12 best Waiheke wineries to visit
Visiting Waiheke Island is one of the best things to do in Auckland. Here’s a guide to the island’s unmissable wineries.
Waiheke Island is a wine lover’s dream.
The warm sunshine and clay soils on Waiheke produce robust reds and aromatic whites, and it’s hard to beat enjoying a glass of the good stuff on an island drenched in natural beauty.
Tasting wine at one of the island’s vineyards is an essential part of visiting Waiheke.
Waiheke is only a 40-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland, so you can head there and back in a day, but I recommend staying overnight so you can enjoy more of the island.
It’s usually best to only visit two or three vineyards in a day.
This lets you appreciate the story of each vineyard more, and if you try to do more than three tastings you probably won’t remember the last one anyway.
jump ahead.
Waiheke Island wineries map
There are around 30 wineries on Waiheke. Many of them offer cellar doors and tasting rooms, and some have excellent restaurants and outdoor garden areas where you can enjoy views of the vines and Hauraki Gulf.
What wine is Waiheke famous for?
Waiheke Island is most famous for its Bordeaux-style red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends. The island's unique microclimate, with its warm summers and mild winters, provides an ideal environment for growing these grape varieties.
The combination of rich volcanic soil and sea breezes from the Hauraki Gulf contributes to the development of full-bodied, complex red wines.
How do you visit the wineries on Waiheke?
The public buses on Waiheke serve the main routes fairly frequently, and are the most cost effective way of visiting Waiheke’s wineries.
When you arrive at the Matiata Ferry Terminal on Waiheke, you’ll be able to hop straight on a public bus to Onetangi. This will take you past some of the classic wineries to visit, like Wild on Waiheke, Stonyridge, Tantalus, and Te Motu.
To get to some of the more remote vineyards, you’ll need to take a taxi or a tour.
A couple more tips for visiting Waiheke’s wineries
Many of Waiheke’s vineyards are only open from Thursday or Friday through to Sunday. Check the opening times online before you go.
If you want to eat, make sure you call and make a booking in advance. Tables are at a premium on weekends, especially if you’re in a group.
The Waiheke Island Wine Centre in Oneroa has an excellent selection of wines from all over the island. The team in store has a vast amount of local knowledge, and you can do a wine tasting in the shop — this is a great option if the vineyards are closed, or you don’t have time to visit multiple vineyards.
Cable Bay and Mudbrick are both top spots for watching the sunset from Waiheke, as they look back west across the harbour.
The best Waiheke wineries
These Waiheke wineries all have a unique style, great wine, and beautiful settings for enjoying the wine.
1) Mudbrick Winery — terrace dining in romantic gardens
Image courtesy of Mudbrick
Image courtesy of Mudbrick
Tasting cost | Reserve tasting $25 for 4 wines, flagship tasting $30 for 3 wines
Food available | Mudbrick Restaurant, here’s the menu
Mudbrick is hands down one of the most stunning wineries on Waiheke.
Set in beautiful gardens with sweeping sea views, Mudbrick’s vineyard and restaurant are pure class. It’s also conveniently located closer to Oneroa — you could walk there in 30 minutes if you’re up for it, and it’s 40 minutes walking or a 5 minute drive to the Matiatia Ferry Terminal.
Mudbrick produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah, along with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Viognier.
This is the best Waiheke vineyard for enjoying a sunset, so it’s a great place to visit in the evening.
As well as the winery and restaurant, Mudbrick also offers some unique places to stay.
Check out their luxury cottages or the Settlers cottage for a luxurious getaway.
2) Man O War — the only beachfront winery on Waiheke
Food available | Platters and sharing plates, here’s the menu
Man O’ War is one of Waiheke’s most picturesque vineyards, as it’s the only one right by a beach.
By dint of its location on the remote western edge of the island, it’s also one of the most exclusive. You need a car — or a boat — to get there, but it’s worth the additional effort to be able to savour the excellent rose in the breezy garden setting right by the water.
Make sure you book in advance to secure your lunch spot if you plan on eating there.
3) Tantalus Estate — ideal for lavish dining
Image courtesy of Tantalus Estate
Tasting cost | Estate tasting $20 for 3 wines, Reserve tasting $30 for 4 wines
Food available | Restaurant with three course lunch menu, bookings essential
Getting there: Tantalus is on the bus route so you can get there by public bus
Tantalus Estate is a family owned vineyard in the heart of Onetangi Valley.
