The spectacular setting of Rippon Vineyard on Lake Wanaka
Valleys and vineyards
Queenstown may be the adrenaline capital of New Zealand, but Nicola Corthay prefers the more sedate pleasures of its vineyards and mountains.
New Zealanders are certifiably mad. Maybe it’s the isolation or the Roaring Forties winds, or something in the drinking water. In other countries, if you say you want to fly, people look troubled and possibly lock you up. In New Zealand, they pat you on the back and their eyes light up with enthusiasm. Next thing you know, they’re pushing you out of an airplane, off a bridge or over a cliff.
Of all the places in New Zealand willing to pander to aerial enthusiasts, Queenstown is, famously, the maddest. There are so many ways to get aloft here, you could go for a week with your feet barely touching the ground. There are the old standards, such as scenic flights and heli-skiing. There are well-established thrills such as paragliding and bungy-jumping, which was invented here. Then there are the new hybrids – para-bungy, for instance, in which you’re dragged along on a parachute behind a speeding motorboat, then released in a bungy jump that has both a downward and forward velocity.
Grapes ripening on the vine
Call me old-fashioned – or, if you must, plain old – but in my opinion, Queenstown’s fame as the adrenaline capital of the world obscures the fact that there are many other splendid reasons to visit this alpine corner of the South Island. If dangling by your shins, upside-down, on a rubber cord, above a frigid river isn’t quite your thing, there are plenty of sedate pleasures to enjoy. Indeed, my tip for ‘best experience’ would have to be this: follow the wine route out of town and into the surrounding mountains.
Sure, there are activities more dramatic and more adventurous, but few can be as pleasant and civilised as this. The road meanders high above the waters of alpine lakes and rivers, enveloped by meringue-peaked summits. Whenever you’re ready to take a break, it seems, a charming local winery appears around the bend. The only risk you need to take is that of choosing between a fine Sauvignon Blanc and a possibly even finer Pinot Noir.
Nibble your way through lunches of cold cuts and local cheeses as you sip on fruity white wines and gaze at the surrounding mountains – and, after a few glasses, you’ll agree: no road could be better than this one. Move over, bungy jumpers; welcome, wine-lovers of the world.
A selection of fine local Amisfield wines
Grapes have been grown in this Central Otago region since the days of its gold rush, back in the early 1860s, when Frenchman Jean Desire Feraud, recognising the potential of the area’s climate and soils, planted some vines. It took until 1987 to produce the region’s first commercial vintage but since then, there’s been no looking back, with local vineyards positively flourishing.
Central Otago is now the fastest-growing wine region in New Zealand (as well as the country’s most elevated) and many of its 50-odd wineries have won international awards. The region’s Pinot Noirs are especially renowned, while its Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays are held in high regard. Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris do well here, too.
Most of the region’s vineyards lie in the valleys sandwiched between the mountains of western Otago and the hills to the south and east. They are centred around towns such as Pisa, Lowburn and Cairnmuir but, more convenient for visitors, are the vineyards that extend from Queenstown to Wanaka. The local scenery is unparalleled, with Rippon Vineyard & Winery above Wanaka winning a prize for the most outstanding vineyard setting in the region, if not in the whole of New Zealand.
A sign along the wine route out of Queenstown
The landscape is wonderful nearly everywhere you turn around here, as you’ll discover as soon as you drive out of Queenstown, following the brown signs that indicate the wine route. The road winds up through rolling hills flanked by stands of poplar trees, affording distant views of icy lakes and snowy mountain peaks, strung along the horizon.
Head up the Gibbston Valley and the first winery appears just 15 minutes out of Queenstown. Amisfield Wine Company has one of the most scenic outlooks of any vineyard hereabouts. A fortune was spent on the visitor’s building, which is finely constructed of local stone with a copper roof. Out the back, you can sit in elegant, ‘rustic’ style of the sort only lots of money can buy, on an Italian-style terrace with splashing fountains, and gaze at the rows of vines regimented on the hillside behind. Here, a country-style bistro offers organic and locally sourced produce fit to accompany a stylish sparkling wine from the estate’s Arcadia range.
Farther up the valley – hurry past the bungy-jumping bridge on your left – lies Gibbston Valley Wines, the most visited winery in the country. Its owners pioneered wine production in Otago, and its Reserve Pinot Noir – an excellent, deeply-coloured drop with a fruity taste and a distinct aroma of berries – is reckoned to be one of the classic New Zealand wines. The vineyard also makes good Riesling and Gewürztraminer and a reasonable Chardonnay. Join a tour here and you’ll be taken inside the ‘wine cave’, where wine sits in French oak barrels and you can sample the produce and talk to knowledgeable guides.
