The best Queenstown wineries for tastings, lunch & views

SOUTH ISLAND

Oct 1

Queenstown is a short drive from one of the most scenic wine regions in New Zealand. Here are some of the top vineyards to sip pinot noir and enjoy lunch.

Kinross winery near Queenstown — *The cellar door at Kinross*

Central Otago is hands down my favourite wine region in New Zealand.

Not only is the Pinot Noir from the area excellent (suffering inflicted on the vines by the harsh climate and rocky soil makes for good wine, apparently) but the scenery is just as stunning.

The bright blue Kawerau river flows through valley near Queenstown — *Views of the river from along the* *Gibbston River Wine Trail*

The blue Kawarau River flows along the bottom of the valley, and rocky hills rise around the rustic vineyard buildings.

There are plenty of wineries to choose from. The area between Queenstown and Cromwell is dense with wineries.

But, if you’re interested in a tasting, the quality varies wildly between places.

An imposing stone winery building looms against the sky — *Amisfield is one of the more famous Queenstown wineries, but my least favourite place to do a tasting*

Amisfield? One of the most famous vineyards? Terrible tasting.

I really, wholeheartedly, do not recommend.

Maybe we were just unlucky, but the woman running the tasting spent most of the time doing dishes and drying glasses, and we had to prod her with questions just to get the barest of information on Amisfield’s vineyard and wines.

We paid $35 to awkwardly stand at the bar sipping on wines with no introduction to what we were supposed to be tasting.

Contrast that with Kinross, where for a smaller fee of $25 we were escorted into a private room where we had a passionate guy talk us through the whole history of the area, as well as Kinross itself. When we mentioned we liked Rieslings, a variety not included in the tasting, our host dashed out and came back with a bottle of Valli Riesling — which we ended up buying, because it was so good, and exactly the kind of wine we like.

So, this is a list of my favourite cellar doors near Queenstown; vineyards I really think are worth the visit.

A heads up that this page contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission if you make a booking via those links. Thanks for your support.

Getting around the vineyards

From Queenstown, you’re within an hour’s drive of 200 Central Otago vineyards.

Most people head to the Gibbston wine region, which is located between Queenstown and Cromwell.

Cycle trails along the river mean that a lot of people choose to e-bike between the vineyards. Go with an e-bike, if you can — I opted for old-fashioned pedal power the first time I visited and by was thoroughly sick of it by the time I was pushing the bike up the incline towards Mt Rosa.

A much easier option is to choose a vineyard tour that will transport you between the wineries. The driving distances aren’t very long, and you have to worry less about how much wine you consume.

Check out Queenstown vineyard tours on Viator or just go ahead and book into this one, which I recommend!

Alternatively, a more budget-friendly option is to check out the hop-on, hop-off wine tours.

Kinross Winery & Cellar Door — if you can only go to one tasting, make it this one

Kinross is one of the best places near Queenstown to go for a wine tasting, because at the one cellar door you can taste wines from small, independent vineyards like Coal Pit, Hawkshead, Valli and Wild Irishman.

That makes it a great place to go if you only have a short time to explore the region.

I also loved the tasting experience. We turned up without a booking on a cold winter day, and although we had to wait 15 minutes — I believe they run tastings on the hour — it was worth it.

Our tasting was in a private room, with just me and my travel partner, and the guy delivering the tasting. From our seats we could see vines out the window that grew the grapes that had ended up in the bottles in front of us.

The focus was on Pinot Noir, of course, but I also loved hearing about the whole history of the region — delivered with the help of an adorable slideshow up on a screen.

Mt Rosa Wines

Mt Rosa is a family owned, single estate vineyard. Hand picked grapes and a range of varietals mean Mt Rosa wines capture the essence of the region in each bottle.

It’s also in a spectacular setting, possibly the prettiest of all the Gibbston wineries. A craggy ridge rises up behind the winery building in a dramatic display of the hostile rock that makes the wine region so unique.

