While the Lake Taupo region in the center of the North Island is not known for producing wine, there are excellent opportunities to sample New Zealand’s best wines.
One such opportunity is at Scenic Cellars, New Zealand’s largest wine retailer, offering 4,000 different labels and 100,000 bottles in stock, including a wide range of rare and fine wines. Tastings are available at Scenic Cellars through a revolutionary Italian system called Enomatic. Select one of the 32 wines available on the carousel, press the button, and the machine will provide you with a 25ml pour to savor, for a small fee. It’s a great way to try before you buy, sample varieties from around the world, or try something new.
Another opportunity is in one of the many boutique or luxury accommodations in the region. Several of these properties offer complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres before dinner, giving guests a fabulous opportunity to sample New Zealand wines in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Some even offer guests complimentary wine and beer at any time.
Yet another opportunity is to take a day trip to Hawkes Bay, 2 hours southeast of Taupo. Hawkes Bay is home to over 30 wineries, with free tastings available at most wineries.
New Zealand wine has received critical acclaim around the world. Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs are widely regarded as the best in the world. And New Zealand Pinot Noir is quickly acquiring a similar reputation. Less known internationally, but savored in New Zealand, are our Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Bordeaux-style reds and our Syrah.
Central Otago, an area surrounded by mountains that trap heat in the summer but bring cold in the winters, has long claimed to be the country of Pinot Noir. Unlike Sauvignon Blanc, however, where Marlborough is the undisputed king of the regions, excellent Pinot Noir is produced in a number of areas, including Martinborough, Marlborough, Nelson and Canterbury. Similar with Pinot Gris.
The Chardonnay, Nelson, Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions offer excellent examples. For Bordeaux-style reds, typically blending Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and often Malbec or Cabernet Franc, it’s hard to beat the Hawkes Bay region. The same is true for Syrah, but in both cases Waiheke Island in Auckland Harbor and the Matakana wine region, which is about an hour north of Auckland, also offer some good examples.