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New Zealand’s oldest established wine growing region, Hawkes Bay is famous the world over for its distinctive, award winning wines, ranging from delicate sparkling whites to full bodied reds and sweet desert wines. The secret is the quality and diversity of the region’s soil, which ranges from gravel to silt and loam and provides ideal conditions for the growing of a of high quality grapes from the classical varieties. Amongst the best wines are Chardonnay and Cabernet blends, closely followed by Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.
Many of the vineyards welcome tourist, though most will insist that you book in advance. Generally speaking a small fee will be charged but to all intents and purposes the wine tasting section of the tour is usually free. The highlight of the Hawkes Bay Vintner’s year is the Harvest Weekend, which has become the country’s most prestigious wine event on the calendar. Essentially a fund-raiser for Cranford Hospice it provides a major part of the hospice’s yearly budget and takes the form of various auctions of barrel lots of wine, many prepared especially for the event. The high spot is the sale of a unique regional blend known as The Assemblage.
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