Wine tasting around the Cromwell Basin is blossoming in popularity, as visitors discover quiet roads, beautiful scenery and world-class vintages.

Over the latter part of summer eight new cellar doors were opened, planned or revamped. Wine enthusiasts can now add Desert Heart and Domain Road Vineyard off Felton Road to their tasting itinerary along with Remarkable Wines on nearby Cairnmuir Road.
In Cromwell itself Misha’s Vineyard and Quest have both opened at the Freeway Orchard complex while Wine Solutions in the industrial area plan to open shortly. Further along the highway River Rock can be found with its charming second storey tasting room.

At Tarras, a 15-minute scenic drive north of Cromwell, is Maori Point Vineyard’s brand new tasting room and high on the hill at nearby Bendigo, a new wine and function venue on Tarras Vineyard is proposed. Across the valley at Queensbury Archangel Vineyard has also built an attractive tasting venue. Many of the cellar doors offer excellent snacks or platters but an option for visitors to get a real taste of Central is at the Otago Polytechnic’s Molyneux Restaurant where students are pushing the artisan food boundaries.