Wine region

First cellar door in Hawke's Bay region:



(someone's excited!) :)

But more excited to go here, Mission, Scott's fav NZ winery!! I find it ironic (for those of you that "know" Scott) that it is located ON Church Rd. & used to be a real MISSION retreat!! naturally, he was drawn to it!! :)


Back door view at Mission, This property is so ugly, we can't stand it!!


The walkway to this cellar door, Mataraki, was lined w/ rosemary,thick & tall & such a beautiful aroma... Scott found a Pinot noir here he liked very much!!





Unison was a cool little boutique vineyard, young & small compared to some of the others surrounding it..






Scott tasted alone at this one...


I practiced recognizing the aromas found in various wines (still very much training my palate)...




Last stop of the day at Trinity Hills...



awesome riddling racks ( i SO want a real one!!) ....



So the young guy at Trinity Hills gives us a tip for camping for the night... Atop Te Mata peak. This awesome 399m peak is well described in our Lonely Planet travel guide, " sheep trails, rickety fences & vertigo inducing stone escarpments cowled in a bleak, lunar meets Scottish highlands atmosphere"
The road to the summit is sealed, but windy to say the least!!
We find a pull off close to the peak & settle in to make dinner. The trails along the hillsides are heavily used by local exercise fanatics, walking, running, mnt. Biking lots w/ dogs in tow....watching them made even ME tired!! :)
camp site looking towards top:


Super breezy at top so the chef had to take the cooking in the van!!





We woke early to drive to the top & see a beautiful sunrise!! & yes a few people had hiked/ run to the top prior to starting there day!




From the top the previous night we saw this amazing vineyard... In the a.m we were determined to find it...
It proved to be stunning & described as the ritziest vineyard in the area...& lived up to it. Craggy Range:





So a tally of one afternoon & one morning of wineries: 50 wines tasted/ wineries visited!!


Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Lepper Road Upper,Egmont Village,New Zealand