Top Lake Tekapo Wine Tours: Taste Paradise
Lake Tekapo! It’s certainly famed for those crazy beautiful turquoise waters and stunning night skies, but hold on – it’s got some appealing vineyards, too! Actually, taking a wine tour near Lake Tekapo adds a totally different dimension to your visit. So, rather than simply sticking to the usual tourist spots, you could find yourself appreciating some fantastic wines with incredible views. Basically, I’ve put together my list of the five very best wine tours around Lake Tekapo to help you explore them all.
1. Mount Cook Alpine Salmon & Wine Tour – A Unique Pairing
The Mount Cook Alpine Salmon & Wine Tour; it offers just a fantastic pairing that really sets it apart. Really, picture this: sampling superb, fresh salmon in an absolutely amazing setting and also getting to savor a selection of great local wines. That is pretty perfect, right? Frankly, the tour usually kicks off with a scenic drive toward a spot where the salmon is farmed in those pure, alpine waters. Next, you’ll not only see exactly how the salmon makes its way from the farm right to your plate, but there’s also that tasting part that I’m especially eager for. It is quite delightful! Later on, you’ll move right onto visiting a few pretty decent wineries located within the Mackenzie Basin. Arguably, these wineries are known for their cool-climate wines, adding, too it’s almost, a whole other layer of distinctiveness. So, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris tend to shine here!
Plus, that blend of amazing scenery, local produce, and outstanding wines provides a pretty, pretty well-rounded experience that you might not very easily find anywhere else. To be honest, tours frequently include all transport, tastings at a couple of different wineries, and, well, the salmon experience, too. Is that cool, or what?
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2. Twizel Wine Tour – Discovering Hidden Gems
Want to find wineries that feel like pretty special secrets? Twizel Wine Tour would be, arguably, ideal for that! Right, Twizel is just a bit further away from Lake Tekapo, but believe me, that drive will really reward you with a chance to see wineries that fly so below the tourist radar that they are just delightful! Actually, these tours commonly put emphasis on those family-run vineyards. What they do is allow for more of a close, personal encounter with the very people who craft the wines. Basically, picture learning straight from the winemaker how weather conditions affect the taste of, perhaps, their latest Pinot Noir? That, really, is something special.
Generally, the trips involve tastings at, say, two to three choice vineyards. Actually, a great guide offers insights into the Mackenzie Basin viticulture. Anyway, quite often lunch would be incorporated at a winery, so that adds an element of gastronomic bliss. As a matter of fact, transport from Lake Tekapo is typically part of what you get. That makes it that much easier to relish every single moment with no worries whatsoever.
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3. Private Wine Tour – Create Your Own Adventure
If what you prefer is something completely flexible, a private wine tour could, arguably, be right up your alley. Well, a personal tour means that you actually get to design everything! Seriously, want to spend just that little bit more time at that certain winery? Want to toss in an extra tasting, maybe? With a private arrangement, really, you certainly can! Actually, a devoted driver allows you to explore all along the Mackenzie Basin at your relaxed rhythm.
These tours often start with some kind of discussion to help the planners work out precisely which wineries match just what you are trying to get out of the whole thing. Then, that customized schedule includes not just the places themselves but, perhaps, specific wine types of great interest or cuisine that you simply can’t get enough of! Plus, this completely tailored experience often includes door-to-door services from where you are at in Lake Tekapo to ensure supreme relaxation and a heck of a lot of fun! I love that kind of consideration.
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4. Mackenzie High Country Wine & Food Tour
Basically, the Mackenzie High Country Wine & Food Tour emphasizes the enjoyment of incredible cuisine and exquisite wines as its, very, main drawcard. It is quite remarkable! Indeed, this adventure mixes wine tastings alongside gourmet foods. Well, picture pairings of fine wine with artisan cheeses and fresh local breads, enhancing the total delight? Anyway, this tour generally shows wineries off while showcasing, at the same time, the region’s most scrumptious foods.
Typically, the visit lasts somewhere around five to six hours. Well, the itinerary might have multiple vineyards paired with locations noted for their wonderful cuisine offerings. As a matter of fact, expect there to be educated guides that can fill you in with information concerning not just wine-making traditions but also give descriptions of local foodie specialties. Indeed, those transport arrangements commonly cover hotels inside of Lake Tekapo. Plus, there is the benefit that most prices tend to be fully inclusive – this means every single tasting fee and meal cost is, basically, pre-paid.
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5. Lake Tekapo Sunset Wine & Stargazing Tour
Why not savor an incredible mixture? Like, savor wine tasting with world-renowned stargazing? Well, the Lake Tekapo Sunset Wine & Stargazing Tour lets all happen just at once! See, this unusual pairing has, very, many opportunities for taking photos while appreciating brilliant glasses of neighborhood wines below dark skies. Quite often it runs in late afternoons to simply take, though, completely incredible sunsets over Lake Tekapo itself as a starting point. Really, there is no doubt it will set the tone!
Very often such a tour entails vineyard visits first before finding your spot perfect just for that little sunset viewing event along with an amazing open-air wine reception following it. Just after sundown you could then make that move, eventually, towards taking use of some on-location telescopes that skilled astronomers help set-up perfectly to help appreciate much about stellar displays! Anyway, given that Lake Tekapo’s known within just what is commonly referred to Dark Sky Reserve that adds extra-special enjoyment! Plus you will find options to take benefit of transfer plans put up to get from certain resort centers just right through to start line; expect generally to keep 3 – 4 hours reserved, given a great measure concerning entire period which often such event normally encompasses.
Read our full review: Lake Tekapo Sunset Wine & Stargazing Tour Full Review and Details
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