Martinborough - Wellington's prime wine area  
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Martinborough - Wellington's prime wine area - January 1999
We continued on to Martinborough, where we were disappointed that we could not find any wineries doing lunches as in the remainder of New Zealand. We went to five wineries but left two, Ata Rangi and Lintz, immediately as they had started to charge for tasting - we only wish to try a small number of wines primarily those which we might buy in England and not be committed to buying or drinking more than we want or would be wise. We started at Te Kairangi, who we had previously visited. They were once more most helpful and instructive and we bought a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot and then had a picnic in their grounds. We also went to Martinborough Vineyard and Palliser, both have lovely sites and were again very friendly and helpful but were only sampling their white wines which, although pleasant, we found poor value compared to their Hawkes Bay equivalents, and without sufficiently unique character to justify the prices. We see the Martinborough wine area as worthy of a stop if you are passing by - the town of Martinborough itself is very pleasant and is surrounded by vineyards. It is not area from which to purchase wines unless you are particular interested in Pinot Noir, where they have an excellent and justified reputation for winning medals, and are prepared to pay a less justified premium of 50% over other regions wines of the same calibre.
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