Waiheke Island > Mudbrick Vineyard
Mudbrick Vineyard |
16/20
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126 Church Bay Road, Oneroa, Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Open 10am to 5pm, 7 days, hours may be restricted in winter months, call to confirm Cards MC,V, AE |
The Verdict
To "Cellarbrate": Amazing outlook (recommend a late afternoon visit), beautiful garden setting, tasting can be done outdoors at your own pace To "Wine about": Relatively expensive tasting fee (although we found this policy to be fairly standard on Waiheke Island), however it is refundable on purchase of 3 bottles How many bottles did we buy: 2 Suitable for: Couples, Groups, overseas visitiors and Families Visited May 2016 (weekday) |
Getting There
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Country
State/Province
Region
Accessibility
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New Zealand
North Island
Waiheke Island
Paved road with 100m gravel driveway. An approximate half hour walk from the centre of Oneroa and 40 minutes from the passenger ferry. Walk is reasonably flat
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Upon Arrival
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Parking
Setting
Commercial/Boutique
Ambiance
Airconditioning/Fireplace
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There are a lot of gravel carparks, however this vineyard also has a popular restaurant and is the most popular wedding venue in New Zealand so carparking could be a problem at times. We do note, however, that they are currently in the middle of creating additional car parking to combat this
The cellar door has an American barn feel, set amongst beautiful potager gardens with many herbs and vegetables that are used in the restaurant. The view is amazing, looking over the gulf back towards the city of Auckland which looks sensational day and night
Boutique
The tasting room feels a bit like a cave with low ceilings and exposed beams and it is actually built into the side of the hill which adds to the feel. The tasting room is not very big, but they do have some adjacent rooms designed for large groups (of which there are plenty) or you can do your tasting outside. There are also plans to renovate and extend the tasting room in 2017
No/Yes
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Tasting Experience
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Number of wines on tasting
Particular wines or varietals known for
Wait time
Knowledge of wines
Staff attitude
Winery Tour Offered
Tasting seating available at counter
Tasting sheet/order form provided for notes
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5 per tasting menu (up to 14 in total)
Velvet
There was no wait time, which was good given there were a number of small groups completing tastings. We do understand, however, that it can get particularly busy during the peak months of December-February
Good knowledge of the wines
Friendly and talkative
No, but they do offer vineyard tours including tasting 3 wines. Minimum of 10 people and must be booked in advance
There was no seating at the tasting bench but we were encouraged to take our tastes outside and sit on the outdoor chairs and take in the amazing views
There were tasting sheets available
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Food Offering
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Yes/No
Restaurant/Café/Tasting platter
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Yes
There is a highly regarded restaurant on site plus there was a garden/bar menu that you could order from while completing your tasting. We dined at the restaurant on one of the nights of our stay and enjoyed our meal very much
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Hip Pocket
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Price range of wines
Tasting Fee
Refundable on purchase?
Tour Fee
Delivery cost per dozen
Club Membership with Discounts etc
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$26-$140
$10 or $20 for 5 wines depending on if you do the standard or premium tasting
Yes, upon purchase of 3 bottles
$15 per person
$14 Auckland - $27 South Island
Velvet Society, discounts on events and wine for commitment to purchase 6 bottles of Velvet wine a year. There is also a 10% discount offered for case purchases
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Other features, facilities and offerings
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Gift Shop
Toys/play area for kids
Dog friendly
By the way...
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Extensive gift shop including toys, wine accessories and deli products
Yes, colouring pack can be requested from the tasting bench
Yes, outside only and on a leash
This is one of the most picturesque cellar doors we have been to, and is therefore a tourism favourite. It wasn't overly busy when we were there, but it's definitely geared towards it and we understand it can get particularly busy during December-February. This cellar door really makes the most of their views and it is a great spot to while away the afternoon and watch the sun go down over the gulf and Auckland
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