Picton, New Zealand

The Cloudy Bay Winery in Picton, New Zealand

Picton, NZ
The South Island
ms Amsterdam
February 11, 2013

Since the earthquakes in Christchurch on the south end of the South Island, some of
the cruise ships are starting to call in Picton which is on the north end of the South
Island. It's a tiny little community of 2,000 people and 2,000 boats (New Zealanders love
their water sports) but just over the coastal mountains is the Marlborough Valley, one of
the premier wine making regions in New Zealand.

For a long time, this valley was planted with apples, nuts, stone fruits, corn and probably
squash, too. They grow a lot of squash in NZ. It looks so much like the Napa Valley with
coastal mountains on one side and dryer hills on the other side but much, much bigger.
There are still lots of apple orchards and corn fields and of course sheep (the sheep
population is ten times the people population) but now tens of thousands of acres are
planted with grapes, specifically sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.

We opted for the Wine and Garden tour which, happily, was in the afternoon. I'd rather
taste wine at 2 pm than 10 am! We visited two vineyards, Cloudy Bay and Wither Hills
and had grand tasting experiences at both. Cloudy Bay is closer to the wetter coastal
hills while Wither Hills is named for the mountain range on the dryer side of the valley.

We did our tasting by candlelight in the barrel cellars at both wineries (reminded us
so much of the setting for our niece Erin's wedding at the Wente Winery in California)
starting with sparkling wine at each working our way through young to aged sauvignon
blancs then finishing with a pinot noir. Many of the people who were staying on the ship
for the entire cruise went back with several bottles from each winery.

Like the California wineries, each has a distinct architectural style and beautiful
grounds. They also serve light lunches which can be eaten as picnics on the grounds.
Although we didn't partake, we saw lots of people sprawled under the towering
eucalyptus trees at Cloudy Bay and the wisteria arbors at Wither Hills enjoying the day,
the place and the wine. There aren't near as many wineries as in Napa/Sonoma, but
there are quite a few throughout the valley, many offering "Accommodations" as well as
wine and food. Most on the tour voted for the Wither Bay offerings.

On the way back to the ship we stopped at Upton Gardens, a private garden planted
and maintained by a couple who had bought the property 25 years ago to renovate the
Victorian cottage located there. When the house was finished, Barbara Upton started
planting. The garden covers about an acre and a half with "rooms" defined by sharply
trimmed boxwoods and red cedar. There is a classic knot garden, a perennial garden,
an olive grove, vegetable garden and fruit orchard of apples and citrus and with pears
espaliered on a used brick wall. Completely untrained in landscape design, Barbara has
created a jewel of flowers, fruit and greenery. It was the perfect way to end our day in
the Picton region. Now to Sydney and home.