"st.helier" > wrote in message
...
| "lleichtman" asked.....
| >
| > Any wineries worth mentioning in the Auckland area?
|
| In the 1980s and early 90s there were still a handful of wineries in
West
| Auckland, however, as Marlborough, Hawkes Bay expanded both in terms
of
| production and importance, there is not much of a presence left close
to
| Auckland city. EXCEPT as follows:
|
| Waiheke is a one hour ferry ride from downtown Auckland. Take a look
at
| http://waiheke.aucklandnz.com/
|
| Matakana is a 40 minute drive north of Auckland city.
| http://www.matakanawine.com/summary.html
|
| Ascension at Matakana is a great visit for lunch - but most of the
others
| are very small boutique operations, which personally, leave me a
little
| underwhelmed :-(
|
| Within the bounds of Auckland city, not far from Auckland's
International
| Airport, Villa Maria Wines run a very popular Winery, Vineyard Café &
Cellar
| Door, with their wines from Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Marlborough and
Otago
| regions all stocked.
|
| If time is of consideration, this is worth a visit, perhaps for lunch.
|
| st.helier
|
|

There are still a number of wineries in the western districts.
If you'd like to try some serious kiwi Chardonnay add
Kumeu River Winery to your list. ( Small detour on the way/return
to/from Matakana )

http://www.kumeuriver.co.nz/
http://www.wineanorak.com/newzealand/kumeuriver.htm

and you'll find north american accents here;
http://www.puririhills.com/
Small, high priced, boutique operation. Book a visit off the website.
Count on this consuming a lot of shore-time, however.

Waiheke Island is THE local wine destination. Melts down credit cards
sadly.

greybeard