Central Otago > Wet Jacket
Wet Jacket |
Marvellous 16.5/20
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1 Bendemeer Lane, 903 State Highway 6, Lake Hayes, New Zealand
Open 10am to 5pm, 7 days Cards MC,V |
The Verdict
To "Cellarbrate": We loved this cellar door which houses a modern tasting room inside an historic building. Friendly and welcoming team, cosy tasting space and great wines. Hidden Gem awarded To "Wine about": Nothing How many bottles did we buy: 2 Suitable for: Couples, Groups and Families Visited September 2016 (weekday), November 2018 (weekday) |
Getting There
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Country
State/Province
Region
Accessibility
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New Zealand
South Island
Central Otago
The cellar door is directly off the main highway between Queenstown and Arrowtown
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Upon Arrival
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Parking
Setting
Commercial/Boutique
Ambiance
Airconditioning/Fireplace
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There are plenty of carparks for the cellar door in its current form
The cellar door is a converted shearing shed. The owner has still maintained the feel of the shearing shed with the original sheep yards outside but tricked up the landscaping with some stack stone walls and birch trees in the entrance
Boutique
We went in with our big coats on as we thought we were walking into a draughty shearing shed. Instead you are confronted with modern glass walls and a beautiful stone room with an open fireplace, modern furniture and huge barn doors that open out onto the deck and the lawns beyond
Yes/Yes indoor and outdoor
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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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4 per tasting
Pinot Noir
No, even with another couple of groups tasting
Our cellar door host during our first visit was the owner of the winery, a pioneer of the Central Otago wine industry with this being his 3rd project in the region. He clearly knew the wines and the industry. On our second visit, the cellar door assistant also had an excellent knowledge of the wines and was able to walk us through each of the wines in detail
Friendly and welcoming on both occasions and on our visit the owner showed us around the shearing shed and the gardens and talked us through the history and future plans
No, but they do a historic tour of the woolshed and talk about the history of farming in the area and the history of the name Wet Jacket
Yes, the tasting was conducted seated at the tasting table
Yes, on tasting table
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Food Offering
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Yes/No
Restaurant/Café/Tasting platter
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Yes
Cheese shop offering tastings and sales and food trucks outside in summer
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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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$25-$42
$5 for 4 wines
Yes
N/A
Free
Yes
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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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Yes, T shirts and Cheese in the Whitestone Cheese Shop
No
Yes, note Nelson the winery dog is always in residence
The food trucks in summer make this a great place to visit not far out of Queenstown.
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