The Cellar Door.
02 February 2019 | Gisborne, North Island, NZ
Maggie
For centuries the Maori people have referred to New Zealand as "the island of the long white cloud".
This morning we got caught in the rain from that long white cloud as we hiked around the property, catching great views of the ocean in the distance.
So we thought it was the perfect excuse to dress up warm and head out to the vineyards around us for some wine tasting.
The focus in this region is primarily on whites, so Nev had a great time sampling all that was on offer, loving the chardonnay's and viognier's especially.
I was delightfully surprised by the malbec's and the pinot's, neither of which are usually my favorites!
But I think what we loved the most was the warm hospitality shown us by the wine makers themselves. They went out of their way to make us welcome and we enjoyed their chatter and their passion.
The tasting rooms here are referred to as "cellar doors"...
I like that!
The average bottle of wine costs 25 NZ dollars and tasting, generally, is free of charge, 5 bucks at the most...
a pleasant change after our recent experience in Napa!!
The wind must howl in this region since most of the vineyards are grown in areas boarded by tall hedges which we presumed were for protection.
So interesting!!