The cellar door is small and friendly — it’s the kind of place you can settle into for a while and enjoy the views of the golden hills and rows of vines. Visiting Mt Rosa winery feels like having a drink at a friend’s place.

There’s a sunny courtyard where you can sit in summer, and a toasty fire inside in winter.

I really enjoyed drinking the rose here, and I liked the size of the restaurant and cellar door, too. It’s much more relaxed than some of the bigger wineries.

The only complaint I had about Mt Rosa is that the driveway is long and has a slight incline; really not ideal when you’ve already visited three vineyards and are trying valiantly (and somewhat drunkenly) to pedal uphill.

Mora Wines — the ideal place to enjoy a glass of local wine with lunch

Mora is located on the road to Arrowtown. The garden setting is ideal for settling into a long lunch, not to mention the kitchen menu which is wonderfully rich and varied.

Although the menu was a little on the meaty side — beef and lamb are well represented — I was still well fed and happy as a vegetarian.

I didn’t do a tasting here, but I tried both of their Rieslings (of course) and loved them.

Mora is also a great option if you want to enjoy wine without committing to a wine tour, or if you’re on a budget. There’s a public bus stop right outside, which will get you to and from Queenstown without needing to drive or book a tour.

Peregrine Wines

Peregrine Wines is instantly recognizable for the striking architecture of the cellar door building, designed to resemble the wingspan of a falcon in flight.

The building is also cool because you can see rows of barrels on display underground.

Peregrine is another vineyard with outstanding whites. I’m a huge fan of their Rieslings, which have delicious lemon curdy and nectarine notes.

Their pinot noirs are also top notch.

The cool thing about Peregrine is how they are a biodynamic vineyard.

They’re passionate about using regenerative practices in their vineyard and preserving the land, which is important given the high environmental impact of growing grapes.

I once spoke to the owners for a story I wrote about sustainable wine growing in New Zealand and they were lovely, so it’s a great vineyard to support.

Mt Difficulty Winery

Central Otago beauty - Photo via Mt Difficulty

Wine with a view - Photo via Mt Difficulty

Mt Difficulty is in Bannockburn, around 50 minutes drive from Queenstown. It’s worth the trip for the views alone.

You can just stop by the cellar door but I would recommend enjoying a glass of wine in their restaurant. The outdoor terrace is has a sweeping view of the surrounding vines and orchards. It’s one of the best Queenstown wineries for simply relaxing and enjoying the view.

Mt Difficulty is most renowned for its Pinot Noir production. Their Pinot Noirs often exhibit red and dark berry fruit characteristics with a subtle spiciness.

I also really enjoyed the rose at this vineyard, which felt like the perfect wine to drink in April sunshine while overlooking the Bannockburn Valley.

Getting around Queenstown’s wineries

It’s easy to visit Queenstown’s wineries on a day trip, or as part of a road trip from Christchurch to Queenstown.

You have three options for getting around Queenstown’s wineries:

Book a tour.
Go on a self-guided cycle tour.
Arrange your own transport.

I recommend booking a tour, or organising a taxi back and forth to just one vineyard.

I did a self-guided cycle tour of the Kawerau valley and Queenstown’s best wineries on bicycle. It was wonderful to be mobile between the vineyards. The scenery along the trail is an absolute treat.

However, by the time we got to Mt Rosa I was well and truly tipsy, and struggling to pedal up the slight hill to get to the cellar door (we did not have e-bikes) really wasn’t much fun.

I tend to find that three vineyards is about the max number of tastings I can do before I just want to sit and enjoy a glass or two in beautiful surroundings. At some point you won’t want to cycle anymore, so I would recommend getting picked up somewhere and not trying to cycle to an end point.

Or pick one spot with transport there and away, or do a wine tour that will transport you to a couple of great vineyards and help you avoid the pain of riding a bike while drunk.

If you want to go and settle in somewhere, I recommend Kinross for their selection, or Mt Difficulty for the view and general ambiance.