The Best Wineries Around Hawke's Bay (Part 3) Quirky!
- Helen
- Jan 15, 2019
- 5 min read
Updated: May 29, 2019
In this three part series of posts about the best wineries to visit in the world renowned Hawke's Bay wine growing region of New Zealand, the top 5 upmarket wineries (part one) and boutique wineries (part two) have been covered. In this final part I will tell you the top 5 quirky wineries not to miss in Hawke's Bay.
For a bit more about the history of wine growing in New Zealand and around Hawke's Bay, ensure you have a read of part one of this series.
As you do explore different wineries around the region, one thing that you will notice is how diverse they are in terms of size, presentation, what they offer a visitor, the wines they produce and more.
The wineries listed in this post I felt fell under a 'quirky' umbrella.
Each offered something a bit different, perhaps a bit funky or alternative. These were largely less formal and fun wineries to see and spend time visiting.
The Best Quirky Wineries to Visit Around Hawke's Bay
1. The Urban Winery
Located just a 30 minute stroll or 5 minute drive from Napier, in Ahuriri, is The Urban Winery. The winery here is actually found within the most photographed building around Napier, The National Tobacco Company building - a stunning example of Art Deco architecture and beauty. For this reason alone the Urban Winery is deserving of it's placing on this list.
However, Urban Winery also offers more.
Tony Bish opened the winery here in 2017 as a family business and he prides himself on being New Zealand's only exclusive producer of Chardonnay wines. Tony aims to bring more consumers back to the delicious wines the Chardonnay grape can produce.
A flagship wine here is the 'Golden Egg Chardonnay' which is made in innovative 1600 Litre egg shaped tanks.
A trip to The Urban Winery is definitely worthwhile for the beauty of the building and the tasting of some true Hawke's Bay Chardonnay. There are also platters available to accompany your tasting at the Cellar Door.
2. Crab Farm Winery
Crab Farm Winery, found north of Napier at Bay View holds a real rustic, old world, outdoor charm.
Established in 1987, Crab Farm is family owned and run and 'boutique' in size.
Their vines are grown across three vineyards around the Hawke's Bay region.
The Cellar Door and restaurant at Crab Farm are only open Thursday to Sunday each week for lunches and on a Friday evening for dinner too.
The winery has an indoor fire-pit for the winter months and beautiful outdoor covered courtyard among the vines to enjoy in the summer.
Set amongst the grounds are unusual and old style relics, such as an old tractor and wooden carvings and sculptures that will give you a feel for the character of the owners.
Visiting Crab Farm you will find a truly relaxed and informal winery that is passionate about it's wine, food and music!
The restaurant here serves locally sourced fresh dishes for visitors to enjoy with their wines. The owners also hold a passion for music and host regular live music nights - informal evenings of music, dancing and a bar serving their best produce!
Enjoy a trip to Crab Farm!
3. Black Barn Winery
The winery at Black Barn, found just outside Havelock North, is boutique in size in terms of wine production but is a larger venue with plenty going on.
Nestled away from the road, within it's vines and the foothills of Te Mata, the beautiful location adds to all that Black Barn offer their visitors.
The wines produced by Black Barn Winery are all estate grown and many are exclusive to their Cellar Door.
The winery here offers a bistro restaurant, open for lunch and dinner, with space to sit out in the grounds on a good day, or cosy by a fire when the weather is cold.
A 'kitchen' is also located at the winery, across a pretty courtyard from the Cellar Door, which is a boutique shop selling kitchen products and locally grown and produced fare.
In the summer months, the estate hosts a grower's market every Saturday morning which is very popular with locals as well as tourists and the estate also has an amphitheatre which holds concerts and events on a larger scale.
As if all of this were not enough, there are 16 properties available for people to retreat to on the estate and the venue can be hired as a whole for weddings and other functions!
Certainly a lot on offer at Black Barn Winery, but despite this, it was warm, friendly and very welcoming to visit, offering a personal feel.
For a bit more to see and experience in your winery visits, I recommend a stop at Black Barn.
4. Alpha Domus Winery
Established in 1989 by two generations of the same family, Alpha Domus winery was a treat to visit for it's unusual setting, good wine and an art deco style that appealed to my love of all things art deco!
The 'Alpha' part of the name for the winery was taken from the first letters of the five members of the family who started the business.
All Alpha Domus wines are single vineyard and estate grown.
The winery at Alpha Domus and their logo is very aircraft focused - they are located in the same vicinity as the historic Bridge Pa airfield and their wines predominantly have an aeronautical theme in their labels and names.
As you approach the winery, set in the heart of their estate, it feels as if you are approaching both a vineyard and airfield together!
The welcome is warm in their Cellar Door, with a passion and knowledge evident from the family running the winery.
Plenty of wines are available to taste but at the time of my visit (just before Christmas) they were selling well on their flagship sparkling Rose.
The Beatrix Sparkling Rose is a beautiful bottle (in design as well as quality within), and is named after the youngest member of the family as it was her personal project in creation.
A bit further to travel to reach this quirky and cool winery but worth the few extra miles!
5. Ngatarawa Winery
Found in the heart of the Bridge Pa triangle is the Ngatarawa Winery, located in historic racing stables.
Established in 1981, the first vines were planted at this time and work commenced to transform the run down stables into the elegant and hospitable property it is today.
The winery produces a range of wines from the Merlot, Syrah, Riesling and Chardonnay grapes.
The setting here is peaceful with a large ornate pond to the front lawn and a long drive to reach the old stables (Cellar Door). There is space to sit out and enjoy the wine you are tasting in this green, tranquil environment.
No other visitors were present when I visited and the welcome was warm and genuine.
A recommended winery to see and experience on your trip to Napier, for the history as well as the setting and delicious tastings!
This draws an end to my round up of the top wineries to visit around Hawke's Bay - whether they were upmarket affairs, boutique in size or quirky... Of course, no winery will fit neatly into one category and some do overlap.
I hope that you find something to enjoy here on one of these lists, depending on your preference for style or type of winery to visit.
Please do let me know of your experiences or what I have missed - I did visit plenty of other wineries in my 'research' for these posts and all have great features but I could only include the best of the best here!
**To make my travels possible and affordable I do so through international house-sitting, using both Trusted Housesitters and Kiwi Housesitters**
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