And why you should get your hands on their Pinot Noir.
A few years ago, on advice (and quite frankly, urging) from a wide variety of French wine-loving American friends, my husband and I took a pilgrimage up to the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. It was the first time I ever tried New World wines that I actually enjoyed – and came home with about a case of bottles from half a dozen wineries – from LeSeurre to Wiemer and a few others in between. It was a life-changing moment for me because it showed that New World wineries were in fact coming into their own instead of mimicking all things Napa (which – sorry – but simply is not to my taste). It was a welcome change that sparked my curiosity about other cool-climate New World regions, and while I’ll always be a Francophile at heart, other places are starting to woo me, too.
Enter New Zealand. On the eve of our wedding in 2024, the idea of a delayed, extended honeymoon took shape for my then-fiancé and I. We wanted to go somewhere that was almost entirely off–grid. Our ideal place would have dazzling landscapes, a massive time difference, and a unique environ that neither he nor I had ever seen. We wanted to go somewhere nobody we knew had ever visited either, and get totally lost on an adventure together. New Zealand made sense for a lot of reasons, and initially (though it sounds crazy to say as a wine blogger), wine was not a factor in our decision. We knew that New Zealand’s most famous region was Marlborough – known almost exclusively for Sauvignon Blanc. As a disciple of the Loire Valley’s style of Sauvignon Blanc winemaking, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the idea of spending my honeymoon in a remote wine region where the odds felt stacked against my tastes. I somehow knew I would be disappointed. On the few occasions I’d tried New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc stateside, I just knew it was not for me. (That being said – I do get the sense that I’m in for a bit of a redemption arc here, so if New Zealand calls me back someday as I hope it does, Marlborough is absolutely on the list.) I didn’t want to spend the little time that we had to explore an entire country trekking to the top of the South Island for an experience I wasn’t sold on that wasn’t surrounded by a ton of other activities to help diversify our time there. Instead, we built an itinerary that was almost entirely devoid of wine – until we discovered that less than an hour’s drive from our “homebase” (Queenstown) on the second half of the trip was one of the New World’s most underrated wine regions: Central Otago.
While we didn’t plan our whole trip around visits through Central Otago, it quickly became one of the highlights. We were blown away by the wine culture, ecological commitment, passion from the winemaking teams, overall sense of hospitality, and exceptional quality of the wines. I would even go so far as to say that the Finger Lakes and Central Otago are cousins in a way: both chilly, continental, and surrounded by glacial lakes, they share an interest in European style winemaking with a New World accent. The result is equal parts elegant and delicious. Read on for our wine country adventures – I hope they inspire you to plan your own visit to Aotearoa.
GETTING IN + AROUND
Nowadays, United has direct flights between Newark and Auckland through Air New Zealand. It’s a long flight but if you can spring for Economy Plus, it’s worth it to fly direct (my husband and I slept extraordinarily well on the way over – we each got 6-7 hours of sleep and the food options on Air NZ were, quite frankly, exceptional). We landed in Auckland and took a ferry to Waiheke Island to relax and adjust to the time change for a few days and it was one of the best planning decisions we made to prep for our trip. If you are planning on staying in New Zealand for a little while, I highly recommend this! Waiheke Island was calm and cool when we went (October) but in the high season (November – February), it gets packed and hot. I loved traveling to New Zealand in the “shoulder month” of October: we were blessed with absolutely stunning and clear spring weather – without the crowds. In Waiheke, we stayed at the Delamore Lodge and it was our favorite hotel of the entire trip. Beautiful and intimate, it’s a worthy splurge.
From Auckland, you can easily get a connecting flight to Queenstown, which is where we stayed for the majority of our honeymoon. It’s the closest major city to Central Otago wineries and it’s also in the heart of the South Island so most people use it as a jumping off point (bungy joke intended, ha) to explore the rest of the South Island. The flight was only about two hours.
DRIVING AND PARKING IN THE SOUTH ISLAND
We rented a car for the majority of our time in New Zealand. It’s pretty much a necessity for exploring anything if you don’t book your trip with a touring company – and especially if you want the freedom to explore remote hikes, scenery, adventure activities, and yes, wineries. That being said – and I cannot overstate this enough – BE ALERT. If you are not used to driving on the other side of the road, take things slow. The majority of our time in New Zealand was a road trip around the South Island and unfortunately the road infrastructure is not half as robust as in the U.S. or Europe. We had some scary moments. Wine country itself was perfectly fine, but make sure to stay informed and watch the weather. Heavy storms and flooding are common in the shoulder seasons and cause what the kiwis call “slips” (mud or rock slides on the road), so it’s not uncommon to see washed out roads, debris, downed trees, alternate routes, etc. Be patient, follow the locals, and you’ll be fine.
All the wineries we went to had ample parking options, as did the hotels in Queenstown, so parking was usually the easiest part of driving. Parking at wineries was free and our hotel had garage parking included with our rate package.
