Reviewing the cellar door experience across some of the world's greatest and most beautiful wine regionsIf you have had a cellar door experience that you would love to share with us and your fellow winery loving community, be it at one of the 350+ cellar doors we have reviewed to date or any other cellar doors that you have visited around the world, please feel free to add your own comments and ratings in the comments boxes on each of our pages.
We would truly love to hear what you have to say! In focus this month - New Zealand - Central Otago
Central Otago is an informal name for the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The area commonly known as Central Otago includes both the Central Otago District and the Queenstown Lakes District to its west.
The Central Otago District, which is the world's southern-most commercial wine growing region, is made up of a few different sub areas and is home to around 80 wineries. The region is most famous for its production of Burgundy-style grapes, producing some world renowned Pinot-Noir. Outside of Pinot Noir the region produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer. Sparkling wine is made in the traditional style from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. There are a vast range of cellar door experiences in the area, but most still tend to be smaller, family run operations offering a more personalised tasting experience. One thing that stands out in this region are the views, with many of the cellar doors having amazing views of the magnificent backdrops of mountains, vines and lakes. A number of the cellar doors also offer dining options ranging from highly regarded restaurants to more casual food platters. Outside of wine, there really is something for everyone in this region. Amazing ski fields situated within a short drive, beautiful and varied dining options, sensational vistas, a variety of hiking/walking tracks and for those a little more adventurous there are a multitude of adrenalin activities on offer. When in the region we tend to stay in Queenstown which makes for a good base. While many of the wineries are a 30-45 min drive from here, they tend to be in clusters, so you can take a few day trips and cover off on a few at a time, leaving the ones closer to Queenstown for a shorter trip. We really do enjoy coming to this area and if you haven't been, it is one of those places that really should be added to you must-do list! Congratulations to Misha's Vineyard, Mount Edward and Wooing Tree Vineyard who each received a "Hidden Gem" award and to Amisfield and Wet Jacket who's ratings were upgraded. Refer to our Central Otago page for detailed reviews and ratings of individual cellar doors visited. Feature Review
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