Central Otago grows Pinot Noir unlike anywhere else in New Zealand, on schist and gravel terraces shaped by glaciers and banked against the Southern Alps. Wānaka sits at the quieter, cooler edge of that story. Bannockburn and Gibbston Valley get most of the attention further south. Still, the vines around Mt Barker, Riverbank Road and the shores of the lake itself are producing wine on our doorstep, and worth a second look from anyone who thought they already knew Central Otago. If this is your first run at the region, our ultimate guide to Wānaka is a useful place to start before narrowing in on the glass.
Let the season decide what’s worth pouring in your glass. In late summer, when the lake is at its warmest and the cicadas are loud in the willows, a chilled Rosé or Sauvignon Blanc does the job. By autumn, as the poplars turn and the first frosts settle into the Matukituki Valley, it’s Pinot Noir weather again, even better if it’s by an open fire.
Here’s where to taste local wines when you’re on holiday in Wānaka.
The cellar doors worth finding
Aitken’s Folly, on Riverbank Road, keeps its small cellar door open every day from midday to five (if the flag’s flying, they’re open). The three acres produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The latter rewards a little patience in the glass; pair it with seafood, pork or roast poultry, and it opens up.
Maude Wines runs its tasting room on Golf Course Road on the hour, noon to 5pm, Thursday to Sunday; bookings are recommended. Sarah-Kate and Dan Dineen built the winery beneath Mt Maude itself, and the Mt Maude Pinot Gris is the one to seek out: textural, fuller-bodied, a useful detour for anyone who thinks they only drink Chardonnay. Quick bites available, including their famed cheeseboard.
Nanny Goat Vineyard sits about fifteen minutes from town in Queensberry, producing BioGro organic wines on old terraces of loess, gravel and broken schist. The cellar door opens 11am to 5pm, Thursday to Monday, with a grazing menu and a potbelly fire for the cooler months. Groups larger than six should book ahead. The Super Nanny Pinot Noir is the one collectors and enthusiasts ask for by name, though the lighter Basket Case blend is worth tasting first.
Paddons Paddock, on the Wānaka-Luggate Highway under a stand of silver birch and oak, is more relaxed again: picnic rugs on the lawn, pizzas from the cellar door kitchen, live music on lazy Sunday summer afternoons. The cellar door opens most days for tastings, except in winter, generally May through July, but double-check current hours before driving out. Their Pinot Noir (bottled since they opened in 2014) and the Sauvignon Gris are the wines locals tend to order twice.
Rippon Vineyard, on the western shore of the lake, has been farmed biodynamically by the Mills family since 1912 and holds some of the region’s oldest vines. Tastings are run by appointment (daily, 11am to 5pm), and free though there’s a NZ$10 penalty for no-shows and cancellations within 12 hours of your booking.
For anyone who wants more than a sample, a private tasting through the farm and the cellar, with more time and more conversation, runs at NZ$45 a person. The Gewurztraminer is worth the booking on its own; the Osteiner, a cross found almost nowhere else in the country, will double that reward.
When a guide does the driving
All the above cellar doors are a short car journey from Wānaka , but what if someone else could do the driving for you? Having someone else behind the wheel means longer pours, slower conversations and no need to choose a designated driver among friends. Some guests prefer pedal power instead; the lakefront route out to Rippon is an easy ride, and our guide to biking in Wānaka covers the best of the lakeside tracks.
Let us know and we’ll put together a private guide and the right bookings before you arrive, particularly for cellar doors like Rippon that need an appointment.
Akitu, up on Maxwell Road in Mt Barker, has no cellar door at all, but its award-winning Pinot Noir is worth seeking out elsewhere. The 12-hectare site grows A1 and A2 Pinot Noir, plus a Pinot Noir Blanc, made as a blanc de noir, nothing short of sublime on a summer evening. Track it down through the better wine merchants in town or ask us where to find it.
Bring the cellar door home
Not every good tasting room in Wānaka has a name above the door. Some are simply the kitchen you’re already staying in.
At Aurum, the designer kitchen opens straight onto a landscaped courtyard built for an outdoor fire, with the lake stretched out below and the mountains ahead. We can’t think of better views to backdrop your glass of local Pinot Noir.
The Dacha‘s private, secluded gardens give you room to set your own table among the schist stonework, pour a flight of Pinot Noir from the afternoon’s haul and let the conversation run as the stars light up above you.
At Mahu Whenua, the cellar selection is part of the stay itself. The on-site chefs build dinner around premium local wines each evening, so the homestead becomes its own tasting room without anyone having to drive.
Enquire about staying at any of these properties this season, or request information about our Black Label properties, including Mount Barker, up there alongside Akitu’s vineyard.
One good afternoon at Wānaka vineyards
Gourmet stays in the Southern Lakes are one of our favourite holidays to build for guests, but if it’s just one day you’ve got to dedicate to Wānaka wines try this day trip through the vines.
Start at Aitken’s Folly on Riverbank Road first, before the day gets busy, a glass of Chardonnay on the deck with the schist visible in the cut of the riverbank below.
Then, head north to Golf Course Road for Maude at midday, the flight poured slowly, Mt Maude holding its line behind the tasting room.
Lunch is whatever’s in the chilly bin, eaten on the bank of the Clutha or back at the house, no booking required. Or consider Wānaka’s restaurants, worth a table if you’d rather not pack one.
Laze away your afternoon at Rippon, the vines running down to the lake, the Mills family’s biodynamic rows still warm from the afternoon.
This gets your home by five, the day’s purchases open on your own deck, a last flight poured as the sun drops and the lake turns from blue to pewter.
Browse the full Wānaka accommodation collection, or get in touch and we’ll help shape the day around it.