The Winery 15th Valley of Marlborough of South Island

While some people prefer to avoid restaurants altogether on Valentine’s Day, for others it’s the perfect excuse to enjoy a romantic evening out. For wine lovers, finding venues with a great selection of bottles is an added bonus. Whether you’re after prestige Bordeaux and classic vintages or interesting and quirky bottles from less well-known producers, the selection below gives you plenty of options. We also tell you what to expect from the wine list in each venue. From Michel ...

The deal includes 34.5ha under vine in the heart of the mountainous Bannockburn sub-region. It is mainly planted with Pinot Noir, but there are pockets of Chardonnay and Riesling too. Sir Clifford Skeggs, a Kiwi businesmman, and Lady Marie Skeggs purchased the land for Akarua in 1995, and planting began the following year. The first wines were bottled from the 1999 vintage. Akarua is now firmly established as one of the largest family-owned operations in Central Otago, and its 100% estate-grown ...

The largest-ever year for entries, an incredible 18,244 wines were judged at the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards – with just 163 wines awarded a Platinum medal. ‘Winning a Platinum medal is something really exceptional’ said Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chair Sarah Jane Evans MW. ‘Platinum is like the stratospheric level’ she commented, ‘so it’s really saying to the winemaker: this is a great wine.’ Making up just 0.87% of the total wines tasted at the 2022 c ...