There are a number of islands off the coast of Auckland that are excellent for a day trip. This holiday I had my mind set on well known Waiheke Island (40 min ferry) and bird sanctuary Tiritiri Matangi Island (1h:15min). Unfortunately the ferry to Tiritiri was cancelled just before departure due to stormy weather. There was not a real alternative in the city as I am not a big fan of zoos and aquaria where animals spend their life locked up but we did spend an agreeable time in the Auckland museum.
That left Waiheke Island, a place that regularly hits the annual lists of best places to live or visit. I had spent a few nights on Waiheke before in early 2005 in a secluded private mansion on the beach. That was a great experience but this time we decided to do something completely different. Waiheke is famous for its abundance of vineyards and has a climate that is particularly suited to grow the Bordeaux-type grapes as well as some Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, vineyards are so prevalent that many tourists visit the island just for the wine and so did we.
It is possible to go on many different organised tours (120 NZD or more) if you do not want to do any planning but it is pretty easy to set up a trip yourself. The Fullers ferry organisation sells Vineyard Hopper tickets for 60 NZD that include the ferry ride (36 NZD) and that allow you to use a circle bus that stops at a large number of vineyards every hour. If you start early it’s perfectly doable to visit four or five vineyards provided you have the stamina for it. Every vineyard typically charges 2 or 3 NZD per (small) tasting glass. Not every vineyard is on the busroute or map, apparently this depends on whether they pay for the privilege or not, but most of them are a short walk away from the others.
We started at 11 am and stopped at four vineyards; Cable Bay, Wild On Waiheke, Stonyridge and Mudbrick. We had also wanted to go to Te Whau with its amazing views over the water but it was closed on Tuesday, something that wasn’t very well communicated or known because the bus had dropped of some unfortunate visitors there. Lucky for us, after an hour, they were still there to warn us. There was no waiting at all for tastings at any of the other vineyards which somehow added a sense of exploration and adventure to the trip.
Overall, we tasted about 20 wines. Most were average with positive Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah exceptions until we arrived at Mudbrick. Almost all of the vineyards are beautiful locations, perfectly suited for the many weddings they host throughout the year. Mudbrick was also very idyllic but more importantly, their wines were of great quality. In particular we liked their Reserve Chardonnay and Onetangi Valley Syrah, both from Waiheke, and I couldn’t resist buying a few bottles (sending them home through friends as shipping was 250 NZD). The vineyard’s flagship wine Velvet 2014 is an undisclosed Merlot / Cabernet blend of the best grapes of the vineyard. The wine was therefore very reminiscent of the French Bordeaux region and even though I much prefer the Rhone Valley grape blends, I thought the taste was exceptional. The Velvet wines are apparently not produced every year if quality is subpar so as not to taint the name which adds to the exclusivity (and the steep price surely!).
We had a great time at Mudbrick and they allowed us to stay far past tasting hours asking questions and discussing the wines. While we thought this was the best vineyard by far, it is also fair to point out that we had a great lunch at Wild at Waiheke. At this vineyard it was also possible to do beer tasting, creating a similar experience for people that are not all that into wine.