Frequently Asked Questions

If you were going on a farm tour would you want to talk to a farmer? If you went to a brewery, would you want to meet a brewer. If you are going to take a Wine tour in Marlborough wouldn’t you rather take a tour with a Marlborough winemaker?

We have been running for 8 years now. We want to continue offering the best and most unique wine tours…  so let’s face it… we’ll try harder!

We offer a UNIQUE opportunity:  We are a team of wine-trained specialists, your tour guide is a Winemaker, or viticulturist, and will open doors to places you can’t go without one.

It’s more about what we are not. We will ‘not’ drop you at cellar doors and polish our windscreen while you sample!

No.  We educate your mind and palate before we ‘hop’ around the winery cellar doors.  This tour will leave you satisfied whether you know everything, something or nothing about wine.  Even if you are a “swirl and scull” person, you will enjoy this Marlborough Wine tour.

Yes.  Our Marlborough Wine tours can be flexible, and can also include:

• Any of the 40 wineries in the Marlborough region
• Beer tasting at a local brewery
• Makana Boutique Chocolate Factory
• Olive oil tasting and gift shopping on request

We consider specific requests from the group, and do our best to work in with your travel plans.  Be sure to tell your guide where you want to taste.  So long as we have time, and the winery has a tasting room, then we will do our best to get you there.  If you wish to have more control over your itinerary, then our private tour may suit you more.

Yes.  If someone in the group has a desire to eat somewhere in particular, we will do our best to take you there.  Naturally we know the best spots to eat, so you can trust us to book you somewhere perfect!  With the nature of a group tour we need to consider the needs of the entire group.  Be sure to make your requests at the time of booking so we can reserve a table.

Unless you are booking a private wine tour, then we usually encourage a group experience.  However, we don’t want to ruin your romantic get away either, so ask us at the time of booking to reserve you a separate table.

Sure can. We will tailor your Marlborough Wine tour just for you, and work in with your schedule. We will take a minimum of 2 people and up to 11 people on a private tour in one of our mini-buses, we can cater for larger private groups too. Contact us for a quote. We can arrange something tailored to your personal preferences or time frame.

Yes.  We can arrange a wine tour that works around your ship’s schedule.  We only offer Private tours for cruise ship guests.  Please contact us for a quote. Private tours can be focused on Marlborough wineries or they can be for families that would like to experience all that Marlborough has to offer.

The Group Wine tour is generally unsuitable for children under the age of 12.  Best to organise a Private tour for your family, so we can tailor your tour to be more child-friendly.

Please note: We do not provide child restraints, so you will need to provide your own. Under New Zealand law, all children under seven years of age must use an approved child restraint (or booster seat) appropriate for their age and size. Our policy is “no child restraint = no tour”.

Drinking age in New Zealand is 18 years of age. If you look fresh-faced (25 years old or younger) you will be asked to provide a drivers licence, or passport as a form of I.D. Alcohol will not be sold to minors under 18 years of age.

This depends on the group.  There are over 40 cellar doors , and we usually have time to visit 4-5 wineries plus a brewery (full day option).  You can sample 25-30 wines (that’s enough to make you feel completely satisfied at the end of your day).

Please wear/bring with you appropriate closed shoes (ideally no heels) for our winery cellar visit.  

If you look fresh-faced (under 25 years old) you will be asked to provide some I.D. such as a drivers licence, or passport. Alcohol will not be sold to minors under 18 years of age.

Also you may want to bring a camera, water bottle, your wallet, and a positive attitude!

Price includes all Wine and Beer Tasting fees, and collection from your accommodation (in Blenheim and Renwick areas).  Please note additional charges of $40 per group applies to Picton/Havelock transfers, $50 per group for Waikawa, and $30 per group for Rarangi transfers (see Transfer Charges below for a full list).  You pay the cost of your own lunch, and any wine purchased on the day.  Lunch is typically between NZ$15-30 depending on how hungry you are.

We offer complimentary collection and drop off at your accommodation in Blenheim/Renwick areas. Additional charges apply for locations further than 15 km from Blenheim:

Picton $30/person
Waikawa $35/person
Havelock $35/person
Rarangi $20/person
Anakiwa $50/person
Nelson $200/person
Kaikoura $250/person

For all other locations outside of Blenheim and within Marlborough, we charge $1/km per person.

Feel free to contact us for a quote. We recommend you find accommodation locally in Blenheim to avoid the additional transfer charge.

We work with NZ Wine Exports so can arrange to ship wine home to most countries.  Wine in a bottle … is a bottle of memories, so why not take it home with you?!  If you are visiting from overseas please ask your tour guide for more details at the start of your tour.

We accept Visa or Master Card, Debit and Credit cards. Full payment on the day of your tour.  We use PayClip. Sorry no cheques please. Easiest to book and pay via our Booking portal.

Typically 2-8 people but occasionally up to 11.

If your group is larger than 11 we will either run a couple of Vans or a larger bus.

We will still run the tour with 2 people and will never cancel on you like another company that I won’t name.

Be aware some companies do have a minimum number of 6 or 8 people and will cancel on you at the last minute if they don’t reach these numbers.

Hop n Grape are proud to always stand by our service. We suggest you read our customer reviews and set your expectations of us sky high as we always deliver.

We understand your travel plans may change. If the situation arises that you need to cancel your tour with us we appreciate a minimum of 24 hours notice for group tours. For larger group bookings (6 people or more), or private tours 5 days notice is required for any adjustment or cancellation of a tour.

We will do our best to accommodate you, and can reschedule your tour for another day that suits you better. If the minimum notice has been given we can offer a part-refund (a 10% cancellation fee applies). Otherwise a 100% cancellation fee applies.

On the rare occasion that Hop ‘n Grape Tours cannot run a scheduled tour, we will provide at least 24 hours notice, and you will be given the opportunity to reschedule, or we may offer a full refund.