It’s one of Waiheke’s newer restaurants, having only been established in 2016, but it has quickly become one of the island’s top vineyard destinations.
The Cellar Door at Tantalus Estate is open Thursday to Sunday from 11am until 5pm. All of their wines come from grapes grown on the Waiheke estate.
Tantalus’s restaurant is one of the best on Waiheke, with beautifully crafted plates in a sun-drenched dining room right alongside the estate’s vines. While you’re dining there, don’t forget to look up — the elaborate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling are made from old vines, shaped into exquisite forms.
Dishes include options to try some of New Zealand’s speciality foods — picture spiced pukekohe eggplant ragout served with kumara and smoked dates, and rooibos cured king salmon, with beer battered kina, ginger and kawakawa.
4) Batch Winery — the highest vineyard on Waiheke
Tasting cost | Estate tasting $15 per person, and a legacy tasting $25 per person
Food available | Full restaurant, here’s the menu
Batch Winery is located on top of a hill, overlooking the Hauraki Gulf and Onetangi Valley. It’s famously the highest vineyard on Waiheke, so it has lovely views.
The coastal breezes and fertile clays give Batch Winery wines umami flavours.
At the tasting room, you can choose from a few different ways to explore this vineyard’s wines. As well as estate and legacy tastings, you can do a barrel tasting to taste wines straight from the barrel, or enjoy a food pairing by adding canapes to your tasting.
The sun-soaked hill makes this winery a great spot to relax and enjoy a glass or two, and if you want to linger for longer, the restaurant serves lunch and dinner all year round.
Although tricky to get to on public transport, the Waiheke Island hop-on hop-off bus goes past Batch Winery.
5) Casita Miro — a Spanish inspired vineyard and restaurant
Image courtesy of Casita Miro
Image courtesy of Casita Miro
Tasting cost | Five wines for $20
Food available | Restaurant with a 3 course set menu
Casita Miro is a small but richly atmospheric vineyard. It draws from Spanish and Mediterranean influences, and you’ll see Gaudi-esque mosaics and olive trees scattered around the picturesque grounds.
The vineyard has pretty views of Onetangi village and the bright blue sea, as well as the rows of vines neatly covering the 4 hectare parcel of land. You can roam around the gardens to enjoy the views.
Taste Syrah, Malbec, and Bordeaux varietals at the cellar door, and enjoy the tapas style food. I recommend the goats cheese croquettes.
If you’re also visiting Obsidian Wines, you can take a sneaky shortcut past the vines to get from one vineyard to another. Together, these two make for a lovely and laid-back vineyard experience on Waiheke.
Onetangi is on the public bus route, and from the beach you can walk to Casita Miro in less than 10 minutes, so it’s one of the more accessible vineyards on Waiheke.
6) Te Motu — Bordeaux style wines and a zero waste kitchen
Tasting cost | $25 for four wines
Food available | The Shed restaurant
The proudly family run Te Motu Estate sits on the rolling hills of Onetangi Valley.
The wine produced at Te Motu all comes from estate grown grapes. Te Motu specialises in Cabernet Sauvignon blends, with Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.
At the cellar door, you can get to know Te Motu’s Bordeaux-style wines.
Meanwhile, their rustic restaurant The Shed offers an elevated take on rural dining, using produce from the surrounding gardens. The Shed is one of the best places to enjoy a meal on Waiheke Island.
7) Kennedy Point Vineyard — the only Waiheke winery with highland cattle
Tasting cost | $20 for three wines and an olive oil
Food available | Grazing platters
Kennedy Point is an organic vineyard overlooking Kennedy Bay.
Surrounded by gnarled old pohutakawa trees, with views out across the sea and a couple of highland cattle on the property, Kennedy Point is a picturesque vineyard perfect for getting a little off the beaten track.
They produce mostly Bordeaux varietals and Syrah, using biodynamic practices that support the health of the soil.
If you don’t mind a 20 minute walk from the main road, you could reach this winery via the public bus. Alternatively, the Waiheke hop-on hop-off bus stops at this vineyard.
