Wine in Wanaka

After coming down off the moutnain, our tour continued with a visit to the Rippon Vineyards on Lake Wanaka.



This has to be one of the MOST scenic vineyards I've ever been to- I can't recall another one on a lake like this, much less surrounded by moutanins on all sides.


It was approaching harvest time & the grapes were on the vines. In many of the places we visited, they were covered with nets to protect them from the birds.


I'm beginning to understand that the wine tourism is a very American thing & many vineyards around the country are just catching onto the trend to have lovely tasting rooms & a tourist attraction at their vineyard. Rippon hosts many weddings & special functions, so they are building a bigger tasting room.


And here's why they really needed something larger- the blue building on the left is their current tasting room & there is at least a nice tent outside to relax & enjoy a larger taste.


This was seriously awesome- bright sun, gentle breeze, stunning views, sipping on some Souvignon Blanc & hanging out with my hubby.




Us + winery = awesome

The inside of the 1 room building was tiny, but they managed to pack lots of wonderful wines & even a few snack plates in there.

Here's another really cool thing about the vineyard- it regularly gets covered in snow! I don't think I know of any other wine growing places where they get snow. They have some pictures on the walls of the place covered in snow & it unbelievable gorgeous.

Hubby likes to get all artistic with his shots....

Luckily, it was just the other couple on the tour with us & another couple in there tasting wine at the same time.

If we hadn't been there with a tour, I'd have bought a bottle and made myself a picnic outside to enjoy the view for the afternoon.

All of Wanaka is surrounded by these gorgeous mountains that make doing anything in town a great experience with stunning views.

This little tasting room is adorable, but they need something bigger so that more people can enjoy the great wines & beautiful vineyards.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Made it to Pittsburgh after a few hour delay in Houston last night & I'm so excited to explore the city and see a baseball game tonight.