Central Otago is one of the main wine regions on the South Island in New Zealand and is the southernmost wine region in the world. It produces many Pinot Noirs as well as other varietals. The Central Otago wine region was established in the 1860s and is best known for its Burgundy style grapes and producing Pinot Noir. This area is an easy drive from Queenstown and there are endless wineries that will keep you busy for weeks. The following are some of the best wineries for wine tasting in Central Otago.
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New Zealand Wine
In New Zealand, it is important to note that a Winery, a Vineyard, and a Cellar Door are all different. A Vineyard is where the grapes for the wine are grown. A Winery is where the wine is actually made. A Cellar Door is where visitors can do a wine tasting. Some of them are all in the same location, but sometimes the three are in separate locations, so make sure to visit a Cellar Door if you want to actually taste the wine! Also, as long as no food is served at the Cellar Door, many times, the wine tasting will be free! Sometimes, the winery asks that you buy a bottle of wine or make a donation to charity in lieu of a tasting fee.
Wineries to Visit in Central Otago
Chard Farm
Cost: Free (if you buy a bottle of wine or make a donation to charity)
Hours: Mon-Fri: 10am-5pm, Sat-Su: 11am-5pm, No appointment necessary
Chard Farm began in 1986 and is located on the original road into Queenstown. This rode is not paved so be careful as you drive into the winery. The Cellar Door contained a variety of both red and white wines. We had the opportunity to taste most of them and we enjoyed every single one of them. The wines were also reasonably priced. Pauline, the worker who did our tasting, was a delight. She did a great job of giving us an overview of the wines as we tried them and also provided us with some historical details about the area.
Felton Road
Cost: Free
Hours: By appointment only -schedule a time on their website
A visit to Felton Road is definitely a treat. The entire experience is free, but you MUST have an appointment in order to visit. Your visit will include a tour of the entire facility including the wine barrel storage room, a wine library, and a tasting of 5 different wines. Established in 1991, Felton Road has quickly built up a reputable reputation and sells out of most of their wines each year. We found these wines to also be very affordable. Felton Road may have been my favorite winery and it is 100% worth heading to when wine tasting in Central Otago.
Gibbston Valley Wines
Cost: NZ$15 for a tasting of 4 wines
Hours: 10am-5pm, no appointment necessary
Established in the 1980s, Gibbston Valley is one of the most popular and largest wineries in the area. Here visitors have the opportunity to grab some food, try a cheese sampler, and taste various wine flights. Most flights contain 4 wines samples. We chose to share a Pinot flight and also tried the various cheeses made at Gibbston Valley. Although the wines were not my favorite in the area I enjoyed trying the local cheeses.
Rippon
Cost: Free
Hours: 11am-5pm, no appointment necessary
The land Rippon stands on was bought in 1912, but Rippon only began making wine in 1975. It is small but has picturesque views of the Wanaka area. At Rippon’s cellar door, visitors are able to try 5 different varietals of wine.
Peregrine
Cost: Free
Hours: 11am-5pm, no appointment necessary
Peregrine began making wines in 1998. The Peregrine Cellar Door is housed in a gorgeous and super modern building. They produce two lines of wine: Peregrine and Saddleback. The Peregrine line is made to store for several years. The Saddleback line is made to consume immediately. Here we tried 4 different wines and each person could try different varietals. Josh, the person who did our tasting, was very pleasant and gave us some other recommended actions for wineries.
Ranking of Wineries for Wine Tasting in Central Otago
- Chard Farm: Chard Farm won by a fraction! We absolutely adored every wine here and love the atmosphere of the winery. We had no problem buying a bottle to bring home.
- Felton Road: We LOVED Felton Road and how affordable all of their wines were. It came in second to Chard Farm only due to the fact they did not have as much variety in types of wines (but all were equally delicious).
- Peregrine: We enjoyed the atmosphere of Peregrine, and thought the wines were quite good, just not as good as Chard Farm and Felton Road.
- Rippon: We honestly felt these wines were way overpriced and not that great. However, the wine tasting was still worth it for free!
- Gibbston Valley: As several New Zealanders we encountered said, Gibbston Valley is very “commercial.” The wines were overpriced and not that great. Also, this was the only winery where we had to pay to do a tasting. I would advise skipping this stop.
8 thoughts on “Wine Tasting in Central Otago, New Zealand”
Your photos look AMAZING!
Such a special place to share ? thank you so much! Hope to make it to New Zealand ?? one day ?
Thank you. You have to go! It’s amazing!
Looks like a beautiful place! What else is Central Otago famous for?
Central Otago is right near Queenstown. There is mostly just vineyards in Central Otago.
This is EXACTLY what I was looking for my 30th birthday trip to New Zealand next year! Gibbston Valley is sure to be on my radar simply for the cheese plates alone. So yum!
Yes! You’ll have the best time!! So fun.
I love a Central Otago Pinot Noir – just so good! There is so much choice to try in that area – we visited a few of the same and also made it further along the valley to Mount Difficulty – great wines and views! Ah you make me want to go back!
Felton Road was right next to Mount Difficulty and we were sad we didn’t have enough time to try it. I’m dying to go back.