Blenheim’s Boutique Wineries

We bring you the best winery restaurants in Marlborough. This list was produced to save you time trying to decide where you go. To save yourself even more time just book yourself on a Full or Half day wine tour.

• Winery Lunches on a Wine tour
• Setting, Menu and Staff
• Top 5 winery restaurants in Marlborough for Lunch (not in any particular order)
• Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen
• Wairau River Restaurant
• Allan Scott Wines
• Wither Hills Restaurant
• SAKU at Cloudy Bay.
• SAKU at Cloudy Bay
• Summary of the best winery restaurant in Marlborough

Winery Lunches on a Wine tour

When we book the lunches for the groups on the Wine tour, we consider a number of factors. The winery restaurant is a major part of the day and is the longest stop of the day, usually taking about 1.5 hours of the wine tour.

Luckily we have lots of amazing wineries to choose from. All of them are very different and all are fantastic for different reasons. To make this list the things we considered include;

Winery and vineyard Lunch categories and considerations in becoming one of the best winery restaurants in Marlborough

Setting, Menu and Staff

• Setting-In door/out door flow and seating. We use different restaurant in different seasons and depending on the wind, rain and temperature
• Menu- Variety and cost. As we book for groups usually before we meet them, we need to make sure the restaurants we choose have a wide variety of options, and can cater for different food sensitivities.
• Cost is also a factor as you want a good volume but don’t want to have to pay “tourist prices.” Lunch prices are different to dinner prices.
• Wine- Call me a snob but the wine has to be perfect and the wine range varied to exceed the expectations of everyone on the wine tour.
• Staff- Summer season can be very busy and stressful. The wrong staff or manager can ruin a perfectly great experience. The staff need to be friendly and professional.
• Timing- There challengers for tour operators is always timing the tasting, lunch and returning guests on time. If lunch is held up then the afternoon runs late. Restaurants that can consistently facilitate the group dining and tasting experience in a punctual fashion often become our favorites.

Top 5 winery restaurants in Marlborough for Lunch (not in any particular order)

Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen

Saint Clair‘s tasting room and restaurant is very accessible and just about ten minutes drive from the center of Blenheim. It has a peaceful vineyard setting with stunning views of the vines and the Richmond Range. The courtyard offers outdoor dining where you can enjoy the sun and dine amongst the vines.

Saint Clair veranda section on cooler days offers sheltered from the elements through extensive floor to ceiling glass sliding doors.

The menu constantly changes reflecting some of the best seasonal produce and finest delicacies Marlborough has to offer. There are different options available to meet any dietary requirements. The manager and the rest of the staff are very professional and friendly with a warm welcome and smooth departure. The cost is acceptable and the portion size is adequate. Their timing is always perfect for the wine tour. Saint Clair is the top choice is the weather is sunny and you intend to sit outside. If the weather is windy or cold then keep reading to see our favorite’s on a cooler day.

Wairau River Restaurant

Update: Please note Wairau River has re-opened their restaurant. Called No.11@Wairau https://www.wairauriverwines.com/cellar-door-restaurant/

One of the regions original wine tourism destinations is Wairau River winery is still in our top 5 although we never use it on our wine tours. The menu is delicious focusing on fresh Marlborough ingredients that changes with the seasons. There is a good range of options to choose the meals are smallish and the wine tasting is additional.

The inside of the restaurant is nice and cosy, there is a large open fire in the middle and there is no better restaurant on a winters day but its also good on a summers day if you can tuck out of the wind.

Wairau River the atmosphere is casual and down to earth but it has the polish of a proud family that has been running this for generations. The wine tasting is$20 per person for 4 wines.

Allan Scott Wines

Twelve Trees Restaurant got its name from the walnut trees that lined the entrance to the Scott’s winery. It is 8 km from Blenheim and 5 km from Renwick. This venue is surrounded by manicured gardens which are great for children to explore. The food is great and the atmosphere is truly relaxing, whether in the sheltered courtyard or inside by the fire. The undercover outdoor courtyard is exceptional even if the day is wet or windy. A top weather proof choice for every season.

The menu goes with a simple food philosophy, “fresh & local”. The seasonal menu changes regularly, but consistently features quality produce from many local suppliers which go very well with the wine. The menu offers a wide range of delicious food options that meet different dietary requirements. This might have the best restaurant food in Marlborough? The team at Allan Scotts are fantastic and they are open 7 days. We always go to Allan Scott every Monday’s and Tuesday!!! Bookings are ideal at all vineyard restaurants. The wine tasting is handled in a different part of the building and offers visitors the opportunity to explore a number of different wines for an affordable price.

Wither Hills Restaurant

Marlborough’s Wither Hills Restaurant offers platters, delicious lunch and desserts. It is a great place to sit and gaze across to the dramatic hills. The view from Wither Hills is absolutely stunning and would make the most incredible wedding venue.  If you are vegetarian/vegan/have allergies there is always an interesting choice.

The service is efficient but not rushed, its great when you have all afternoon to relax. The venue has reasonably easy access, there is a small hill or stairs to walk up but has plenty of spacious parking.

The restaurant is an place to relax and just simply appreciate the beauty of nature.

We love the tower which provides a fantastic location for photos and the barrel room with its European atmosphere. We never visit Witherhills on the wine tours as we find lunch service to be slow but if you have time to sit and watch the day roll by then its a great option convenient to Blenheim.

SAKU at Cloudy Bay.

SAKU at Cloudy Bay

It is a brilliant collaboration with the team behind Blenheim’s Restaurant Sasa and Cloudy Bay. Saku lean heavily into fresh, local seafood done with a clean, contemporary Japanese twist. You can start lunch with some massive, fresh Marlborough oysters or their standout Haku kingfish carpaccio. If you want something warm, the local Cloudy Bay clams saka-mushi which is steamed simply with sake and spring onion.

For the bigger plates, they do some incredible, house-made sushi and light, crispy ebi tempura. If you aren’t a massive seafood fan then this isn’t going to be your first choice of restaurants in Marlborough, as they are focused on fresh seafood.

The magic is sitting out on the deck with a view right over the vines, drinking a crisp glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc or their Cloudy Bay Chardonnay, that is paired to match whatever dish is in front of you. Hop n Grape Wine tours have not used Saku alot on the Wine tour lunches, as the top end Japanese menu is quite specific, but this is definitely somewhere I have taken my wife to and thoroughly enjoyed. Cloudy Bay has a different “feel” to the other wineries and its definitely worth checking out especially if you are a big Cloudy Bay fan. Click here to visit to Cloudy Bay’s website and Saku restaurant https://www.cloudybay.com/en-ww/visit-us/marlborough/

Summary of the best winery restaurant in Marlborough

Marlborough has so many fantastic wineries, chefs, foodies and wine all competing that the standards here are world class. Travelers’ from all over the world have continuously told me that the lunch on the wine tour was the best meals they have had in New Zealand and 2nd to none they have enjoyed anywhere in the world.

Two of these 5 restaurants are our current absolute favorites for the wine tour. Due to setting, menu and staff- the consistency of incredible food every single visit and delicious wine matched with outstanding professional staff make them a prefect fit for our tours.

If you can’t decide then give us a call and we will take this from a lunch to an unforgettable unique tour of Marlborough and the perfect lunch.

Also if you plan to have a couple of glasses of wine then we suggest you get yourself booked on a tour and we will choose the best winery restaurant in Marlborough for you. The best restaurant changes from week to week and season to season, so the safest bet is to give us a call.