The vineyards and wineries of Waikato and the Bay of Plenty are geographically widely scattered, and though the region is not large, its producers, who account for approximately three percent of New Zealand‘s wine, include several important wineries that are worth visiting. The region stretches just beyond Auckland‘s Southern motorway SH1, through lush Waikato farmland, south to Turangi and across to the coastal regions of the Bay of Plenty.

The Waikato‘s wine­growing history dates as far back as 1897 when the government established a Viticultural Research Station at Te Kauwhata. A flurry of plantings followed but declined in the early to mid­20th century. Large vineyard planting grew rapidly from the 1960s through to the early 1980s, and the wines were very successful, regularly winning medals and trophies. With the closure of the major company (Cook‘s) vineyard, plantings declined from over 300 hectares to about 150 hectares today.

There are 18 wineries in these two large regions, most of which are boutique, hands­on operations producing wines largely from estate­grown grapes. The diversity of meso­climates and soil conditions of these estates provide a wide range of wine styles with very distinctive characters.

The four largest wineries ­ Firstland, Rongopai, Morton Estate and Mills Reef ­ use grapes from their own estate and from other regions, and their wines are well distributed throughout the country. Wines from the boutique wineries are not as widely available, making a visit a fascinating prospect, because in many instances it is the only location where one can taste and buy some of the country‘s best­kept vinous secrets.