WHERE TO STAY
We spent a week at The Rees Hotel in Queenstown and loved our stay. The Rees has a great restaurant with one of the best wine programs in the country (rated by Wine Spectator for several years running), so I definitely recommend popping by for a meal if you can. The lake views are spectacular and The Rees runs a free shuttle that can take you in and out of Queenstown every 10-20 minutes (depending on the day and season), so it’s a pretty convenient place to stay even though it isn’t right in the middle of downtown Queenstown. We also considered staying at The Eichardt’s Private Hotel and a few other spots, but were ultimately glad we landed where we did. The Rees also has a secure parking garage for guests which made parking overnight easy as well.
EXPLORING QUEENSTOWN + WANAKA
I could probably write separate blog posts about how much I loved Queenstown and Wanaka but for the purposes of this unofficial travel guide, I’ll keep it to the highlights. Long story short: Queenstown is a great homebase but Wanaka takes the prize for being my favorite place in New Zealand. I literally still dream about its crisp air, breathtaking views, and peaceful vibes. If I could live there, I’d leave New York City tomorrow for it – it’s just that special to me.
QUEENSTOWN
Tourist Attractions
- Onsen Hot Pools – one of my favorite activities of the trip! This spa is absolutely stunning and so well done. They even have a free shuttle from Queenstown so you can be totally relaxed and zen for your appointment and not have to worry about driving and parking.
- Milford Sound / Glacial Lakes Helicopter Tours – the unofficial 8th wonder of the world, Milford Sound has remained largely untouched since the time of the dinosaurs (I’m not exaggerating). It is one of the most precious spots of true wilderness the world has left.
- Forest Ziplining – so fun!
- Bungy Jumping – fun fact: bungy jumping was invented in Queenstown, and today the activity is central to tourism. We didn’t do it because I’m too chicken but we watched a few brave souls take the plunge from the Kawauru Bridge.
Restaurants + Wine Bars
- Little Blackwood – easily the best bar in Queenstown! Amazing cocktail and mixology scene, live music throughout the week, and a fun ambiance.
- My Thai Lounge – delicious Thai food!
- Vudu Cafe – my favorite pastries from the entire trip came from this place. Amazing scones with a nice little patio out back too!
- Fergburger – a New Zealand institution known for its epic and unique burgers. A must-visit!
- Marmolada Cafe – really good coffee next to where the shuttles for activities let off, so a convenient place to grab a latte.
- Tanoshi Cow Lane – this was our best meal in Queenstown. Authentic and delicious Japanese food with a great selection of Japanese craft beers and sakes.
WANAKA
Tourist Attractions
- That Wanaka Tree – this tree is biblical and it’s absolutely worth the Instagram hype.
- Edgewater Hotel – a really cute lodge-like hotel that’s popular in the winter season with skiiers. Also has a restaurant where we ate our two meals in Wanaka.
- Mount Iron Loop Track (or literally any of the epic hikes in / around Wanaka) – the Mount Iron track was our first hike in New Zealand and we loved it. A great way to ease into incline hiking if you’re fairly new to it.
THE WINE REGION
Day 1: A Scenic Drive to Rippon Vineyard
When we landed in Queenstown, we actually did something a little odd: we left immediately. We picked up our rental car and began the epic road trip that would more or less define our stay, driving from Queenstown to Wanaka to Aoraki / Mount Cook to Dunedin to Invercargill and back to Queenstown. Our first stop however, was my beloved Wanaka and the winery that started my love affair with Central Otago: Rippon Vineyard.
If ever there was a winery that felt related to both the best in the Finger Lakes and the Old World combined, it would be Rippon. Situated at the top of a hill facing a glacial lake, it is a stunning vineyard with a beautiful tasting room and even a small events space. The wines are organic and biodynamic with lots of old vines (taste Emma’s Block and Tinker’s Field and you’ll see what I’m talking about). They focus primarily on Pinot Noir, Riesling, and a fun, little-known German grape variety called Osteiner that my husband and I really loved discovering. The tasting room team is warm, friendly, and knowledgeable, and they invite you to enjoy a glass of wine outside following your tasting if you so choose. We went home with a few bottles but they’re also available stateside from wine.com. You’d be remiss if you visited this part of the world but didn’t make a visit to Rippon. The drive into Wanaka alone will leave you breathless.
After our tasting, we stayed overnight in Wanaka to visit That Wanaka Tree and take in the region’s magnificent beauty. I recommend staying at The Edgewater Hotel and hiking the Mount Iron trail while you’re there.
