Sauv Blanc on the South Island

In the Marlborough wine region it’s easy to feel a little heady – and it’s not just the effect of the intense and complex and sensual Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs that have made this small northeastern corner of the South Island a star destination on the world’s wine map. It’s also the scenery: the surrounding mountains that shelter the vines from climatic extremes; the rocky, braided rivers on whose flinty alluvial plains the grapes thrive, and the vines themselves, stretching for kilometres in every direction and glowing near-psychedelic green in the sun. This beautiful and bountiful part of New Zealand is the best place in the world for growing sauvignon blanc and the wines here taste like nowhere else on earth. 

Although 85% of the vineyards are devoted to the production of world-class sauvignon blanc, the region also produces first-class pinot noir, chardonnay, aromatic wines and méthode traditionelle sparkling wines. A day of cellar door-hopping might also seem sufficient at first, but Marlborough is a place where visitors tend to linger.

Where to taste

In Marlborough, geography and technology neatly solve the wine tourist’s perennial problem of where to go and what to taste. Although the landscape of undulating hills and wide valleys has three wine-growing sub-regions, most of the 37 cellar doors are clustered around the township of Renwick in the Wairau Valley, 12 kilometres west of the main town of Blenheim. The flat terrain of the valley floor makes for blissfully easy taste-touring, while travellers are further assisted by the handy interactive wine trail map on Wine Marlborough.    

Another perennial problem for wine tourists – drink-driving – is solved by full- or half-day self-guided or small-group guided biking tours operated by several local providers. Tours typically visit five or six boutique wineries chosen by knowledgeable guides, and include a relaxed lunch. The terrain is mostly flat, and pick-ups and returns to accommodation make the experience even more stress-free. And don’t worry – if it rains, tours are made by car.

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Where to eat

Unsurprisingly, Marlborough is a haven for food lovers. Farmers markets, artisan producers, food trails and regular food festivals dot the landscape along with restaurants and eateries ranging from bean-bag-on-the-terrace-style relaxed to award-winning degustation and à la carte dining. Vineyard restaurants in Marlborough attract international- and Michelin-level chefs, and the cuisine is innovative and based on seasonal local ingredients.

Dining options in close proximity to Renwick include Brancott Estate (try lunch with matched wines); the Bistro (lunch and dinner) and Gourmet (dinner only) at Hans Herzog Estate; Rock Ferry Cellar Door & Café (seasonally inspired organic cooking); Wairau River Wines (the blue cheese soufflé is wildly popular) and Allan Scott Winery (well known for its seafood chowder).

What to do

If wine touring whets your appetite for seeing and tasting more, Marlborough can oblige with a host of activities including mountain biking, hiking, fishing, scuba diving, food, scenic and wildlife cruises, or just relaxing on a beach. You’ll find many of these activities in the Marlborough Sounds, a beautiful maze of ancient sea-drowned valleys in the north of the region that Captain Cook used as a base on all three of his great voyages of exploration.

The Sounds is a sanctuary for wildlife and specialist cruise operators can take you on dolphin swimming and viewing, birdwatching and whale-watching excursions, with the chance to step ashore in pristine settings. For a back-to-nature experience with a twist, take a guided inflatable kayaking tour along the beautiful Pelorus River where the wild river barrel scenes in The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug were filmed.

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