Hawkes Bay is one of the most incredible wine regions in New Zealand and if you know anything about us, we like to drink wine, so it makes sense this is where I took Mike for his 30th. In two and a half days we hit up 5 wineries and a couple more decent places to eat and drink to boot. Here’s what we reckon.
Abbey Cellars Winery
They call themselves ‘Wine with Soul’ and you get that even with the drive up to the winery, you can just tell this place is something special. Set in an absolutely stunning part of Hawkes Bay, the church-like concrete building stands prominently amongst the acres of vines and is a beautiful place to sit and enjoy a wine or two. They offer beer and wine tastings and also wines by the glass if you’d just prefer to take your drink outside and enjoy the vista like we did. We sat and watched the sun go down on the vines and endured the winter chill to make the most of the afternoon. I had a glass of the rose and bought a bottle to take home and drink later on. We love the fact this is a family owned vineyard and had a chat to the winemakers dad, who lives right next door. It’s one of our favourite things, talking to the people who call a place like this home. Put it on the list, but make sure you check their website before you visit to make sure they’re open. They close in the winter months. They’re sensible like that.
abbeycellars.com 1769 Maraekakaho Rd, Flaxmere, Hastings 4171
Mission Estate
The building is gorgeous, there’s no denying that and I reckon along with the history of the place the main draw card, apart from the wine I reckon. Mission Estate was established in 1851 by French missionaries, making it one of the oldest wineries in NZ and probably one of the prettiest. It’s the closest winery to Napier and one of the busiest, so you will likely have to queue for a wine tasting even in the winter months. They have a restaurant on site too, which looks pretty classy and is meant to be pretty nice by all accounts if you’re looking to eat out. We paid the small fee for wine tasting here and came away with a souvenir wine glass each which is pretty cool and not something we’ve experienced before. The wines are pretty good, as they are everywhere around here, nothing that blew our minds, but worth the visit.
missionestate.co.nz 198 Church Road, Napier, Hawke’s Bay 
Church Road
Of the wineries we visited, this is one of my faves. The grandeur of the building, the cozy feeling of the interior and the delicious drops of wine make Church Road a little special. We were taken through our tasting by a Canadian dude that seemed to know what he was talking about and he kept the experience interesting with his tidbits of knowledge. Church Road wine is readily available in supermarkets and bottle shops, but they have a few different series available at the cellar door to suit everyone’s taste and budget. At some wineries you’ll have the joy of coming across a wine that you’ve never tried before and this was one of those. We tasted a couple of wines that aren’t that common over here and that’s what I like in a tasting, something that extends you, challenges you and ends with you buying your first bottle of the full-bodied Tempranillo red.
church-road.co.nz 150 Church Road, Taradale, Hawkes Bay
Trinity Hill
The wine is good, the building is modern and it’s perfectly located for a stop off on the Gimmlet Gravels, one of the best growing areas there is. This wasn’t the first time I’ve hit up this tasting room, but stepping inside on a cold wintery Saturday provided quite a different vibe than the last time when it was full of people and sun was shining in. A little quieter, but we were greeted by friendly and knowledgeable staff who knew their wine stuff. We were starving by the point we arrived so were keen to eat some food. During the Summer months they have woodfired pizzas but it’s just platters on the menu in the cooler months, which is just fine by us. Nothing beats cheese and crackers and roasted almonds, especially when they’re the best damn almonds we’ve ever eaten. Stop by and eat some nuts…and try the wine.
trinityhill.com 2396 State Highway 50 RD 5, Hastings, New Zealand 4175
Craggy Range
Craggy Range has the wow factor. Set in the shadow of the mighty Te Mata peak, the building has a presence that is only comparable to the ranges behind it. Craggy Range hosts both a Cellar Door and Terrôir Restaurant, which I’ve heard is pretty good. We stuck to a glass of red each at the Cellar Door, sat and relaxed in front of the large window at the front of the property and enjoyed the end of the day as the sun set around us.
craggyrange.com 253 Waimarama Road, Havelock North 4294
Other Vineyards worth hitting up
- Alpha Domus www.alphadomus.co.nz
- Crossroads Search Results www.crossroadswines.co.nz
- Black Barn www.blackbarn.com
- Te Mata www.temata.co.nz