8) Obsidian Winery — laid-back tasting in a rustic setting
Tasting cost | $20 per person for four wines
Food available: Just small snacks
Obsidian is a vineyard found near Onetangi, surrounded by amphitheatre-like hills laced with rows of vines.
The environment at Obsidian is rustic and relaxed, so it’s perfect if you want to taste wines in a quieter setting than the larger vineyards. It’s less flashy than larger vineyards, which places the focus squarely on the quality of the wines.
The staff here are very knowledgeable and passionate, which makes the experience lovely.
This winery is known for its Montepulciano and Syrah reds.
It’s close to Casita Miro, so you can duck between the two vineyards easily, and visit both using the public bus.
Plan your Waiheke Island trip:
9) Awaroa Organic Vineyard
Food available | Grazing platters
This is a little hidden gem of a Waiheke vineyard.
Awaroa Organic Vineyard produces small batches of organic wine. The tasting room has a lovely homey feel, perched on top of a hill with views of vines rolling down into native bush.
You can order grazing platters to enjoy with your wine tastings, and enjoy views of hills and pine forests.
The absolute favourite among my group of friends when we visited was the Waiheke Road Pinot Gris — I think it might my personal favourite of all the wines I’ve tasted on Waiheke.
10) Poderi Crisci Vineyard and Restaurant — home of the weekend long lunch
Poderi Crisci is a little more off the beaten track, but it’s well worth the trek to the east of the island.
The estate grows Syrah and Merlot vines, alongside olive trees and a garden with a bounty of fresh herbs and produce that supply the restaurant.
Poderi Crisci is famous for its decadent long lunches. Each Saturday and Sunday, this winery recreates the Italian tradition of a long lunch, which lasts for four hours and many courses.
Poderi Crisci is further away from the rest of Waiheke’s vineyards, but it’s well worth the trip for an indulgent afternoon of food and wine.
You’ll need your own transport to get here, or take a taxi (around $100 one way).
Another option is to stay close to the vineyard — Fleetwood has gorgeous cabins close by.
11) Passage Rock Winery
Passage Rock produce Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, but they are best known for their much awarded Syrah.
This winery is located on the east of the island, around a 30-minute drive from Oneroa or Matiatia ferry terminal. This is another one you’ll need a taxi or a tour for — I visited this vineyard on a wine tour for my sister’s bachelorette party.
If you can’t remember the Waiheke wineries you visited, they must have been good, right?
My memories of Passage Rock are somewhat hazy, as this was the last stop on our tour, but I enjoyed the beautiful setting of the vineyard and appreciate that it’s a little off the beaten track.
12) Goldie Estate — the oldest vineyard on Waiheke
Goldie Estate is the oldest vineyard on Waiheke, established by the Goldwaters in 1978.
The combination of handcrafted wines and a superb setting in native bush, on the water’s edge, make Goldie’s an excellent stop on any Waiheke island wine tour.
Visit the cellar door in the original winery to sample the premium estate wines in a rustic and friendly atmosphere.
The best vineyard restaurants on Waiheke
While any vineyards that have tastings will have snacks available, not all of Waiheke’s vineyards offer restaurants where you can sit down for a meal.
You’ll probably want lunch at some point during your day on Waiheke, to sop up some of the wine and to try the excellent cuisine on the island.
Make sure you make a booking for these vineyard restaurants, as tables are in demand, especially if you’re in a larger group.
These vineyards have on site restaurants:
Batch Winery Restaurant
Mudbrick Restaurant
Poderi Crisci
Tantalus Estate
Casita Miro
Getting to Waiheke
Getting to Waiheke is easy on the passenger ferry from Auckland.
Fullers passenger ferries run at least every hour between 6am and midnight, and you don’t need to book in advance. This does mean you might have to wait at the terminal if there are long queues, though.
Another great option, which I highly recommend, is booking a seat on Island Direct. There are fewer ferries each day, but you’re guaranteed a place so you don’t need to queue — just turn up 10 minutes before departure.
Read more about getting to Waiheke here.
Explore more of Waiheke Island
Waiheke is one of the best things to do in Auckland, with some of the best beaches and walking trails as well as vineyards.
There is so much to enjoy on Waiheke, you won’t regret spending a few days here.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope you found some vineyards to add to your list of places to visit on Waiheke.
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