A bike tour is a terrific way to capture the magnificent scenery of Marlborough and create your own wine tasting adventure in the Wairau Valley wine region, not to mention the freedom of being outdoors and close to nature…so uplifting for the soul!
Earlier this year Explore Marlborough invited me to join their half day guided bike tour….a wine trail and sight seeing experience through the valley with stops at several boutique wineries who produce premium Marlborough wine. I was keen to hop on a bike as I hadn’t ridden for sometime and it was high on the list of things to do since arriving in Marlborough.
At Explore Marlborough’s homebase we were kitted out with helmet, high vis vest, map and water bottle before setting off with our guide(and owner) Karen who lead the way. The day was glorious with autumn at its best – brilliant sun, cloudless sky, and the vines were on the brink of harvest too. The 360 degree views across the stony Wairau Valley to the Wither Hills, and row upon row of vines as far as the eye can see is a sight to behold. Panoramic.
We set off on a trail along the banks of the Wairau River and our first stop was a rocky river inlet – a popular spot where locals swim during the summer. It was scene setting before cycling to our first wine tasting at Framingham Wines www.framingham.co.nz Framingham is accredited as an environmentally sustainable vineyard with organic estate viticulture practises. Their wine has won international acclaim and this year Framingham won the covetable New Zealand winery of the year award. A tremendous achievement for Dr Andrew Hedley and his team who pride themselves on being individual, doing what they love and doing it their way. And if you’re keen on rieslings, Framingham should be on your list. They own some of the oldest Riesling vines in Marlborough and produce six different styles of riesling among the other varieties on offer.
Our next stop was Bladen, a small family owned vineyard who are pioneers in Marlborough for planting some of the first grapes in the late 1980’s. Bladen Wines believe that hands on care given in the vineyard will produce the best quality grapes to make wine with and every effort is made to harvest the most flavoursome, clean fruit. A rustic and charming cellar door, Bladen has won a plethora of accolades recently too. Too many to mention but 2017 was an incredible year for them. www.bladen.co.nz
There’s something liberating and invigorating about riding a bike through the countryside. The fresh air is one thing but the scenery across the seasons in Marlborough is visually wow too! We tasted a variety of award winning wine and occasionally stopped off en route where Karen shared her wealth of knowledge about the region and wine industry….. her commentary added tremendous value to the experience.
Explore Marlborough wine tours offer full and half day, self guided or guided bike tours + private drive tours http://www.exploremarlboroughwinetours.co.nz
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