CULINARY DELIGHTS


Hapuku Lodge


New Zealand’s wine offering may already be highly regarded around the world, but with good wine comes good food and this destination also serves up outstanding cuisine


If you’re a wine fan, you’re bound to be familiar with New Zealand’s standing as a leader in new world wine. From the famed crisp and delicate notes of sauvignon blancs from Marlborough to the mouth- watering flavours of the pinot noirs from Central Otago, there’s a tipple for all tastes, across its 10 major wine-producing regions. And with more than 500 wineries


across the country, there’s bound to be plenty of new varieties, producers and cellar doors for clients to discover – and that’s because the vast majority are boutique, small-scale operations producing low volumes of exquisite and niche varieties.


Fine wine To experience more unknown wine producers, suggest the 300-mile Classic New Zealand Wine Trail to clients. The trail starts in Napier and Hastings where wine lovers can enjoy a Hawke’s


10 TOURISM NEW ZEALAND


Bay cycle tour. On day two, clients should head to Martinborough, a small town in the Wairarapa, easy for walking or cycling in between vineyards, with plenty of small boutique properties to choose from. Alternatively the Wharekauhau Country Estate is just a short drive away. The trail continues in the capital


Wellington, where a trip to artisan cheese shops or joining a gastronomy tour is a great way to explore the capital. Next, head over to the South Island,


either by ferry to Picton wharf or a short domestic flight to Blenheim. Here you’ll find an abundance of wineries within walking, cycling or driving distance. Recommend clients finish the day with a cruise on the Marlborough Sounds and enjoy seafood delights such as fresh oysters and green lipped mussels. For something extra special, suggest


a helicopter or Land Rover tour of some of Cloudy Bay’s land before a well- deserved wine tasting. Many of


AGENT’S VIEW “No visit to New Zealand


would be complete without trying the famous green lipped mussels and a glass of world- famous sauvignon blanc in Marlborough, the country’s largest wine region. Enjoy the cuisine surrounded by the most wonderful views, whether on board a yacht in the


Marlborough Sounds or among the vines at Cloudy Bay.”


TRINA ELLIOT Beaver Travel


TRAVELTRADE.NEWZEALAND.COM


CREDITS: Alistair Guthrie; Chris Sisarich; Shutterstock


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