Last week I talked about the largest wine growing region in New Zealand. This week I’d like to cover the fourth largest wine region in the country, Canterbury. If you are trying to plan your New Zealand vacation around this information, then keep in mind that Christchurch is located within this region and wineries can be found within an hour of Christchurch.
There are two main growing areas in Canterbury, New Zealand. The first surrounds the town of Christchurch, New Zealand. This growing zone is flat and perfect for vineyards. The second growing zone is located about 60 minutes to the north of Christchurch in the area known as Waipara. The most popular wines from these region include Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.
One of the local wineries in this region is the Bell Hill Vineyard. It is located in Waikari in the northern part of Canterbury. Three of the wines produced in 2004 include the Bell Hill Pinot Noir, the Old Weka Pass Road Pinot Noir and the Bell Hill Chardonnay. Each of these wines were aged for at least a year in French Oak barrels. The Chardonnay was also mixed with cultured yeasts and allowed to naturally ferment.
Bell Hill Vineyards is not the only vineyard in this area. There are many great wineries peppered throughout the region. If you are interested in visiting several Canterbury vineyards, consider booking a wine tasting tour. These tours will take you by bus to various wineries so you don’t have to worry about drinking and driving. It’s a great ride.
New Zealand wines are gaining worldwide attention. If you are over 21 and want to have a great day touring local wineries, then make sure you book a wine tour. If you aren’t interested in drinking wines, then you can still enjoy the countryside by touring it on bike.
There’s nothing quite like a wine tour for vacation – great scenery, great tastes and aromas – and, you can bring a bit of it home with you, to relive the experience later. Be prepared, though, especially in warm weather – you don’t want to leave your prized souvenirs in a hot car, and have them cooked. We always buy a cheap styrofoam cooler at a grocery store or convenience store, toss in some ice, and stash our wine purchases in there. Of course, when we get home, we immediately transfer our wine to the wine cooler. If you don’t already have one, you should get one – you can get a portable 12 bottle wine cooler for around $100 – and it’s well worth it. Of course, once you have one, you’ll very likely quickly fill it up, so you should get the largest cooler that space and budget will allow. Then, you can relive that great vacation at your leisure.