Wine on Waiheke Island

During our first time in New Zealand, we decided to spend the day exploring Waiheke island. By exploring, I meant visiting the many wineries and drinking a copious amount of wine.

Our first stop was Stoney Ridge Winery, one fabulous winery. The host was an Asian chick who had been working her way up to be a wine connoisseur. I am sure it won’t be long with the amount of passion she has shown. She told us that the owner teaches yoga there for half of the year and travels worldwide for the rest. I want his life! Minus the yoga teaching, or maybe food tasting instead. Stoney Ridge is famous for its Larose, the pre-eminent red wine sold at $220 a bottle. That’s like twenty bucks a gulp people. (Yes, gulp. Let’s keep it real here; I don’t know anything about wine-drinking etiquette. I don’t sip. I don’t swirl. I gulp it until I feel warm and happy). I got myself a glass of it for $15, knowing it would be the last time I could taste it before winning the lottery or becoming the president. The verdict? Nah. I didn’t get it. I should have chosen the generously poured $5 a glass of wine.

We then stopped by Mudbrick Winery. It looked more upper class and reminded me of Domaine Chandon in Yarra Valley, Australia. A gorgeous place on a lovely weather day, topped up with having Fafa and the free flow of wine? I found my heaven people.

I understand why people fly everywhere to get married in Bali; Bali is beautiful. But if it were me, I would choose spots in New Zealand. Waiheke is one of them. The picture above didn’t justify how gorgeously romantic the dining area was.

I saved the best for the last; olive tasting. It’s my first experience (cue Madonna’s Like A Virgin in the background). First, we went to see a home industry of virgin olive oil production. It’s run by a lovely lady who patiently explained the procedure of making it, from planting to the last step.

She later let us taste four different types of virgin olive oils and two types of herb spread. I never knew I would like it so much, but I loved it! So I bought two bottles of extra virgin oils for us and a tub of olive spread for Appa. Unfortunately for the Kween household, I left my purchase on the bus back to the ferry terminal.

I did pick up a few tips from the outing; one is that, contrary to wine, the best virgin oil is the freshest, and after two years, there won’t be any health benefits left in it. Another is to buy one packed in the dark instead of a clear glass bottle.

Waiheke is a gorgeous island. We would have stayed overnight on Waiheke Island if we had more time. I hope I have convinced you to put New Zealand on your travel wish list. It’s a beautiful country, second to none regarding natural beauty.

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