There are only two reasons to travel to the Central Otago Region: Adventure Sports (bungee jumping, canyoning, paragliding, ect.) and Vineyards. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie but I can find most of the Queenstown area adventure sports in Colorado. Vineyards on the other hand are always a one of a kind experience.

I like wine. Okay, I like wine a lot. But, I am not a wine snob. Knowledge should not breed arrogance. I think wine is a personal experience. If you enjoy wine by sniffing, swirling and tasting, that works for me. If you enjoy reading up on individual vintages, types of grapes and growing seasons, than I am excited about that as well. If you simply like to drink a tasty $10 bottle of wine one plastic glass at a time, then go for it. Ditch the snobbery and do what you like.

I like visiting  vineyards. I enjoy talking to people who make the wine, grow the grapes and invest their passion into producing good quality wine. For me, there is something special about driving up a narrow dirt road, past row after row of grapes glistening brightly in the fresh morning dew. I enjoy slowly tasting each vintage and comparing their flavor to similar wines from other regions around the world. (I do not have a sophisticated palate, but I can recognize a few things from time to time.)  I really like watching pompous people at wine tastings. I find their strutting and blustering to be the height of comic relief.

Central Otago Vineyards

The Central Otago region boasts an excess of 40 vineyards, but I did not have the time (or the tolerance) to pay each a visit. Instead, Natalie and I traveled directly to the Felton Road district intent on visiting, in my opinion, the two best vineyards in the region: Mt. Difficulty and the aptly named Felton Road vineyard. Both of these vineyards are known for producing high quality Pinot Noirs and I was not disappointed.

The Felton Road tasting room is a small, humble affair that allows the wine to speak for itself. The tasting room proctor,  Caroline, is a very patient woman who is involved in every aspect of the wine production, from planting and harvesting, to production and sales. The Felton Road Pinot Noir is superb. Easily the best pinot I have sampled in New Zealand. Sadly, at $46 a bottle it was a bit large for our budget but the taste will come back to tempt me for many days to come.

2 minutes down the road is the Mt. Difficulty vineyard. A much larger vineyard than Felton Road, Mt. Difficulty is the 8th largest wine producer in New Zealand. Their tasting room is dramatically set on a large hill and offers a breath taking view of the valley. It is the ideal place to casually drink a bottle (or 2) of wine while talking with friends and watching the sun slowly drop towards the horizon. Natalie and I went to Mt. Difficulty to taste the Roaring Meg Pinot Noir. This vintage was highly recommended by several wine connoisseurs in Te Anau, despite the fact that Roaring Meg is not Mt Difficulty’s first tier pinot. Although it does not possess the sophisticated taste of the Felton Road pinot, the Roaring Meg was quite good and, at $28 a bottle, is much more affordable.

Many other vineyards in Central Otago produce quality Pinot Noirs, and, if you are a big pinot fan, this area is a must see for you when you travel to New Zealand.

If you are a bit nervous about going to a vineyard tasting room, here are a few tips.

Wine Tasting Guide for Newbies

1. Don’t Pay For A Tasting: Good wine will sell itself. If a winery wants to charge you to taste their wine, it is not worth the effort.
2. Ask Questions: The tasting proctor and other wine tasters love to talk about what they know. Your ignorance will not be a problem.
3. Red or White: If you don’t know. Try them all. Or, if you are unsure of what you are after, ask about their most popular wines. This should point you in the right direction.
4. Observe Others: If the proctor does not tell you about cleansing your pallet or if you are unsure about something, watch someone else. You should be able to imitate the guy next to you without too much trouble.
5. If You Don’t Like it, Don’t Drink It: It is a tasting. Relax. If you don’t like a particular vintage, dump it out. All tasting rooms have a place for this and you will not look silly. In fact, you will look like an expert. Only people with sophisticated palates (or low alcholol tolerance) purposefully throw out wine!

Now you are ready. Don’t go all the way to the Napa Valley.  Find a local winery, or one near your next travel destination, and go taste some wine.

Have a funny wine tasting story? Tell us about it!

View Image Gallery

© nomadbackpackers.com -  All rights reserved 2009

Tags | New Zealand