Wine and dine in Peak district
Sip sip hooray – Hawke’s Bay now offers accommodation among the vines. Brook Sabin and Radha Engling check in to check it out.
Hello wine lovers. Welcome to this fivestep guide to the ultimate Kiwi wine weekend. My name is Brook, and I will be your wine guru. Or wuru.
And just like any good guru, I will promise the Earth, yet know quite literally nothing about it. Seriously, I don’t drink.
But bear with me. I have a partner in wine, Radha, and she’s an expert.
In all seriousness, we’ve just spent a magical weekend at one of the country’s best vineyards, Craggy Range.
It’s one of the brightest jewels in the elaborate crown of wineries scattered among Hawke’s Bay.
Most wine lovers will be well acquainted with Craggy’s wine, and its iconic setting at the foot of the mighty Te Mata Peak.
But few realise you can do a lot more than drink when you visit the winery. A new accommodation business is growing, quite literally, among the vines.
So, sip sip hooray, let’s get your wine weekend under way.
1. Sleep
Driving into Craggy Range is a grand affair. It’s like arriving at a Mediterranean-style palace of wine.
Most people venture here for cellar door tastings, or to experience the two-hatted restaurant. I imagine, like me, many would assume it’s out of their price range to spend a night here.
But, if you divide the cost between a few friends, it’s surprisingly affordable.
The most popular option is the two-bedroom vineyard cottage. Each has a large dining area, indoor fire, two immaculate bedrooms, and a patio overlooking the vines.
After the day-trippers leave the winery, a soulsoothing peace descends over the vineyard. Birds begin an evening chorus, with a kind of smooth melody that suggests they may have found their way into the liquid gold ageing in French oak in the underground cellar.
Then, the sun begins to set behind glorious Te
Mata Peak, illuminating its silhouette with a beautiful glow.
There was only one other group of four in the vineyard and, in the balmy evening sun, it almost felt like we were in Spain.
A faint laugh occasionally echoed around the vineyard, a sure sign the well-stocked minibar was being put to good use.
For a group of four, in low season, the cottage is $450, or $225 a couple. You’d struggle to get a decent hotel in Auckland for that price, and this is an entire house at one of the country’s best vineyards.
If you have a little more cash to splash, the vineyard has just opened a series of river lodges that sit between the vines and the Tukituki River.
The grand lodges have two opulent bedrooms – the kind with eight pillows resting on each bed – an enormous kitchen and dining area, and two outdoor patios, including one designed around an impressive fire.
A night in the river lodge is from $950, or it’d be $475 a couple – not bad for a miniature mansion.
After the daytrippers leave the winery, a soulsoothing peace descends over the vineyard. Birds begin an evening chorus . . . Then, the sun begins to set behind glorious Te Mata Peak.
2. Drink
Settling in such beautiful surrounds is thirsty work, but thankfully you’re only a few steps away from the cellar door.
The staff at Craggy are black-belts of the wine world. Mike, who greeted us, represented New Zealand at the world sommelier competition.
For a basic tasting, you’ll spend 30 minutes sipping Craggy’s best drops from its three properties in Hawke’s Bay, Martinborough and Marlborough. The range includes rich reds, chardonnays and a delightful rose. The tasting is free if you buy a bottle, or $10 if not.
Upgrade to a premium tasting to head behind the scenes to discover the winemaking process.
The tour includes a look at the underground cellar, where dozens of barrels of wine are being aged to perfection.
3. Eat
Your villas among the vines have a kitchen, but you’ll want to enjoy at least one meal at Craggy’s restaurant, which I think produces some of the best