If you enjoy great wine and delicious food, a visit to Nelson would not be complete without a visit to some of the many wineries in the region.
Sounds like a plan, eh? You betcha! With Bay Tours, you get an expert guide, who can tell you a bit about each winery as you go around, as well as getting a full description and tasting at each vineyard. It's a real day of indulgence, but after surviving weeks on end with noodles and dodgy box vino, it's time to have a try of what the really good stuff
tastes like!
The Nelson region grows a range of wine varieties, including chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot gris, pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, shiraz , gewurtztraminer and rose, so you'll be spoilt for choice!
I opted for the half day Twin Regions tour, which is an extended version of the Explore The Plains tour. We started off by sampling wines from four vineyards on the Waimea Plains, where we could enjoy the wines complemented by gourmet food and a wine matching platter. With the Twin Regions tour, we also had the chance to explore the unique rich backcountry of the Moutere Hills wine region and visited the oldest vineyard in the South Island .
It was a great afternoon, just kicking back and supping on some stunning wines, with the amazing backdrop of the Kahurangi National Park . It definitely beats slumming it in a backpacker bar, that's for sure!
"enjoy the wines complemented by gourmet food and a wine matching platter"
We visited five vineyards and also had the chance to sample olive oils as well. It's definitely worth treating yourself, as doing a wine tour is really the only way to go if you want to enjoy it without worrying about driving or hitching back to your hostel.
Bay Tours also offers a Wine and Art Tour for those arty farty types who want to check out art studios along with the wineries. There's glass, pottery, beads and woodturning and gifts to be snapped up, so this is a great way to sample a bit of art with some wine along the way.
And if you've got a whole day to spare, why not check out the Wine Tour, which is an extensive tour taking in wineries, both on the Plains and on the Hills. Here you can meet the owners and winemakers and sample wine from ten classic grapes grown in New Zealand . There's also a chance to sample olive oils and olives so get your tasting buds at the ready!
Rachel stayed at Tasman Bay Backpackers at 10 Weka Street, Nelson. It's a real home from home with a lovely cosy atmosphere. The best thing is, you get free breakfast with toast, cereals and tea and coffee, and every night they serve a yummy hot chocolate pudding with ice cream which is simply devine!
