Veni, Vidi, Vino Vino

We came, we saw, we drank lots of wine



Our visit to the Marlborough vineyards commenced in excellent conditions, a clear blue sky at the wonderfully hospitable Watson Way Backpackers. This is a charming place with with friendly hosts, Paul and Pat, who name all their rooms after children and grandchildren - we stayed in the Mark room.

They also hire bikes, which we availed ourselves of and set off early for our first tipple at 9.30am. On our meagre budgets we were keen to identify all the vineyards that gave free tastings - however we did find it extremely difficult to cycle away and not purchase several bottles as we would have done back in California.

We restricted ourselves to purchasing 3 of the best which would be drunk over the next week, with the best to be saved for the day we return after tramping in Nelson lakes for a week.

In total we visited 9 vineyards and had a jolly good time cycling around this very picturesque valley. In order of appearance we went to:

Cloudy Bay - As expected from one of Marlborough's most respected vineyards, the wines were all fabulous and so we we saved our untainted palates for this one first. It was a shame we could only buy 1 bottle.

Hunters - Run by a highly lauded female winemaker, the wines included some strange mixes (not quite our taste), and also a very nice sculpture garden and artist studio

The Wine Cellar - sampling selected wines from boutique vineyards, we tried several from Bouldevine - all were excellent including a great Pinot Noir - we did not buy here as we had a couple of expected winners to come, but it was very hard to leave empty handed

Prenzel - Also at the wine cellar - this was not really a vineyard, but worth mentioning as they provided a wickedly delicious chocolate liquer

Nautilus - An old favourite of ours that we have visited every time we have come to Marlborough - they have a fantastic logo and selection of art as well as superb wines. The "Bubbles" was very refreshing and their Sav Blanc is excellent. They also had probably the best Pinot Noir we tasted that day.

Wirau River - Classic crisp wines and a great place to grab lunch. They have a very nice spot to sit out and offer some mouthwatering food options. The pick of the wines here has to be their desert wine late harvest Riesling, like liquid honey.

Bladen - This small tasting room is slightly off the beaten track but well worth it. Every wine here was fabulous, light and balanced - we could have easily picked up 1 of everything, but settled for a gewurtztraminer to go with our Green curry planned that evening.

We have to admit that at this stage we were feeling rather jollyfied by the samplingn and a rousing rendition of Stand by Me with percussion effects provided by Gary could be heard across the vines.

Framingham - The tasting rooms here have an older fashioned feel and the owner was originally from Norfolk England (Gary went to school at Framlingham in Suffolk - so it seemed like a good place to try). Taste buds at this point were a little shot, but the wines were all pleasant, especially the Pinot Grigio.

Gibson Bridge - Our final stop. This very small boutique vinyard had only been going for a couple of years and unusually did not offer a Sav Blanc. He specialised in Pinot Grigio. The wines were great, but with a heavy backpack already we had to keep ourselves in check not to buy a further bottle


and the winners are:

Cloudy Bay - Sauvingnon Blanc
Nautilus - Sauvingnon Blanc
Bladen - Gewurtztraminer

There were many others we would have happily snapped up, but unfortunately budget and weight did not allow

Off to Nelson lakes next to work of multiple curries and wines