S W.
Yelp
Honest to goodness, I found this winery in my Lord of the Rings location guidebook. And I'm sure glad I did, because not only did I enjoy a lovely round of wine tastings, I gazed (in wonder) across to the River Anduin and mentally superimposed the Argonauth in my geek-stricken, impressionable mind. No, that was not the wine talking.
The winery is nothing short of lovely. You travel along a light gravel road along a sort of cliff, which is where you get the amazing views of the bluest upon blue River Anduin (aka the Kawarau River). You then travel through the vineyard to the tasting room, where you can enjoy a full round of tastings for absolutely nothing. Note, if you don't buy a bottle, they politely encourage donations so bring your NZ dollars lest you make out to be a fool. I bought 2 bottles: Pinot Gris 2014 and River Run Pinot Noir 2013. Wish I could have bought more and spent much more time.
Overall, this is a nice duel-purpose mellow outing that I would highly recommend to all. So show yourself the meaning of haste. Ride hard. And stop for nothing.
Fly you fools!!!!!