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Marlborough Wine and Food Festival

18/09/2020 By Cameron Clarke

The Marlborough Wine and Food Festival is an amazing celebration and a chance for people to come together.

Often there are over 8000 people at the festival so this year if you would like to do something epic with your friends the day before the festival or the day after the festival then we encourage you to be organised and secure your tour in advance.

If you are planning on a trip to Marlborough this summer, why not get a group together and do your own Marlborough Wine tour around Marlborough’s Wineries and vineyards.

There are over 40 wineries and vineyards to choose from we can visit your favourites and discover some new favourites on this all day Marlborough wine tour.

Great atmosphere in the beautiful Marlborough summer weather. On Private tours

Private wine and food tastings

Get insights from your winemaker/tour guide
Tailored and flexible tour experience
You choose the start and finish time of the tour
Visit only your favourite wineries
Tasting fees included
Delicious gourmet lunch at a vineyard restaurant
Great for families, or solo tours, or groups of any size.
Complimentary collection and drop off at your accommodation in Blenheim/Renwick

You can get behind the scenes for a private tasting, or journey through historic buildings and vineyards. Or take a drive through the Awatere Valley and soak up Marlborough’s stunning scenery.

We can focus on boutique, or organic wineries, breweries, combine fine wine and food… anything is possible with a private wine tour.

You can see everything and taste everything.

Is the Marlborough Wine and food festival long enough

Marlborough Wine and food festival

If you are thinking of coming to Marlborough this summer and would like to arrange your own Wine and Food tour then Call us to find out what we can offer.
Hop n Grape Tours 0211574094
info@hopngrapetours.co.nz

What to expect on a Full Day Marlborough Wine tour

01/09/2020 By Cameron Clarke

A Marlborough wine tour with Hop n Grape tours will make you jump with joy.

Jumping for joy to celebrate joining a full day Marlborough Wine tour

What time do you get collected?

You will be collected between 9.30-10.15 am depending on your accommodation location. We collect guests from Picton and all around Blenheim and Marlborough. We have enough time to introduce ourselves and the plan for the day. If you have any special requests we can do our best to accommodate these. We love taking people to their favourite wineries or to taste their favourite varieties. Drop off may vary from 4.30 to 5.15 pm.

Hop n Grape tours have a fleet of buses vans and Private tour vehicles

Free Marlborough wine trail map

Safety is very important to us, so we provide a briefing on the health and safety part of the tour. Everyone receives a free Marlborough Wine trail map which lets you know where we are going. We discuss the itinerary and ask if there are any special requests.

We are the ONLY wine tour with a WINEMAKER as your guide

This is the ONLY wine tour with a WINEMAKER as your guide. The team of tour guides are all wine-trained specialists, who have either a New Zealand degree in Winemaking/Viticulture or an extensive work experience in the wine industry. This means we can take you to the best wineries and explain the process in as much depth as you enjoy. We open doors to places you can’t go without a winemaker.

The inside of the van after a full day wine tour is often very fun

How many wineries do we visit?

You will visit 5-6 wineries on Full Day Marlborough Wine Tour and Private Tours. You can taste world famous and boutique wines of Marlborough. As you may know, Marlborough has far more to offer than the delicious Sauvignon blanc. It is the region with the largest plantings of Pinot Noir in the country as well as world class Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Merlot and Méthode Traditionnelle sparkling wine. There are also new varieties to taste including Arneis, Grüner Veltliner and Albariño.

Friends enjoy drinking Sauvignon Blanc in a famous vineyard

Experience behind the scenes of a modern working winery

We also normally incorporate a visit to an organic vineyard/winery plus we can visit the large famous wineries like Cloudy Bay. We take our participants behind the scenes of a modern working winery, where they can capture the best behind the scenes winery photos.

Winery and vineyard visits are the highlight on the Full day Marlborough tour

How many wines will I taste on the Full Day tour?

We also do an informative vineyard stop, where our participants can get insights from their winemaker or tour guide. We organise a gourmet lunch at a very nice vineyard restaurant (at own cost) that can accommodate different dietary requirements. Our tours include all tasting fees, where our participants can taste about 25 different wines. We also provide FREE collection and drop off from Blenheim and Renwick areas

Wine tasting at Witherhills Winery on a Private wine tour with friends. — Wine tasting with friends at Witherhills Winery on a Private Marlborough Wine tour

Our Marlborough Wine tour was the 2020 Traveler’s Choice Winner

We at Hop ‘n Grape Wine and Beer Tours focus on customer experience and satisfaction, and the reviews that we have been getting reaffirms the hard work we put in every day. We are a consistent TripAdvisor awardee of Certificate of Excellence since 2016. Recently we were pronounced as 2020 Traveller’s Choice Winner. It means, Hop ‘n Grape Wine and Beer Tours is in the top 10% of attractions worldwide. We are proud but keep our feet on the ground.

