Excursion Hawkes bay urban wine experience tour at Napier

‘Great Wine Capital of the World’ is a designation anointed sparingly by an industry consortium in Bordeaux – and Hawke’s Bay is proud to have recently been added to this very short list.

Get a delicious quaff of what all the acclaim is about at a unique sampling session known as the Hawke’s Bay Urban Wine Experience: a popup venue where a curated array of premium varietals from four different local vineyards has been assembled. Taste them all or only a few, interact with knowledgeable winery reps, graze on local artisanal cheeses, breads and olive oils  – and, if you like, purchase bottles (or cases!) to enjoy on board the ship or ship home to stock your cellar with Hawke’s Bay’s best.

Even the setting invites pleasure: warm wood tables, tall ceilings, hand-drawn chalkboard presentation listings, oaken barrels and copper vats. As you move between the various tasting stations, local experts are on hand – to provide background on how New Zealand’s oldest wine district became its top producing region for premium wines, its identity inextricably linked to superior viticulture.

Even if you don’t purchase any wines this day, you’ll depart with a solid overview of what Hawke’s Bay wines are all about. Delightful flavors on your palate. And a tasting notes fact sheet on the wines you were presented, to refer to and remember them by. The coach ride back from scenic Ahuriri village to Napier wharf is under 15 minutes.

Points of interests

Points of interest seen include: Wine tasting & history, cellar venue in Ahuriri village

Note

Please note: This easy excursion includes limited walking along flat surfaces, though there are steps involved in getting on and off the coach. The majority of the experience takes place indoors. Non-slip shoes and casual, weather-appropriate attire are suggested. Minimum drinking age in New Zealand is 18.