Riders on the Wine Trail
New
Zealand’s latest attraction is a heady mix of pedalling and tasting
If there is ever a heaven on earth, it’s here...” a Mughal ruler is supposed to have exclaimed when he first saw the Kashmir valley and was besotted by its natural beauty. Imagine the number of times a wine lover would repeat these exact words if he is witness to the scenic wineries on a mountain bike in Heretaunga Plains in Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand! A bike winery tour is a high that any connoisseur or an enthusiast should undertake. Exploring wine regions on a bike, dressed in shorts and sneakers and sipping superior quality wines at a cellar and interacting with cellar masters is an experience that the high-brow wine scene in India may just not offer or even allow.
Situated close to Napier and Hastings, the two prominent towns of Hawke’s Bay region, travellers should head to Ash Ridge winery to start their wine voyage. The tour starts with tasting the Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot Malbec and Merlot Cabernet wines along with newer additions to the cellar list Syrah and Rose at Ash Ridge. After learning the nuances of wine making and terroir like why and how a particular grape variety best suits the soil and climate, wine lovers are taken to the bike shed, handed their pedal carriage, helmets and a map to let them cycle away.
Long & Winding Road
Tourism, wines, dairy and meat are four prominent money spinners of New Zealand. A bike wine tour is perhaps the best way to discover for yourself the reasons behind these sectors luring travellers from across the globe. Just pedal on along the designated cycle track, soak in the picturesque views, reach a winery, park your bike, sample their special creations at open café settings or inside the cellars with a selection of cold cuts and cheese and move on to the next tipsy point. The trail takes you to some of the biggest vineyards of the region — Trinity Hill and Sileni Estates — along with boutique wineries Te Awa and Ngatarawa. Some bikes have a carriage in case you wish to buy bottles of various vintages that you like on the way. The simpler way is to order them at a particular vineyard and have the bottles waiting for you at Ash Ridge on the completion of your tour.
At NZ$50-60 a ride, the 20-km circuit covers nine wineries of the region. Apart from the alluring vineyards, one also passes through pretty olive groves, farmlands, stud farms and orchards. Rather than a gruelling physical test, most people take it as a leisure outing and choose four to five wineries they want to visit and taste their produce. Available from 10 am to 5 pm everyday, an average tour is three to four hours of relaxation, high on pretty sights and heady fermented and fragrant full bodied wines paired with fresh seasonal farm and dairy produce. Since most of these vineyards are vast picturesque settings, they have ample space for people travelling in a group to have a nice picnic with friends. Most of the visitors who undertake it, exclaim, “Here it is” over and over again.
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High on Waiheke
Pretty much the most accessible wineries and among the most scenic settings in New Zealand, Waiheke Island is just 30 minutes of ferry ride away from Auckland. If driving down to Napier or Hastings to take a bike tour of wineries proves to be too tasking, a walking or bike tour of Waiheke is another way to experience the wine scene. Wineries and breweries here are buzzing with tourists over the weekends. Apart from tasting boutique wines and craft beers, visitors can also try their hand at archery and clay bird shooting or have an aerial zip across the vineyards through ecozip adventures. A white sand beach and various water sports also keep luring people to this island; it has ample options for art lovers too. But the real attraction remains the cafes at every winery which serve the best wines paired with finest preparations using fresh seasonal produce. A tasting session at various wineries and few breweries is among the must dos.
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Amin Ali ETM140209
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