Cellardoorscore.com recently spent a fantastic week in New Zealand’s Central Otago wine region, which is set amongst absolutely stunning scenery and is most famous for its production of Burgundy-style grapes, producing some world renowned Pinot Noir.  Outside of Pinot Noir the region produces some amazing Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer.  We had some fantastic cellar door experiences here, visiting both some old favourites and now new favourites, which tend to be smaller and more personal in nature, delivering some fun, informative and interactive experiences.  Coupled with some fabulous dining options, endless outdoor activities and breathtaking surrounds (including snow 1 week before summer!), this is one region that should be high up on the “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.  Check out our overview of the Central Otago region at http://www.cellardoorscore.com/ and our detailed cellar door reviews at http://www.cellardoorscore.com/central-otago.html

​Well, after a bit of a sabbatical in Scandinavia (although we did manage to visit one winery in Sweden!), we are back to the task at hand, visiting and promoting cellar door experiences.  First stop was a fantastic couple of days in Central Victoria where we visited a few old favourites and one new cellar door that maintains the very high standard of cellar doors in the area.
 
The area has all you need to make for a great wine getaway including fantastic restaurants, cellar doors, a wonderful new Sofitel hotel and spa at Mitchelton and even a winery based river cruise.  We always enjoy the tranquillity and hospitality of the cellar doors in this area and highly recommend it as a great, relaxing couple of days away.
 
Congratulations ​to Mitchelton Winery and Tahbilk Winery who's "2 door" awards were both reaffirmed (with both overall scores increasing to 18/20), Wine by Sam who received our "2 door" award and Fowles Wine who's "1 door" award was reaffirmed (with an increased score of 17/20) 

Refer to our Nagambie Lakes and Strathbogie Ranges pages for further information, including detailed reviews and ratings of individual cellar doors visited.

Cellardoorscore.com was recently invited to visit the new cellar door at Scotchmans Hill and what an amazing transformation it was!  The new facilities really take advantage of the amazing views of Port Phillip Bay and the Melbourne city skyline and the Cape Cod style cottage has been remodelled to provide an open and inviting cellar door experience, with a central fireplace and couches for those chilly winter days and a large outdoor seating area for those warmer summer days.  The wine tasting list is extensive, including a number of “cellar door only” wines and the new food offering provides a great mix of light dishes (the pork buns were delicious!).  We understand there are also further plans to expand the dining offering in the future.  As a result of this transformation, we have updated our review of the Scotchmans Hill experience, with an increase in score from 14.5 to 18 and “2 Doors” being awarded.  Congratulations Scotchmans Hill and thank you for inviting us to experience your new, very well thought out, cellar door offering.(Photo courtesy of Scotchmans Hill)

The Wairarapa wine region, in the south of New Zealand's North Island, may be a relatively small region producing only around 1% of New Zealand's wine, but packs a big punch in terms of wine and food offerings. 
Reviews of cellardoorscore.com ‘s latest trip to the region are now up on the website, with special congratulations ​going to Tirohana Estate and Margrain Vineyard who both received a "1 door" award and Cambridge Road and Martinborough Vineyard who both received our “hidden gem” award.
The region offers a great range of styles and varieties and with it’s long growing season, low rainfall, high sunshine hours and cool nights, offers great conditions for the beautiful Pinot Noir that is a focus of many in the area.  The cellar doors in the region tend to be smaller boutique operations which make for some great personal experiences whereby you will often be dealing directly with the owners and/or winemakers who will be more than happy to take you through their range of wines.  There are also has some fantastic dining options in the area, including at a number of the cellar doors, and the compact nature of the region makes it perfect for wine and food lovers to explore on foot or by bike.  Definitely one to add to the list next time you are on New Zealand’s beautiful North Island!

Hawke's Bay on New Zealand's North Island is home to not only some our favourite cellar doors, but some of our favourite New Zealand wines and dining spots.  
 
Reviews of cellardoorscore.com’s latest trip to the region are now up on the website, with special congratulations ​going to Craggy Range and Elephant Hill who's "2 door" awards and Black Barn Vineyards  "1 door" award were all reaffirmed and Askerne who received a "1 door" award.  
With it’s long wine producing history, Bordeaux-like climate and varying terroir, the region is producing some sensational red wines including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah as well as a wide variety of beautiful white wines including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris, to name just a few.  This, coupled with some amazing cellar door experiences, spectacular mountain and beach scenery and excellent range of dining options makes this region an absolute must visit for wine and food lovers.

Already one of cellardoorscore.com's favourite New Zealand wineries, Craggy Range has recently refurbished their cellar door and we were lucky enough to check it out on our recent trip to Hawkes Bay.
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Now boasting a range of tasting options, including a tasting of two vintages of their 3 Prestige Collection wines, each of which we thought were stunning representations of wines from the region, the new cellar door definitely offers a unique and outstanding experience.
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With the spectacular backdrop of the Te Mata Peak, which you can take in while enjoying some amazing fresh, seasonal produce at their Terroir Restaurant, the beautiful architecturally designed buildings, one of which houses a striking underground barrel room and the endless views of vineyards and mountains, this is definitely a must visit when in the area.  A huge thank you to Matt for hosting us and taking us through their fabulous range of wines and showing us around this amazing family run operation 😀🍷
#cellardoorscore #craggyrange

From some of the largest underground cellars in the world, to amazing boutique family operations, Penedes, the home of Cava, is a fascinating region to visit.
Reviews of our recent trip are now available on our Penedes page, with congratulations to Codorniu who received a “2 door” award and Cava Guilera who received our hidden gem award.
With thousands of years of winemaking history in the region and a great variety of wines due its many microclimates, Penedes is a must stop off for wine lovers, particularly those that like to indulge in a little Sparkling!
#cellardoorscore @codorniuglobal @cavaguilera

​Jerez, the home of Sherry, is a beautiful Spanish city with numerous Bodegas within a short stroll of town, each having something a little different to offer and we really enjoyed the diversity of experiences and amazing products of this region.  
 
Reviews of our recent trip are now available at cellardoorscore.com, with congratulations to Bodegas Fundador who received a “1 door” award and Bodegas Tradicion who received our hidden gem award 👏👏
 
It's fair to say we hadn’t had much experience with Sherry before visiting here, other than the odd Pedro Ximinez 😉, but we certainly found this an extremely informative and interesting region to visit.  It was also fantastic to hear about not only the amazing history, but how many of the Bodegas are looking to take Sherry forward into the future, and if some of the Sherry cocktails we sampled are any indication, we’re certainly looking forward to seeing what comes next! 😀🍷🍹#cellardoorscore @bodegasfundador @bodegastradicion