It’s an exciting time of year to be cruising wine country right now, with some of Hawke’s Bay’s best wineries rubbing their hands together for this year’s harvest.
And what a hot January it’s been! New Zealand just had one of the hottest Januaries in 150 years, and coupled with an ever-present summer breeze, the grapes are ripening faster than you can say ‘merlot cabernet blend’.
Hopping around the wineries this week our wine tour guests have enjoyed seeing first-hand the grapes ripening in the vineyard, and talking to winery folk about the delicious things to come. 
Apparently it’s a year for Chardonnay & Syrah so we’ll be watching those ones particularly closely. Di has a soft spot for Viognier too so we’ll be sure to give that a fair tasting when the 2018 goes to bottle. 
In the meantime of course there are loads of stunning wines from 2016, 2017 and earlier that are already available for a sneaky vineyard wine tasting.
We hope you get to enjoy some of Hawke’s Bay’s best wineries this season, and if you need a ride for your perfect wine tour be sure to let us know.

Cheers,
Hamish & Di

Photo credit: Moana Park Winery

You’ve heard of the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and the Central Otago Pinot, but if you’re new to Hawke’s Bay wines, let’s just say there’s a reason we call it “wine country”.

If you’re planning to book a wine tour at some stage, here’s a taster of what Hawke’s Bay wines are all about:
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• We’ve got variety in our varietals. Micro-climates, soil structures, grape varieties – Hawke’s Bay is a truly diverse region that offers you an abundance of choice when it comes to wines. And on a wine tour with Prinsy’s, you’ll traverse these regions and get a down-to-earth appreciation for the heart, soul and soil that makes Hawke’s Bay unique.
• Reds or whites or in-betweens – we don’t discriminate! Arguably Hawke’s Bay is heralded for the big reds we produce in our warm climate, particularly for smacking our own style on the traditional “Bordeaux blends” (Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, usually a bit of Malbec too), and some delicately punchy Syrah’s (that’s Shiraz in Aussie lingo). But scratch the surface and you’ll find quite the range of white wine and rosé to fill your boots with too. Chardonnay is a classic that wins a lot of awards here (though you’ll find lots of delicious “non-classic” takes on it too). Many wineries also produce a Sauvy and/or Pinot Gris and you can also chance across interesting aromatics like Viognier, Arneis and Gewürztraminer. Yum!
• It’s all in the glass. Once you get that supple splash in your glass, take a good look. You’ll see wines that are dripping with bright colour and subtle style. Then, the only thing left to do is to enjoy a sip! When you join Prinsy’s for a wine tour, even if you’re a wine novice we’ll show you the ropes of tasting to make sure you get the full Hawke’s Bay wine experience. 

Keen to see for yourself? 
We’ll help you learn lots and have fun along the way. Book now and see for yourself why our guests say Prinsy’s Tours exceeded their expectations. ​We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Cheers, Hamish
Owner & Tour Guide

Recently the Prinsy's Wine Tour crew were lucky enough to head down to Martinborough for an overnighter, under the guise of "research & development". Why? We wanted to explore the area and find the very best spots to take our guests, as part of our new Guided Transfer service (which can include a trip from Wellington to Hawke's Bay via some nice wee hotspots). What a hard life!

On this trip our team checked out the local winery & tourism scene, and felt we needed to share a couple of our favourites, if you're ever heading that way.

Martinborough Township
If you don't know much about it, Martinborough is a small historical township in the Southern Wairarapa - a little over an hour from Wellington. It's got 20-something wineries and a boutique, laid back feel. Plus, the town and surrounding wineries are nice and condensed so it's easy to explore and make the most of your time.

Must-Do Wineries
Highlights of our own wine tour definitely included:

• Martinborough Vineyard - it's an icon in the region since 1980 (that's pioneering days when it comes to New Zealand wine) and their pursuit of the perfect Pinot Noir is admirable.
• Alana Estate - owner Mike Cornish's mantra of "Make great wine and have fun doing it" is a force to be reckoned with.
• Poppies Martinborough - well this little gem had to be our favourite. The personalised service on offer here really brought us in to their world - we learned the passion they have for their wines and their story from our enjoyable chat with Shayne the Viticulturalist, and Poppy the winemaker, and you can only buy their wines from the cellar door (that's our style!). Their abundance of knowledge and approach-ability means this winery (and its stunning cafe) will definitely be a regular stop whenever the Prinsy's Guided Transfer whistles through from Wellington for a quick wine tour.  If you're passing, make sure you try the rose!

Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Sanctuary
Heading back to Hawkes Bay from Martinborough, a great way to break up the trip is a stop at the wildlife centre at Mount Bruce, where they do lots of great work with conservation and education. The walk through native bush even has wheelchair access and it's a great chance to see rare and endangered birds of New Zealand, including the only white kiwi in captivity, as well as other native wildlife.

Planning your own trip?
For more information on a Guided Transfer of your own (to make the most of travel time between Wellington, Hawkes Bay and/or Auckland and anywhere in between), talk to us today - we'd love to help plan the perfect trip for you and show you the sights through local eyes.
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Every now and then we are lucky enough to be involved in a momentous event in Hawkes Bay. Later this year, one of those events takes place as the Lions rugby team tour New Zealand and make their way to the provinces. We're all geared up to take all the touring Lions' fans out to see our little slice of paradise in Hawke's Bay and have already had several few jump on-board our wine tours in the last couple of weeks. We can't wait!

A few years ago we were lucky enough to have ex-Lion Gareth 'Coochie' Chilcott join us for a wine tour. Gareth and his group of mates had a great time, even providing Prinsy's Tours with this awesome testimonial:

This year we got all excited and dressed up in our rugby finest for a wine tour of our own - check out the pics below!

If you or your friends are keen to explore Hawke's Bay, we'd love to take you out and show you the sights and tastes - no matter which team you roar for!