Wine Tasting & Tours in Wellington

Wellington wine tours head over the Remutaka Range to Martinborough and the Wairarapa, a wine region with a dry climate, warm summers and cool nights that sits just over an hour's drive from the capital. The tours collect from central Wellington, which turns a winery day into something you can do without a car, and they sit within the wider range of Wellington food and drinks experiences.

Wairarapa wine country from Wellington

Wellington's vineyards sit on the other side of the Remutaka Range, in the Wairarapa. The region grows pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot gris and riesling, and Martinborough, its wine tourism centre, is best known for pinot noir.

The village is compact, with many cellar doors within walking or cycling distance of the centre. Further out, the wineries around Gladstone and Masterton are spread more widely and are best reached by car or on a guided tour, which is where a tour from Wellington earns its place.

Half-day, full-day and food-led tours

Wine tours from Wellington come in a few shapes. A half-day cellar door tour, such as the Half Day Martinborough Winery Tour, takes a small group to three wineries on a 5-hour trip, with a sightseeing stop on the Remutaka Summit and pick-up from about 9.30am. The small group size lets the guide tailor the winery stops to the group's tastes.

Food-led tours add the producers around the wineries. The Martinborough Foodie Tour with Wine Tasting leaves at 10am and pairs tastings at three wineries with artisan cheese at C'est Cheese in Featherston, an artisan chocolate tasting and a shared cheese platter at the winery.

A full-day trip opens up the rest of the Wairarapa. The Wine and Wild Coast Tour fits wine tasting and a vineyard lunch around a rainforest walk at Kaitoke Regional Park, the south Wairarapa coast with its seal colony and Cape Palliser Lighthouse, and dinner at the Lake Ferry Hotel.

Beer and other tastings on the same side of the range

Wine is not the only thing poured around Wellington. A half-day beer trip such as the Wellington Craft Brewery Tour runs from the Wakefield Street pick-up lane at 11.30am and 4pm, visiting Kereru and Panhead Brewery and going as far as Upper Hutt, which suits anyone whose tastes lean to hops rather than grapes.

Planning a wine tour from Wellington

The Wairarapa tours collect passengers from selected central Wellington hotels, the cruise terminal or the Wellington i-SITE tour pick-up zone, and the drivers double as guides with commentary on the way. Martinborough is not directly served by train, with Featherston the nearest rail stop, so a guided tour is the simplest way to get there without driving.

The tours run in all weather, but the Remutaka Summit is prone to occasional closures from snow and high wind, and the operator offers full refunds if a tour is cancelled for weather. Participants must be 18 or over to drink alcohol and may need ID.

For more tasting days, Wellington food tasting tours add chocolate and Asian food walks in the city. New Zealand's other wine regions have their own tours, including Hawke's Bay wine tours and Queenstown wine tours, and wine tasting and winery tours across Australia and New Zealand covers the rest.

Frequently asked questions

What is Martinborough known for?

Martinborough is known for pinot noir and is the wine tourism centre of the Wairarapa region, with many cellar doors within walking or cycling distance of its compact village.

How far is Martinborough from Wellington?

Martinborough is just over an hour's drive from Wellington over the Remutaka Range, and a half-day guided tour from Wellington to Martinborough is a 5-hour trip.

Do Wellington wine tours include hotel pick-up?

Yes. Wine tours from Wellington to Martinborough include pick-up and drop-off from selected centrally located hotels, the cruise terminal or the Wellington i-SITE.

Can you get to Martinborough by train from Wellington?

Not directly. Martinborough has no train service, and Featherston is the nearest rail stop, so most visitors reach it on a guided tour or by car.

What do you taste on a Wellington wine tour besides wine?

Some Wellington wine tours add food tastings at Wairarapa producers, such as artisan cheese at C'est Cheese, chocolate in Greytown and a shared cheese platter at the winery.

How old do you have to be to drink on a Wellington wine tour?

Participants must be 18 or older to drink alcohol on the Martinborough wine tours from Wellington, and ID may be required.

Are there wine tours that stay in Wellington city?

The wine tours from Wellington go to the Wairarapa, about an hour's drive away, because the vineyards are over the Remutaka Range. A craft brewery tour is the closest city-based alternative for tasting local drinks.

Wine around Wellington is a day trip: choose a half-day trip for the cellar doors or a full-day trip for the coast, and let the guide do the driving.