Winner of the Travellers Choice Award selecting this tour being in the top 10% of tours in the world. — Winner of the Travellers’ Choice Award

We look forward to hosting you and making the most your time in Marlborough with an exceptional, interesting and fun tour.

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Winery and Vineyard Tours

02/06/2020 By Cameron Clarke

Mount Riley Wines

Winery in Autum — Learn and experience where wine comes from

Mount Riley Winery a Family owned vineyard

Full day Winery and Vineyard tours at you to Mount Riley Wines. It offers wines that are approachable and down to earth – much like the people behind their fabulous wines.

Winery Cellar door close to Blenheim

Visit Mount Riley Website

Its cellar door is right in front of the winery, which is actually within one of their Marlborough vineyards, just outside of Blenheim Township. The cellar door hosts and the rest of the staff are very accommodating, knowledgeable and professional.

Sauvignon Blanc Wine tasting from the tank

Vineyard tours allow guests unique access to the winery and vineyard.

Cameron, before starting the Hop ‘N Grape Wine and Beer Tours business, had the privilege to work at Mount Riley Winery for about five years. When he left the winery he negotiated to take key with him so he could take visitors in and let them have an amazing behind the scene experience of the wine making process.

Marlborough’s cool climate and long growing season transform Mt. Riley’s wines to have vibrant and pure fruit flavours. The unique sites allow them to craft wines that best represent Marlborough region in each vintage.

History of Marlborough and Mount Riley

The first Sauvignon Blanc produced by Mount Riley was in 1996. Their wines have reached different parts of the world, from Scott Base in the Antarctic to 40,000ft in British Airways business class.

Taste the wine from the tank — Enjoy the vineyards and mountain view from on top of the wine tanks

The Winery tour visits the winery, vineyard and tasting room is often the unexpected highlight of guests on the Winery tour.

Guests love the wine and the informative behind the scenes experience that make Mount Riley stand out for them.

Guests meet the winemakers — Barrels of Pinot Noir are emptied and Hot washed.

Book now to see, learn and taste what makes this Marlborough Wine tour stand out from the crowd and be completely unique.

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Marlborough, New Zealand

26/05/2020 By Cameron Clarke

What is it that makes the wines of Marlborough so distinctively exquisite?
Marlborough’s History
NZ’s Largest Wine region

It has been said that there is no wine anywhere in the world that tastes like the wine of Marlborough. The balance of extraordinary purity and intensity of flavours set around impressive aroma, distinctive fruit characteristics and appealing balanced acidity is superb. These are stylish, exciting wines that surprise and delight.

What is it that makes the wines of Marlborough so distinctively exquisite?

As with any of the great wine making regions of the world, the answer lies in a magical synergy of climate and soil, underpinned by our desire to express this unique terroir. Here in the north-eastern corner of New Zealand’s South Island, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the east and towering mountain ranges in the hinterlands to the north and south, a broad alluvial plain stretches from the coastline, gradually rising into narrow valleys with favourable northerly aspects. Ours is a diverse landscape of spectacular natural beauty and bounty.

Marlborough’s History

In past centuries Māori hunted Moa here and cultivated vast Kumara crops in the year round sunshine. Early European settlers established New Zealand’s pastoral industry on the fertile rolling downs of the river valleys. In 1873, long before the modern day vintners recognised the potential to produce great wine in this region, pioneering Scottish farmer and grape grower David Herd, planted Marlborough’s first vineyard.

It was to be another 100 years before that vision took root with the development of viticulture in Marlborough on a commercial scale.

NZ’s Largest Wine region

Today Marlborough is recognised as one of the premium wine regions of the world. New Zealand’s leading wine region. This region draws international acclaim that far outweighs its size. In the span of just a few decades winemakers have embraced this small, yet geographically diverse region, exploring the nuances offered by its landscape to craft exhilarating flavours in many different wine styles.

Wineries of Marlborough

Discover long hot summers and blue-skied winters, from alpine peaks to the Marlborough Sounds. Discover gourmet food and world class wine, from luxurious resorts to rustic vineyard restaurants.

Wine Tours in Marlborough and Picton

Marlborough is the perfect place for romance, relaxation or adventure, in every season. At Hop n Grape Wine and Beer tours we love to show off the magic and beauty of this wonderful region. People come for the wine, but stay for the people, places and experiences.

Winery Lunch — Friends enjoy a gourmet lunch and wines in the vineyard at St Clair restaurant in Marlborough.

Hop n Grape Wine tours Marlborough is the leading Wine tour provider in Marlborough.

Let us show you why Marlborough is world famous by taking you to the best wineries in the region. We will collect you from your accommodation anywhere in Marlborough then wine, dine and educate you before returning you safely to your accommodation. We can arrange for your wine to be delivered to your home.

Email today for more information.

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