Volcanic Hills Winery Tasting Room (at the top of the Skyline Gondola)

A lovely lazy hour or so spen trying wines and the exceptional Tawny. Having ziplined and done a few luges, this was an oasis, while my son got in more luges. Carmen is such a great ambassador for the winery. Knowledgeable and friendly. The perfect amount of notes on the different wines. If you are going up on the gondola, make sure you call in.

Wow! What a treat! This winery has something for every wine enthusiast or even the "wine isn't my thing" person. The high-quality selection is impressive, but the service is the star. We had such an amazing time learning about all the New Zealand wines. The view is just so relaxing and the perfect setting to catch up with some great conversations. I was just so impressed with how awesome this winery was to visit. Wished I lived closer or this would be a weekly local spot to enjoy.

A five-star experience. The view alone is five stars, but our server, Carmen, curated a delightful experience from start to finish! Carmen clearly knew her wines; she was patient, and her smile radiated genuine warmth. I lived in San Francisco for many years and we frequented the wine country. I am now trying to lean into the Australian and Zealand wines (whites, Pinots and other offerings) rather than the big bold Cabernets of California that defined the wine education in my youth. Carmen and I had a big discussion about Chardonnay oak and stainless, and again, it was clear that she knew her wines and especially the Volcanic Hills wines that she was serving. We also overheard her at the other tables educating other patrons and even trying to navigate some language barriers. She remained unflappable. All tables received a great deal of attention from her. This was no mere “pour and go” tasting. Carmen really took the time to educate every table about her wines. Kudos Carmen for such an incredible experience! We ended up taking home a few bottles. One of them never quite made it back to the states, because we still had a few days in New Zealand, and I opened it up in Wellington! Our next excursion after the tasting was at one of the Maori cultural centers, and Carmen told us a bit of history of the folks there and how she was related. What a great way to prep for our next experience and dinner. I was also really enchanted by one of Volcanic Hills whites, which is unusual. Those bottles make it home to the states!

Great wine to try. I have tasted three wines. Pinot noir, passion fruit flavour and sparkling sweet. They all taste awesome. The girl was in the cashier at the top of the hills is super cool. She is so friendly and helpful when we pick wines. Don’t trust my words just taste the wine and see.

It was a very unique experience to take the sky tram up the winery! We bought our gondola and wine tasting ticket online a day prior to our reservation! Beautiful views from the winery! Brent was very social to all of the tables and taught us about New Zealand wine! Great experience!

What an incredible experience! We took the gondola up to Volcanic Hills Winery and spent about an hour with Carmen and Elizabeth, who shared their knowledge about the wines and the tasting process. They also suggested a variety of other places to check out in Rotorua. Elizabeth also provided some fascinating insights about volcanoes. Both of them dedicated time to engage with us, which we really appreciated. Even though it wasn't listed on the tasting sheet, Elizabeth recommended the bubbly, their Blanc de Blanc (me being a bubbles girl), and she was spot on—it was delicious! I thoroughly enjoyed my bottle. I highly recommend making a visit!

Really enjoyable experience. Brent is super chatty and friendly. He shared his family's stories and adventures as well as his extensive knowledge on his wines and the global wine market. We chose the '3 wine tasting' NZ selection. I'd have gone for the 5 if I wasn't driving. Take away wines and affordable. Try the punchy Rosè and of course his buttery smooth sav...

The winery is great! Our hostess was wonderful. As a volcanologist, she provided a lot of great information to the group, especially to the geologist! The wine was great and the views spectacular!