Day 2: Felton Road
When we returned to Queenstown after our epic road adventure, we dedicated a few more days of our honeymoon to winery tours. We began the first day with a drive out to Felton Road Winery in the heart of Central Otago. Felton Road is yet another example of New Zealand’s commitment to organic, biodynamic wines. Felton Road takes it a step further by also prioritizing vineyard biodiversity (they have goats, cows, and chickens on site) as well as elements of permaculture and biodiversity. It was here where we took one of our most comprehensive winery tours, guided from vineyard to vinification to storage and beyond. It was here that we learned why nearly all New Zealand wines do not use cork (and no, it’s not because they’re cheap, but because Europe kept selling them faulty cork!). It was here that a bone from the island’s ancient and infamous moa birds was found when excavating the vineyard in the 90s. But most importantly of all, it was where we learned that the Pinot Noir grown in Bannockburn is so powerful and complex that you might just mistake it for a Burgundy grand cru. (Don’t take my word for it – they’re imported to the U.S. by Skurnik, they were named Winery of the Year in 2024, and its nearly entire portfolio has high ratings from Decanter.)
Day 3: Kinross, Gibbston, Quartz Reef
There’s a place in New Zealand that inspired me with its approach to wines, hospitality, and international know-how: Kinross. Barely a decade old (founded in 2013), Kinross is a boutique collective that showcases winemakers from around Central Otago and the world all housed within one tasting room. It is designed with the wine-curious drinker in mind, completely and entirely created to make wine fun, educational, interesting, and accessible. The brand has its own eponymous winery that produces exceptional Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and rosé blends, but you can also book a tasting that features up to a dozen different boutique and small-batch wineries from across the region, including one that stole my heart: Wild Irishman (we didn’t leave Kinross before ordering a case!). This cooperative, modern approach to promoting the local wine industry and bringing more people into the world of wine is exactly the kind of creative thinking that we need to sustain the industry. But Kinross doesn’t stop there – it’s also a regional cultural hub. You can eat lunch or dinner at the bistro, stay overnight in one of their adorable vineyard cottages, or attend a concert in the summer. It should definitely be at the top of your visit list!
Gibbston, just down the road, was our next stop. Widely regarded as Central Otago’s first commercial winery, it’s now home to a resort, spa, tasting room, grocery store, and bistro. We paired a tasting with a light bistro lunch and stopped by the little grocery store on our way out (where we bought way too many candles and local honey). I didn’t fall in love with the wines at Gibbston the way I did with those from other winery visits, but the ambiance was wonderfully calm and lush. We took our lunch outside in the sunshine where we basked in the warmth alongside native trees, flowers, birdsong, and vines. It was a lovely visit that helped us to slow down and remember we were on our one and only honeymoon.
To finish out the day, we stopped by a hole-in-the-wall tasting room in a small town outside of Queenstown: Quartz Reef. Up until now we’d not yet tried any New Zealand sparkling wines and that’s in large part because there are not many houses that make them. At the time of writing this (2025), New Zealand is still coming into its own when it comes to artisan wine and food, so the expertise for making Champagne-level sparkling hasn’t quite come ashore. Luckily, however, a bottle of Quartz Reef’s méthode traditionnelle is all you need. Founded by an Austrian immigrant in 1996, Quartz Reef is now widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s best sparkling winemakers. Its biodynamic vineyards, hand-riddling system (!!), and a small yet passionate team makes it a rising star on the global stage for high-end bubbles. It’s the perfect sparkler to celebrate a honeymoon with while supporting local business! Shoutout to Elaine for being absolutely delightful and making our tour of the “riddling room” a highlight of our stay in New Zealand.
Day 4: Amisfield
For our last dinner out in New Zealand, we headed to what should be New Zealand’s first Michelin star restaurant, Amisfield. (Michelin has never visited New Zealand, which is a crying shame, because if they did this place would easily have one if not three stars.) Just outside of the city of Queenstown, it is a working winery where you can reserve tastings, tours, or lunch at the bistro, but the main event is the tasting dinner at the formal restaurant. Helmed by one of the country’s most renowned chefs, it’s a three hour, multi-course experience featuring 100% local ingredients and cuisines inspired by the many peoples who have contributed to New Zealand’s rich cultural heritage: from Maori and Pelepolynesian to the British and beyond. It was by far and away the best food that we had on the trip and the wine pairings – featuring both new releases and vintage wines from the winery on site – were exceptional. This is an absolute must-do New Zealand experience and is worth the splurge. We learned more about the region and its history here than almost anywhere else on our trip. You certainly won’t regret dining here – and you won’t soon forget it, either.
When my husband and I chose New Zealand for our honeymoon, we got a lot of funny looks. It’s not the trendiest place for an American to go on a honeymoon – much less a Francophile like me – but I hope that changes. Our adventure took us from the base of the island’s tallest mountain (Mount Cook) to the depths its deepest fjord (Milford Sound); across suspension bridges on five hour hikes and underneath remote waterfalls unchanged since the Jurassic Period. In the middle of it all though, was one of the most breathtaking wine regions I’ve ever seen. Simply put, Central Otago stole my heart and my tastebuds. I’ll never forget this once-in-a-lifetime journey and I hope someday to return to the Land of the Long White Cloud. Santé / Kia ora !
Looking for more travel guides? Check out a Francophile in the Finger Lakes or my Travel Guide to Beaujolais. Enjoy, santé !
