Today I set out for Martinborough, the wine tasting region 1 1/2 hours outside of Wellington. Since the train was out of service there were private buses that took the same amount of time as the train. The bus was a double decker (so of course I sat upstairs đ) with comfy seats. Because the bus wasnât equipped with a snapper card reader, they couldnât charge and the trip was free! Only in New Zealand.
It was a beautiful morning and I had a great view from the upper level of the bus as we went up and over the Rimutaka mountain range on Highway 2. There are steep drop offs, similar to driving Highway 1 to Stinson Beach. I was very glad that I didnât have to drive, being on the upper level of the bus near the front was rather disconcerting going around some of the very tight corners, especially when other buses or large trucks were coming towards us. At least it was nice weather, I donât think I would go on it on a windy, rainy day! The bus dropped us off in Featherston, where we took a smaller bus to Martinborough. Featherston has a small but cute downtown – a couple of cafes, a retro clothes store, bookstore and other shops. After about two blocks it peters out and becomes farms and fields for miles. We passed lots of cows and sheep.
Martinborough is a bigger town, with a central square, reminiscent of Sonoma, surrounded by restaurants, cafĂ©s, and a couple of hotels. I stopped in at the visitor information center/coffee shop/library/business center/Plunkett care. Basically it was a community hub! I asked for suggestions of wineries that I could go to that were walking distance from downtown, and was told that almost all the the wineries were within a 5 to 20 minute walk from downtown, and there were even a few cellar doors (the kiwi term for tasting rooms) on the square itself. I saw a few folks riding bikes to the wineries, if I had been there with someone I think that wouldâve been a great option, especially if you bought more than a couple bottles of wine.
The first winery I went to, Margrain, was about a 10 minute walk from town. Along the way I passed some adorable houses with beautiful flowers. The Wairarapa region, where Martinborough is located, is warmer than Wellington. Today it was a good 10° warmer there than it was in Wellington and no wind. The air was filled with the warm, heavy scent of flowers and trees, it was a fantastic day to be outside walking. I tried a variety of wines, mainly whites, though since the region is known for its Pinot Noirs, I did taste a Pinot Noir. I had to laugh at the long and tongue-in-cheek descriptions of the wines. They were definitely, as they say, in New Zealand âtaking the pissâ on other more serious wineries descriptions of their wines. There was no tasting fee at this winery, apparently itâs free during the week when things are quieter. When wineries do charge a tasting fee, it is very minimal, most seem to charge $10-$15 for tastings which gives you five different wines to taste, though when they say âtasteâ thatâs what they mean, they are very short pours just enough for two to three big sips.Â
The next winery I went to, Schubertâs, was just down the block. I had a great conversation with the assistant winemaker, a young man from Germany, who moved to New Zealand specifically to work in the wine industry. We both laughed over how casual things are in New Zealand, the whole âsheâll be rightâ attitude, the polar opposite of how things are in Germany, and the US. I ended up buying a Syrah, which had a lovely peppery taste to it, and a dessert wine.
At this point I was getting hungry, so I headed to Poppies, where I heard that in addition to good wines, the food they served was delicious. It was a beautiful setting, with tables scattered throughout the courtyard and grassy picnic area, and a long bar inside for tasting, with a fireplace and seating area at one end. I ended up getting a bottle of each of the two wines I really liked, the Pinot Gris, which is their specialty, and a GewĂŒrztraminer. After my tasting, I sat outside and had the most amazing ânibble trayâ. Normally itâs for two people, but they gave me a half size portion for half price, though I have a feeling I got more than half – there were 15 different items, including gourmet pork loin, steak, salmon and quiche. It was looked beautiful and tasted even more amazing!
I finished off my time in Martinborough with a much needed coffee at the Village Café and Bar, listening to alternative Christmas songs on a lovely warm afternoon.  Too soon it was time to board the bus back for the reverse journey. I love the casual laid-back atmosphere here, it would be great to come back for a week and go to a couple different wineries every day, walk and bike around to see the adorable houses.
Surprisingly, I really enjoy going wine tasting by myself. I had some interesting conversations with pourers and other patrons. I met a family group who had been riding E-bikes through the mountains for the last couple of days, a couple of friends from Auckland on their yearly get together, a couple from Christchurch getting away for a long weekend. I was on the same bus to and from Martinborough with this last couple. On the way back we talked about the wineries we went to and they asked me lots of questions about living in and visiting the U.S. They have been around a lot of Asia but Hawaii is the only part of the U.S. they have seen. They were wondering if itâs like the movies (umm no). And they wanted to know what the likelihood was that they would get a gun pulled on them, their perception was that everyone had a gun (or several guns), and that people got held up quite frequently. They were also amazed when talk turned to working in the U.S. and what kind of benefits people did and didnât get. I think many New Zealanders donât realize how good they have it. They are definitely inequities in New Zealand society, but itâs nothing like the growing chasm between those who have and those who have not, as well as the gulf between those who have a lot and those who have just enough to get by in the US.
One response to “Martinborough Wine Tasting”
What an amazing way to spend a day!