• Picton – If you are travelling to/from the North Island via the Interislander Ferry, then you will make your way through Picton. This port town serves as a great base to explore the Marlborough Sounds or tackle the Queen Charlotte Track.

• Havelock – If you like getting out on the water, then Havelock is a great option for you. Hire a paddle kayak or book a tour to explore the surrounding Pelorus and Kenepuru Sounds.

• Blenheim – Blenheim is the main town in Marlborough. It also happens to be one of the sunniest cities in New Zealand and is a short driving distance to over 30 different wineries in Marlborough.

• Renwick – As we were interested in the wine, we made a beeline for this quaint town. Renwick is said to produce 85% of New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc! It’s full of restaurants, traditional B&Bs and plenty of wineries that are easily accessible by bike.

Having been on the road so long, we looked for a nice cottage on AirBnB. With this option, we could unpack our bags and do simple things like cook for ourselves and do our own laundry. Our cottage is no longer available for booking online, but sits on the same grounds as the super cute Olde Mill House. We have fond memories of sitting in the amazing garden as we did our daily rounds of email catch ups and Instagram updates.

Helmets on and wine trail map in hand we were ready to go explore. We did a bit of digging around the vineyard lists to find those that interested us, mapped out our route and away we went.

Here’s a look at some of the stops we made along the way.

FRAMINGHAM WINES

We kicked off our day of tasting at Framingham Estate. People often say that first impressions are the ones that last the longest. This couldn’t be more true for our time at Framingham. The courtyard was filled with beautiful roses, the Richmond Mountain range was looming in the background and the team at Framingham were some of the nicest we encountered on our day out.

We blitzed through their Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling range and even got the opportunity to taste some of their F-Series wine. These vintage specific wines offer twists on their existing range and are often only produced once. It felt kind of naughty cracking into wines with such a limited offering, but was great tasting them with the staff that also were trying them for the first time.

If you find yourself here be sure to pop down to the cellar to see their super old vintages they keep stored on the property.

BLADEN WINES

When we arrived at the cellar door at Bladen we were quite surprised. Where most wineries we’ve been to have been massive, the Bladen cellar is more the size of a posh fruit and veggie stand. Super cool.  To top it all off – we had the whole place to ourselves.

Bladen is another one of the wineries that is a true family run business. The owners are often there onsite walking customers through their wine tastings. They were not around when we were there, but we had the brother John facilitating our tasting. As we were making our way through the menu, John gave us background of the family and the winery.

Some fun facts about Bladen. The name was created by using parts of the children’s names BLAir and DEni. The family planted their first grapes here by hand in 1989. They were one of only 8 vineyards in the area at the time. They originally produced grapes for others, after which they created their own lovely wine under the Bladen name. An extra added plus for me – they don’t use any oak when producing their white wines. Yummy.

SERESIN ESTATE WINES

We got super excited when we saw that there was a winery in the region that focused on organic wines. Eating healthy tends to be something we all talk about. We are either concerned about looking good at the beach or the chemicals used in the production of our food. You rarely hear people discussing what’s in their wine. Unlike traditionally made wines, Organic wines aren’t full of chemicals such as residual pesticides or preservatives.

Heading to Seresin gave us the opportunity to taste a wide selection of organic wines in one go. To be completely honest, I didn’t notice a difference in the taste. I suppose the result by choosing organic is that you feel better about what you are putting into your body and there will be some sort of longer term benefit.

If you are a film buff then you may recognize the name Seresin. Michael Seresin, the owner, has had his hand in the creation of many blockbuster films over the years. Titles that you may be familiar with include Dawn of the Planet of The Apes, Midnight Express and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Some people buy cars and big houses when they have money lying around. While a lot of work, buying a winery sounds like an even better way invest that money. IF you don’t drink all your product before it has the chance to hit the shelves.

CLOUDY BAY VINEYARDS

If someone put you on the spot and asked you to name one New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc – I’m 99.9% sure you would spit out Cloudy Bay. It’s quite reasonable considering these guys have been around since the mid-80’s as one of the first 5 wine makers to make Marlborough their home. They are also in pretty much every petrol station and grocery store around the world.

The Cloudy Bay grounds are massive. The cellar door is the biggest that we went to over the course of our time in Marlborough and its clear these guys are mass market producers. While the wine here is good, I tend to dislike making stops in these types of vineyards. The experience is always less intimate and you feel like you are just another person in a wine-tasting assembly line. I don’t even think we got a hello or a smile the whole time. Cloudy Bay is also the only vineyard that we stopped at on our day out that charged a tasting fee. Why charge when most of the surrounding vineyards don’t? Because they can.

We skipped popping into Cloudy Bay’s onsite restaurant Jack’s Raw Bar and opted for a picnic on the grounds instead. There really is no better place in the area to relax and soak of the Marlborough vibes.

No. 1 FAMILY ESTATE WINES

Our last stop in Marlborough was finished off with some bubbles. It doesn’t matter if it’s Champagne, Sparkling Wine, Cava or Prosecco – we love bubbles. We made sure to carve out some time in our tasting to pop over to the No1 Family Estate.

These guys are the only winery in New Zealand committed exclusively to producing premium Méthode Traditionelle wine. That’s a fancy way of saying that the techniques they use to produce the bubbles is the same as those in Champagne France. These practices are quite labor intensive and complex so I will spare you all the details. What you do need to know however is that this approach means two major things for you. The first is that the quality will be top notch. The second is that these methods tend to leave you headache free. Who doesn’t want to enjoy great bubbly and avoid a hangover?

The cellar door experience itself was a bit basic but the bubbles were nice. It was a perfect way to wake up the taste buds and end our time in Marlborough.

Our time in the Marlborough region allowed us to slow things down a bit and enjoy the gorgeous surroundings (and by surroundings, I mean plenty of Sauvignon Blanc). I could have easily spent more time in the surrounding towns and look forward to doing so upon my return.

For more wine adventures be sure to check out Hawkes Bay and Napa Valley.

ENJOY MARLBOROUGH? GET MORE INFORMATION ON NEW ZEALAND OR OTHER PLACES VENTURED IN THE REGION IN NEW ZEALAND DESTINATION GUIDE.

TRAVEL PLANNING ESSENTIALS: NEW ZEALAND

Flights

New Zealand is accessible via Auckland International Airport as well as  Christchurch, Wellington, Queenstown and Dunedin. Check out Kayak to find the best deals on flights to New Zealand.

Accommodation

As a long-time rewards member, Hotels.com is my first stop when exploring accommodation options. Not only do they have great inventory, but you get a free nights stay after every 10th booking.

Car Hire

We found that one of the best ways to explore New Zealand is by car. If you are thinking of doing the same, be sure to compare New Zealand car hire options at RentalCars.com.

Travel Insurance

Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. (As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.)

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