Central Otago wine region guide

In this Central Otago wine region guide, we’ll explore what makes this wine region so special, the key varieties of the region, and everything you can expect from a visit to this New Zealand wine region famous for being the Southernmost wine region in the world!

Where is the Central Otago wine region?

Sourced from the Central Otago website

Central Otago is the world’s southernmost wine-producing region. It is also New Zealand’s only true ‘continental region’ with greater extremes of temperatures than those in the maritime regions. This leads to hot summers and cold winters with plenty of snow!

The wine region is located down the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand. It covers the area around Queenstown on the eastern side of the Southern Alps. The region itself has many subregions with their own terroirs:

• Wanaka – This region is north of Queenstown has some of the most picturesque vineyards. It is cooler and wetter than some of the other regions and produces delicate and vivid wines.
• Gibbston – Careful site selection is key in Gibbston with its extreme climate. The reward is wines that are intense and finessed. This region is close to Queenstown and is the highest sub-region resulting in later ripening of grapes and as a result light wines.
• Bannockburn – These vineyards occupy one of the warmest, driest areas of the region. The wines, as a result, are highly complex and distinctive
• Alexandra – This is the most southerly sub-region, leading to dry climate and extremes in temperature. The wines are vivid, aromatic and finely structured.
• Bendigo – This sub-region is Northeast of Cromwell and is possibly the warmest of all of the sub-regions.
• Cromwell/Lowburn/Pisa – This sub-region stretches north of Cromwell, with many of the vines on the valley floor of the Pisa Mountain Range.

What makes Central Otago special?

Sourced from Misha’s Vineyard

There are so many things that make Central Otago, or ‘Central’, special. It’s known for being New Zealand’s most inland region with breathtaking landscapes, snow-capped mountains, blue rivers and beautiful scenery. The seasons are vivid, there are plenty of townships scattered across it to explore and a preserved gold rush heritage.

Then there’s what we all go for: the food and wine. There are more than 80 wineries across the region, and it is also well-known for its fresh produce and gourmet food.

For wine, the distinctive mountainous terrain gives each sub-region unique climates, altitudes and aspects, leading to a wide range of wine styles. As a result of this terroir, the wines are renowned for being premium quality and boutique, each offering something special and unique to explore.

Key wine varieties of Central Otago

Sourced from Two Paddocks

Famous for producing Burgundy-style grapes, Central Otago is most renowned for its Pinot Noir. This fickle grape excels in the climate of the region, producing incredible wines. However, for those lovers of white, it is also known for producing aromatic Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Because of the dry climate, vines cannot afford to waste energy, resulting in small productions of highly concentrated berries. As a result, you’ll find wines that have intense flavours and good structure in their tannins.

Where to find them

Central Otago wines are available worldwide, particularly the larger producers. For the more boutique wineries, you would need to order from the winery direct, or head to a specialty bottle store. You can usually find wines from this region in major bottle stores as well, or online.

Visiting the Central Otago wine region

Sourced from NewZealand.com

There is so much to do in Central Otago, with or without the wine. It is easily accessible via Queenstown Airport, and can be visited in any season. Winter will bring snow-capped mountains and skiing, as well as the option to cosy up by the fire. In the summer, cycling is especially popular.

Where to stay

There are plenty of options for accommodation when it comes to exploring Central Otago. If you want to be central for wine tours and other activities, Queenstown is a great spot to set up camp. There are plenty of accommodation options, and also heaps of winery tours out of Queenstown that make getting around the region easy. Queenstown is also home to plenty of restaurants and other activities if you’re into thrill-seeking especially!

If you’d rather get out of the city, there are plenty of cosy towns to choose from, and even more options for holiday homes or cosy cottages. You could even hire out a campervan to truly explore the region and take your home with you!

The food

There are so many options for sampling the fresh produce of the Central Otago Wine Region. You can find many great restaurants and cafes in Queenstown, or discover great dining at the winery restaurants. Most cellar doors will offer some sort of food – whether it is a platter or a fine dining restaurant. Pair your meals with a glass of Pinot Noir and you’ll be sorted!

Some of the places on our list are:

• Amisfield – this winery has a fine dining restaurant offering degustations at lunch and dinner. We’re heading there for lunch and I can’t wait!
• Ferg Burger – This is an institution in Queenstown. My partner went year’s ago and still compares burgers to the ones he had here – so it must be good! They also now have a bakery which we are very excited to try out
• Botswana Butchery – Also in Queenstown, we’ve heard great things about this spot!
• Madam Woo – I’ve heard about this Malaysian restaurant from a few people and I’m pretty excited to try it out!

Other activities

There is so much to explore in the Central Otago Wine Region, whether you are just after a wine or want to test your courage. Some of the activities other than wine tours include:

• Cycling – there are plenty of cycling trails to discover when the weather is warmer. You can do a cycling winery tour! That’s my kind of exercise
• Discover the scenery – there are so much to see out in nature, whether it’s incredible lakes, mountains or valleys. If you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings, there’s also plenty of spots in the region where the movies were filmed!
• Thrill-seeking – there’s plenty of options for the thrill-seeker particularly out of Queenstown. Whether you want to Bungee Jump, ride down a mountain trail on a bike, go on a luge or do a speedboat ride on the river – there is something for everyone
• Onsen – there is also an onsen just outside of Queenstown which offers incredible views from its tubs. Sit back and unwind with a glass of wine and a 10/10 view!

Wineries I’m most excited to visit in Central Otago

Sourced from NewZealand.com

I have quite an extensive list of wineries that I’m excited to visit, and I’m hoping we get to all of them. Here are the ones I’m most excited about:

• Nanny Goat – I’m a massive fan of the Nanny Goat Pinot Noir so I am very excited to visit the cellar door! Hopefully, they have some Super Nanny because we haven’t had any in Brisbane for a while!
• Amisfield – We are heading here for lunch and I’m excited to visit to try their wines too! I’ve heard this winery is absolutely beautiful, and cannot wait to see it!
• Chard Farm – I’ve seen beautiful photos of this winery and heard great things about their wine. I’ll be very excited to head there on our trip.
• Gibbston Valley – This winery is known for its wine cave tours, and I can’t wait to see them! This is definitely high up on my list just to see this alone, let alone trying their wines which sound beautiful
• Mt Difficulty – I’ve heard great things about this winery and we’re doing a day heading out to Bannockburn so I can’t wait to visit!
• Terra Sancta – As well as the above, I’ve equally heard great things about this winery.
• Cloudy Bay – They’ve opened up a new tasting room and I can’t wait to try it out. We’ve had a bit of Cloudy Bay wine over the years so I’ll be keen to try their wines.

These are only a couple that are on my list! There truly are so many incredible wineries to try, and I can’t wait to share my round-up with you all.

The final word on this Central Otago Wine Region Spotlight

The Central Otago Wine Region truly has something for everyone. Whether you are keen on wine, into nature or want to test your courage, it has it all. With incredible food to match distinctive and high-quality wines, there is plenty to discover when it comes to wine. Sampling incredible Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc across the sub-regions is sure to keep us busy in our week away! I can’t wait to share what we discover!