Wine tasting in the home of Sav Blanc, Marlborough

The hardest thing when visiting Marlborough is choosing which wineries to frequent, there is so much choice. And variation too. There are your small privately owned vineyards offering boutique style tastings to the large consortiums willing to entice you with lots of choice, and then there are those that are obviously world famous and therefore appealing for their familiarity.

I had a Saturday afternoon to spare and wanted to sample some of the regions prestigious offerings. Savingion Blanc from this area of New Zealand is known and sold throughout the world such is its popularity. It would almost be rude not to partake in a tasting whilst visiting the area and passing by all the vines with the juicy bunches of grapes dripping from the vines ready to pick.

My first port of call was to possibly the most obvious of this area’s famous winery’s. Many claim that Cloudy Bay put New Zealand Marlborugh Sav Blanc on the map and it would be difficult to argue with this given the iconic status of the name. for information purposes Cloudy Bay does actually exist and is found not far down the road from its namesake. It is also worth a visit and the winery named after it is also pretty special. The cellar door is very elegant with the vines lined up right to the doorstep. There is a large courtyard area to sit and enjoy some seafood offerings from the raw bar – the oysters are top notch. The tasting involves several choices of wines and then returning after each sample to enjoy a commentary and pouring of the next. It’s an extremely relaxing way to sample a few wines. The oversized white sofas and cacoooned swing seats tied to trees in the garden also offer a relaxing space to sit back and enjoy life. The Cloudy Bay sign framed against the vineyard and the mountains in the background is the perfect spot to grab that selfie or two.

Cloudy Bay sign is the perfect spot to take that selfie

For my next stop I decided to go somewhere completely different, somewhere a lot less familiar. Nautilus is an independent winery just a short distance from Cloudy Bay. It is one of a selection known as the small wineries of New Zealand and is justifiably popular with those in the know. I had only previously sampled their sparkling wine so was keen to try a few others. The cellar door is much smaller than Cloudy Bay but still modern and appealing. There are sofas to lounge upon, a few stools and some outside tables for better weather days. The winery does small tasting plates to match the wines. I decided to do a wine tasting only, perching myself at the bar and enjoyed several of their wines including a couple of their sparklings, a really delicious local savvy and a few pinot noirs that took my breath away – this winery is class with a capital C.

The final winery I visited before heading back to my hotel was Fromm another independent offering. Their owners are German and that influence is present in their wine selections. I enjoyed their reds which were a lot different to the other wines I had previously tasted. Their Shiraz was very tasty with a white pepper flavor that lingered long after you had taken a sip. Fromm offered table service for their tastings which was a nice touch. I was allowed to sit back and enjoy the sunshine with the vineyard just beside me as I was guided through their offerings.

Suitably sustained the time was right to head back to my hotel. I needed to refresh myself for my dinner reservation at a Brazilian restaurant of all places. Blenheim has a lot of good places to eat but this one, Gramados gets excellent reviews. When I arrived on a busy Saturday evening the atmosphere was hectic. All the tables where full as was the small bar area. After a short wait I was taken through the restaurant to a table at the back by the window. The tables were also nicely spaced out so that even though it was busy you had your own space. The bar was in the middle of the restaurant and the staff were kept busy all night. This didn’t stop them though from offering excellent service, they were all knowledgeable and very passionate about the food. This was reflected in the owner who seemed to buzz about everywhere trying to ensure every person had a great time. I think the lights must have dimmed for a Happy Birthday chorus half a dozen times I was there. The food was equally good. I’m a bit of a novice with South American meals but the stew I chose was apparently a staple of the region and was delicious served with thick gravy. I had a starter of gooey deep fried cheese balls which were sublime. I was just sorry I couldn’t manage the crème caramel I was eyeing up for dessert. Never mind I will be back to try it again sometime soon. My stroll back to the hotel was short but welcome after such a large meal, it tried to rain which was annoying but then the sun is usually out most days in the ‘Boomtown’ Blenheim.