Scenery along the shore of Lake Wanaka
You can also sit out in the courtyard of the Gibbston Valley vineyard, surrounded by flowers and potted shrubs, and soak up the sun. The antipasto plates are excellent: crusty bread and crackers accompanied by artichokes, local smoked salmon, olives, dips, even pickled cherries. You might want to try a Blanc de Pinot Noir, a rosé made with the highest quality grapes – it has a delicate pink colour with flavours reminiscent of peach or watermelon, and could be the perfect drink on a hot summer’s day, served chilled.
You certainly don’t have to be an oenophile to find the Gibbston Valley a delight. Magnificent scenery unfolds at every vantage point as you pass through pleasant countryside, neatly pegged out with row on row of vines.
Farther up the valley, small but successful Peregrine Estate makes for another interesting cellar-door stop. Ultra-modern in design, the building is half-sunk into the ground and sports a dazzling, aerodynamic, silver roof, supposedly designed in the shape of a peregrine’s wing. The drama of the building is offset by some old farming cottages just behind, including a shearing shed that’s more than a century old.
The beautiful mountain scenery near Peregrine Estate
Inside, the tasting area looks like a chic New York bar, with its backlit bottles and sophisticated décor. Here, the hosts are friendly and informative, inviting visitors to guess what they’re drinking by thinking about how it tastes on their palates. Reminiscent of lychee? That must be a fruity Gewürztraminer. Strong flavour, with a hint of cherries? Pinot Noir, to those in the know.
It’s a longish drive from here to Wanaka and you’ll traverse some wild mountain landscapes en route. Arriving, you’ll find a blustery lake littered with white-caps, a bruised dark sky, rolling hills dense with pine and a few, hardy sheep. Then sunlight breaks through, catching the tops of the snowfields on the mountainsides and lighting up rows of orange poplars.
Wanaka is a popular tourist town, well worth visiting in its own right, but for wine enthusiasts, its chief attraction is Rippon Vineyard & Winery. Established by Rolfe Mills, it was one of the trailblazers of the Otago wine industry and is now run by Mills’ son, Nick, who studied for some years in Burgundy, France.
Wine tasting at Gibbston Valley Winery
Rippon, a small vineyard producing predominantly Riesling and Pinot Noir, is certified organic. If you have the good fortune to run into the owner, he’ll bend your ear at length about his organic farming philosophies, the principles of biodynamics and how to farm with minimal impact on the environment. Nick Mills will also give you fascinating insights into the tribulations of wine production in the world’s most southernmost wine-growing region.
Even if you don’t encounter the owners, Rippon is well worth visiting for its views over Lake Wanaka and the Buchanan Mountains, which are stunning. Sit outside with a good glass of Rippon’s Sauvignon Blanc: crisp and fresh, with a slight gooseberry flavour. The sugary flanks of the mountains stand out with startling clarity, across the valley. Down on the lake, a boat leaves a rippling wake as it heads towards Wanaka.
Then lie back on the grass under a blue sky, with vine leaves rustling all about you, and fall asleep. It’s the end of a wonderful day – and not an adrenaline junkie in sight.
Splendid views over Queenstown and the Alps from Bob's Peak
Photography by Nicola Corthay and Destination Queenstown.
Travel Facts
Getting there
- Air New Zealand operates direct daily flights to Queenstown during the ski/winter season, and via Auckland and Christchurch at other times. Phone 13 2476 or visit www.airnewzealand.com.au
- Jetstar, phone 13 15 38 or visit www.jetstar.com
- Qantas, phone 13 1313 or visit www.qantas.com.au
Getting around
Where to stay
Where to wine
- Amisfield Wine Company, 10 Lake Hayes Road, Queenstown, phone +64 3 442 0556 or visit www.amisfield.co.nz
- Gibbston Valley Wines, Gibbston RD1, State Highway 6, Queenstown, phone +64 3 442 6910 or visit www.gvwines.co.nz
- Peregrine Estate, Kawarau Gorge Road 1, Queenstown, phone +64 3 442 4000 or visit www.peregrinewines.co.nz
- Rippon Vineyard & Winery, 246 Mount Aspiring Road, Wanaka, phone +64 3 443 8084 or visit www.rippon.co.nz
Further information
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