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AUCKLAND WINE

With a population of 1.5 million people, Auckland is New Zealand's biggest city.  Auckland is famous for its sheltered harbours, islands, volcanic cones, and sailing.  It's often referred to as the City of Sails. Auckland has an amazing landscape and mild climate. You can enjoy a number of varied activities such as: sailing in the Hauraki Gulf, walking through the Waitakeres, having a picnic on a volcano or sampling wines at a vineyard.

While the Marlborough region is arguably New Zealand's most famous wine region, Auckland is home to some of New Zealand’s oldest established vineyards, with vines first planted in Northland in 1819. Auckland's warmth make it ideal for red-wine grapes, such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot and some white grapes like Viognier or Pinot Gris. 

With around 100 wineries Auckland is a large and diverse wine Region. Auckland's key wine regions are: North, West, Waiheke and South. Some natural wines are now grown in the region.

The Northern Wineries
Northern wineries are located near the sunny the towns of Keri Keri, Warkworth and Matakana. The North is the smallest of the wine regions but is growing fast.

The Western Wineries
The west is home to some of Auckland's oldest vineyards. Notable wineries include: Coopers Creek, Matua Valley and Nobilo Wines.  The Croatians, who came to New Zealand to work in the kauri gumfields of the far north, later moved to West Auckland and started wineries such as Babich and Delegat's.  These still exist today. New Zealand's three biggest wine companies – Montana, Nobilo and Villa Maria – are all of Croatian origin.

Waiheke Wineries
Waiheke Island is a short 30 minutes by water taxi from downtown Auckland. It is home to some of Auckland's best and newest wineries.  Some of the newer wineries have fantastic restaurants, especially Mudbrick and Te Whau. Experience winning wines at the Waiheke Island Wine Festival.

Southern Wineries
The Clevedon/Whitford area is a great wine region. Clevedon has rapidly developed a reputation for its exceptional wine. Its climate and fertile soil are the perfect for producing full-flavoured red wines such as merlot as well as whites such as Pinot Gris and Viognier. Turanga Creek, Auckand's first certified producer of organic wine, is proud of being part of this area.