Mt Difficulty Wines

Mt Difficulty is an absolute gem in Central Otago. The team is professional, attentive and friendly. The food is outstanding, beautifully presented and full of flavor. As my sister likes sparkling wine so we ordered a bottle. Will definitely come back next time for the wine tasting. Highly recommended for anyone wants memorable food, wine and landscape experience 🍷👍

One of the highlights of our trip! A reservation is absolutely essential if you want to enjoy a seated meal with these stunning views. The wine tasting was exceptional – every pour complemented the food so beautifully, and the staff were incredibly knowledgeable and warm, helping us pair our selections perfectly. We ended up wanting to try almost every main dish, and the staff kindly advised us not to overorder – which turned out to be great advice because the desserts were incredible and definitely not to be missed. From the locally inspired produce to the thoughtfully plated mains and their signature wines, everything was top-tier. The atmosphere, service, and scenery all came together to make this a dream lunch. Highly, highly recommend!

A must!!! Every aspect of the food was sensational. Chef Chloe and Ruby in the kitchen have a real eye for presentation and flavour! On top of that the wine tasting and views were breathtaking. Cannot wait to rebook another holiday and drive this beautiful scenic road and have the best lunch in NZ 🍷

One of the best experience and my favourite in Central Otago! Scenic location, friendly staff and great Pinot Noir wines! I visited on 01 August 2025 and sampled their premium range. The staff shared excellent knowledge about their wines. Nothing beats sitting out on their patio and sampling their Pinot Noir! I will be back for sure!

We have a lunch session at the winery and shared a couple of dishes. The vegetarian ravioli was really good, as with the tiger prawns. The crispy pork belly was OK but not fantastic. The wine tasting was good although I think it was overpriced for a winery which should use the chance to promote their wines.

Wow! If I could give more stars I would. Our group lunch was phenomenally delicious & the hospitality was excellent. We had a time crunch so the staff ensured we had a relaxed experience whilst still leaving on schedule. Thank you so much Claire & Markis who served us... chefs too! Will definitely be back & recommend to all my friends & family etc :)

A great winery with solid Pinot I recommend. An outstanding Restaurant with a great menu especially the slow cooked lamb (16 hours at 70°C) which I recommend without any doubt. The duck is great as well but the portion a bit small. They serve on hot plates and this is awesome. A great place to enjoy a wonderful cooking with a beautiful scenery.

We had such a great wine tasting experience. Wines were great, made amazing because of great energy and attitudes of Colleen - our wine tasting host. Despite many customers, she still made sure we were taken care of. Big props to her! We will be thinking of her when popping one of those bottles.

We enjoyed the sweeping views during our tasting at Mt. Difficulty in 2019. The winery itself is perched on a ridge that offers beautiful sight lines to Lake Dunstan and the surrounding mountains, and we enjoyed relaxing and taking it all in on their patio. Honestly, the views alone were worth the $2 NZD tasting fee (based on their website, it looks like that fee may have been raised since our visit). They also poured plenty of wine to cover that fee. The wine itself was forgettable. There was a drinkable Chardonnay, and it helped us enjoy the views, but that's about it. The staff was pleasant, and although the cellar door got quite crowded by the time we departed, the facility was big enough to handle the scrum rather well. I'm rating this at a generous four for two reasons: (1) we enjoyed our visit, and honestly we enjoy tasting and talking about wine whether the juice is distinguished or not. (2) We didn't eat in their restaurant. The menu looked enticing, and I'll grant that this could have significantly elevated our good experience. If you're passing through on Highway 6, Mt. Difficulty is worth a stop on a sunny day.

Our second winery (of three) was at Mt. Difficulty after our server at another winery recommended we check this place out in Bannockburn. It's a very popular spot! We dropped in on a Tuesday (around noon) and it was busy. The restaurant (only open at lunch) was completely full so make sure you make reservations if you want to eat here. Your tastings get comped if you dine in otherwise it's only $2.00 NZD/person. You get 5 wine tastings (four regular wines plus one of your choice from the entire list). Our server, Nicki, was chatty and outgoing. We found out Bannockburn is known for their pinot noirs. - Roaring Meg central otago pinot noir 2014 - not as good as the second pinot noir. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn pinot noir 2016 - this is their bread and butter winner. Very smooth and apparently goes great with Thai green curry. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn sauvignon blanc 2016 - not as good as the ones we had in the Marlborough region. - Mt Difficulty Bannockburn target riesling 2016 - unmemorable. It was a medium sweet style. - Mt Difficulty long gully chenin blanc 2017 - this was delicious. It smells like guava and had a smooth, tropical citrus flavour to it. We considered getting a bottle ($30.00 NZD) but had too many already. - Roaring Meg Central Otago pinot noir rosé 2017 - this one was decent but it pales in comparison to the chenin blanc. Try/buy the chenin blanc! Another cool winery with a solid wine tasting.

There are many fun winery + lunch experiences and I have been to most of them, Mt. Difficulty is my favorite though. The combination of location, wine and food (in that order) cant be beat. You need a reservation but the views are worth it and Swing by Felton Road a couple doors down while you are here.

We had a great tour and tasting. You cannot beat these Central Otago Pinot Noirs and the rosé and Dry Riesling are really great as well. You HAVE to eat lunch here. Reservations required! I had the venison dish with truffle polenta and it has been hands down my best meal on our two week trip. My husband ordered the duck which was equally delicious. Definitely worth the planning to add this to your itinerary.

For lunch, you MUST have a reservation, and can not pop in. It is completely worth the effort. Your tasting is free with a meal and the food was delicious. DH enjoyed the fish special and I enjoyed their delicious cheese board. Left with a couple of bottles as souvenirs. If you can't make a reservation for lunch, the $2 tasting fee is worth it!