a lot of other visitors when we were at the wineries -- some other bikers but that was about it. I think it gets quite busy on some summer weekends, but it was so nice and relaxing when we were there.
Dan and Marlene riding along the country roads. It was a very good day. By the end of the day we had our wine panniers almost full of wine and olive oil (which some of the wineries also make). It was a really fun day.
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