The southernmost wine region in the world, and the most spectacular to drive through — the vineyards start about 42 kilometres east of Queenstown through the Kawarau Gorge and spread over roughly the same distance again.
Pinot Noir is effectively the whole story: around three quarters of the plantings, grown on schist slopes in a continental climate of hot days and cold nights unlike anywhere else in New Zealand. Riesling and Pinot Gris fill in the rest.
Bannockburn, Gibbston and Bendigo are the sub-districts to know, and they are far enough apart that you should pick two rather than three. Queenstown makes the obvious base and the drive is part of the day. Cellar doors are seasonal here more than most — check hours outside the December to April summer, when some close entirely.
