|
Gene & Lee's Tour and Cruise |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Our ship docked at 10:00 am at the Waitohi Wharf in Picton Harbour. Today was our Marlborough Wine Trail tour. From Picton, we traveled the 28 km to Blenheim, which is known as the gateway to the wineries of the Wairau Valley. This is the most notable wine region in New Zealand and is home to 34 wineries and craft breweries clustered together. Our first stop was Giesen Wines. Giesen is a family-owned, family operated winery that was founded by three brothers—Theo, Alex, and Marcel. Originally from Germany, they became pioneering wine producers on New Zealand's South Island in 1981. Today they're the proprietors of 13 vineyards across the Wairau Valley subregion of Marlborough. They are also known for their 5 varieties of alcohol-free New Zealand wines.    
  click picture to enlarge Driving to the next winery on our itinerary, our driver gave us the short course on grape harvesting equipment and how they harvest. The equipment is mechanical, driven by an operator and follows a guide wire strung down the center of a row of vines. Once the hopper is full, the grapes are transferred into a trailer and hauled to the winery for processing.    click picture to enlarge Next stop was the boutique Framingham Winery. They grow and make a diverse range of high-quality wines. Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir and Montepulciano all grow on their Estate.      click picture to enlarge In 1994, Hans Herzog left Switzerland to found Hans Herzog Estate Vineyard and Winery embarking on an expedition to craft fine wines in the uncharted land of Marlborough. They have some of New Zealand's most eclectic collection of grape varieties and produce highly acclaimed handcrafted, small batch wines.    click picture to enlarge Taking a short break from our winery tour, we pulled into the Makana Boutique Chocolate Factory. They make beautiful hand-made NZ chocolates and confections on site. Makana’s facility is set up so you can watch how they make their chocolates, taste some samples and shop for chocolates.     click picture to enlarge Our last stop of the day. The Allan Scott Family Winery was one of the first independent wineries in New Zealand's Marlborough District. Allan was responsible for planting the region's first vineyard back in 1973 and has worked every harvest in the area since. They farm sustainably using organic practices to produce their extensive range of sparkling and traditional wines.    click picture to enlarge Returning to Picton after our 6 ½ hour tour, we arrived back at the ship at 4:30 pm.   click picture to enlarge Picton was our last port of call on the South Island. Tonight we cross the Cook Straight and start our tours of the North Island at Wellington tomorrow morning. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
