Farm & Winery
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Port
Picton, New Zealand
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Activity Level
Moderate Activity
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At (prices in USD)
$280
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 4.5 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
Nearly 60% of New Zealand's grapes are grown in the Marlborough region, with Sauvignon Blanc making up 80% of total production. Highlights of this half-day tour include a visit to a typical working sheep farm as well as one of Blenheim's leading boutique wineries.
Enjoy the diverse changes in scenery from rugged, steep forested hill country to the flat, fertile Wairau Valley. The latter is home to the world-famous Marlborough wine region. Traveling with your driver-guide through the wine region is stunning, with row upon row of grapes as far as the eye can see and a backdrop of the barren Wither Hills.
Visit Meadowbank Farm — a working sheep and cattle farm. Watch as the shepherd and dogs work together to bring the sheep in from the paddocks (fields) into the pens. Next up is a rather thrilling sheep-shearing demonstration, where the shearer relieves the sheep of its fleece at warp speed — nobody is more surprised than the sheep! Watch a wool-carding demonstration as well, so you know what happens to the fleece afterward.
A delicious down-home morning snack is served at the farm, along with tea and coffee.
Head into the heart of the Marlborough wine region, recognized as one of the premium wine-growing areas in the world. Its sunny, moderate climate makes it an ideal region for producing top-quality Sauvignon Blanc with distinctively zesty, fruit-forward flavor profiles. This is the benchmark wine of New Zealand, and you'll taste it here this afternoon.
Please note: Minimum age to consume alcohol is 18 years. You are welcome to bring any on-tour alcohol purchases (beer, wine, spirits) back to the ship with you and to enjoy them on board. There is no corkage fee.