Marlborough: Winemakers Day Tour & Boutique Wineries with Lunch

4.95

(265 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest — I almost bailed when I saw the forecast (drizzle again), but our guide, Pete, just shrugged and handed me a raincoat. “Best way to smell the vines,” he said. So we started out in the rows at Lawson’s Dry Hills, boots squelching in the wet grass. Pete talked about the soil — he actually grabbed a handful and let us feel it. I never thought dirt could smell like white peaches and river stones but there you go. He answered every weird question we threw at him (I asked about frost fans; someone else wanted to know if sheep ever escape into the grapes).

The first wine tasting was inside this tiny cellar — it felt more like someone’s living room than a fancy tasting room. We tried a sauvignon blanc that tasted like cut grass and lime peel, and Pete laughed when my friend tried to pronounce “terroir.” After that, we hopped between a few more family-owned wineries (I lost count after three). There was one spot where the owner herself poured us pinot noir and told us how her dad still hand-prunes half the vines. The stories kind of stick with you longer than the flavors do, honestly.

Lunch was at this vineyard restaurant with big windows looking out over rows of yellowing leaves — I ordered fish because Pete said it paired best with their chardonnay. The whole place smelled like wood smoke and rosemary. We lingered over coffee longer than planned because nobody really wanted to leave yet. Someone suggested stopping at Makana Chocolate Shop on the way back — not gonna lie, I bought more truffles than I should’ve.

We finished at DNA Brewery for those who wanted beer or cider (I stuck with wine). By then, the sun had come out for maybe ten minutes and everything looked washed clean. It wasn’t what I pictured when I searched for a day trip Marlborough wine tour from Blenheim — it was better in that messy, real way travel sometimes is.