A full day wine tour starts with a 10am pick up from your accommodation. Lunch is at a vineyard restaurant (at your own cost) or if you prefer you can bring a picnic. An afternoon wine tour starts at 1pm. Both tours finish sometime after 5pm with a drop off at your accommodation. Other options for timing are possible such as a 12 noon start with a vineyard lunch as the first stop - give us a call to discuss options.
That depends very much on the group. The time at each winery varies depending on the size of the group and how much chatting goes on. The pace is set by the group, not by any pre-planned schedule. However, as a general rule, an afternoon wine tour might cover five or six wineries, a full day wine tour perhaps eight.
There is no set itinerary for our wine tour, so the wineries we visit depends on any requests from the group, wine preferences etc. The plan is not to have a pre-determined plan but to listen to what people want from their tour. There are over forty cellar doors to choose from. Have a look at the Marlborough wine map if you want to do a bit of pre-tour planning.
Absolutely! Talk to Helen at the start of the tour and make sure you mention places that you want included. They may not all be possible, some cellar doors have limited opening hours, some wineries do not have tasting rooms and there may be more requests than time available.
No. It helps if you enjoy wine, but you do not need any particular expertise. There is no fancy etiquette or mystique about tasting wine that you need to worry about. Helen will give you some tips about tasting wine if this is new to you or you can do a bit of research for yourself e.g. Studio of 5 Rings.
There isn’t a typical tour in terms of itinerary. The plan is to have a chat to guests at the start of the tour and to ensure that everyone has a great day. The itinerary may change as Helen tunes in the to wine preferences of the group or as requests arise.
If you have a full day wine tour you buy your own lunch. There are a range of lunch options available that we will discuss at the start of the day. If you prefer, bring a picnic and we will stop at a suitable spot. All tasting fees are paid by Na Clachan Wine Tours. Obviously if you choose to buy wine that will be at your own expense.
Yes. A private wine tour is charged by the hour with a minimum of four hours. Maximum group size is 11 persons. You decide the start and finish time and the wineries you want to visit. Naturally, Helen will advise you and make suggestions based on the wine preference or other wishes of your group. Cost $60 per hour for up to 11 people. If there are 6 or more in your group a private tour is cost effective. If you want to guarantee the itinerary of the tour, without any compromise with other group memebers, a private tour is a good option. Ring us or email to discuss the options.
No. Helen will pick up from your local accommodation. Guests staying at Na Clachan Cottages receive a discount on a wine tour but everyone is welcome.
I am often asked whether winemakers add juices of other fruits to give the wine flavours. The answer is a most definite NO. The flavours - for example, gooseberries, cherries, rose water - all come from natural chemicals in the grapes or from the wine making processes. For example apricot fruit flavour is caused by the chemical 1,4-decanolide amyl propanoate and is associated with chenin blanc, some rieslings and chardonnays. Once you delve into the chemistry it all becomes rather complicated. The good news is that you do not need to know any of this in order to enjoy wine. If you want to find out more about visit Cannavan's wine pages.
Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough is crisp, very fruity and zesty with “aromatic pungency”. It is easily distinguishable form Sauvignon Blanc grown in other regions. For an independent assessment of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc check out what Quaffers have to say.
Marlborough has become world renowned for its Sauvignon Blanc and about 70% of Marlborough’s wine production is Sauvignon Blanc. However a number of other varieties are grown here, particularly the aromatic whites – Reisling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris. Chardonnay also grows well here. Pinot Noir is the only red grape that does consistently well in the Marlborough climate but some wineries are growing Merlot, Malbec, Montepulciano. A number of wineries produce sparkling wines and many produce dessert wines. You can expect to have the opportunity to sample most, if not all, of these varieties on a tour.
The climate is ideal for the aromatic white vines and for Pinot Noir – a long ripening season with good daytime temperatures in the summer of perhaps 26 – 30 C but with cool nights. After Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir is the second most common grape in the area. Marlborough is now producing some fantastic Pinot Noir and beginning to establish a reputation for this wine to go alongside its worldwide reputation for Sauvignon Blanc. However, expect to sample some great Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer and Chardonnay as well.
That very much depends on where home is. Marlborough wine is exported worldwide and you can check on the website of individual wineries to see where they export and for details of distributors. You can arrange to ship wine home to many countries. Ask Helen for details at the start of your tour.
The Marlborough wine industry is relatively new and the oldest Marlborough vines are only about 30 years old. In Europe and other long established wine regions vines as old as 100 years are still in production. So, come back in 30 years and ask me the question again and I will give you an update.
Yes. They taste very good, with distinctive flavours for each variety. Gewurtztraminer grapes have a rose water flavour, Riesling are citrusy. Close your eyes and eat a sauvignon blanc grape from some areas and you could think you were eating a gooseberry. The grapes are not generally used for table grapes because they are small bunches and small berries and some have quite thick skins. But they are lovely.
Again it depends on the variety but for Sauvignon Blanc, about 1.1kg of grapes per bottle. Some varieties give you less juice per kilo. An average grape might weigh 2 grammes, so you need about 550 grapes for a bottle. See Winelovers for more detail.
There are over 5,000 varieties of grape. But only a relatively small number are used for making wine, and of these only about ten are grown in Marlborough.
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