Home > Picton > Picton Shore Excursion: Marlborough Wine Region Small-Group Tour
USD $73.00
Picton Shore Excursion: Marlborough Wine Region Small-Group Tour
Picton, New Zealand
Taste the gourmet delights New Zealand is famous for on a wine and chocolate shore excursion to the South Island's renowned Marlborough wine region! While your cruise ship is docked at the Picton port, sip award-winning New Zealand wines at boutique wineries, sample delicious chocolates, and enjoy a personalized experience on this small-group tour, limited to 11 people. You have the option of a 5-hour tour or a 6.5-hour tour that includes a lunch stop.
After being picked up at the Picton port when your cruise ship docks, your relaxing small-group tour heads out of the city to New Zealand's world-famous Marlborough wine region.
Choose either the 5-hour or 6.5-hour tour, before returning to the Picton port by minivan. Both options include a visit to the Makana Boutique Chocolate
Factory, where you’ll see delicious chocolates being made by
hand. Enjoy a sample of the many varieties made here, from succulent
truffles to fruit-filled chocolates and nutty bites.
5-Hour Tour: Visit five to six Marlborough wineries for tastings of sparkling and dessert wines, oaked chardonnay and New Zealand’s signature wine variety, sauvignon blanc. Snacks and nibbles are available to purchase at the vineyards (own expense). The number of vineyards visited may vary, as each winery stop is relaxed and the tour proceeds at your group’s own pace.
6.5-Hour Tour with Lunch: Choose the longer tour option to taste wines at six to eight wineries. Plus, have time to enjoy a gourmet lunch at one of the Marlborough region’s premium vineyard restaurants, featuring seasonal produce like New Zealand lamb and seafood (at own expense).
Worry-free Shore Excursion: We will ensure your timely return to the Picton port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
Our tour was pretty much as described with the exception that there was no wine and chocolate pairing, but we did stop at a rather expensive chocolate shop at the end. We stopped at 5 or 6 wineries and had a nice lunch at one of them. To be honest, our entire group only bought a couple of bottles of wine and most of us really only liked wine from one of the wineries. It seemed that each driver took his group wherever he wanted, so it was based on their choices.
Review by: Janet R, March 2018
Good driver/guide. Visited 4 wineries with a lovely lunch at one. Lunch was at your own expense._br/_ I guess Im not that into wine,
Review by: Margo, March 2018
We had a fun and informative day of wine tasting with Dean, our guide. Visited four different wineries. Each winery was expecting us and we had very interesting presentations from the winery staff. We learned a lot and had fun. We had lunch at one of the wineries not included in tour price, but delicious and fresh. Directions to meet the tour were spot on at the end Dean dropped us back at the pier. Great tour!
Review by: paulgorrel, March 2018
A solid 5hr tour in a group of 11 fellow cruise passengers. Visiting 4 wineries of Giesen, Nautilus, Framingham and Allan Scott. A very enjoyable lunch was available at Allan Scott with accompanying refreshments. The countryside and vines are stunning. Wine Marlborough NZ tour company were very efficient and professional. They delivered on the day. Would highly recommend them for a good day out in this beautiful wine region.
Review by: Yufang L, March 2018
Great small group tour to wineries, local region, and a great place to have lunch. The driver was very helpful and also flexible.
Review by: Ramon S, February 2018
This small-group tour was fantastic! We visited four local wineries and a chocolate factory. I highly recommend this tour to get a great taste of the Marlbourough Wine Region.
Review by: Yves B, February 2018
This was a good tour. We went to 5 wineries and that was maybe a bit much. People were tired of wine by the end.
Review by: susan.casciotti, February 2018
Dean was great. He took us to 5 or 6 winerys. Also one that specialized in sparkling wines. We had a beautiful day.
Review by: Candace S, February 2018
We really enjoyed our experience. Our driver was prompt to pick us and return us to the ship. The variety of the four wineries was great. The staff at each winery was knowledgeable and did a terrific job describing the wines we tasted. We never felt rushed although we saw a lot. Our driver was more of a driver than a tour guide. While he imparted information about the area it was somewhat limited. Overall, a wonderful experience.
Review by: Victor E, January 2018
Dean was our tour guide and did an excellent job. We had 2 other guest on the tour till noon. Dean was very informative and engaging and kept us entertained for the trip down to the vineyards. We visited 3 Cellar Doors in the morning had lunch and another 6 people joined our group. We visited 2 additional Cellar Doors and a chocolate factory in the afternoon before heading back to Picton._br/_ Each tasting was different in style, ambience and character of the wines. It was a fun day seeing the countyside, learning about the various techniques in making wine, and tasting the differences.
Review by: Sandra S, November 2017
Katrina, our guide, did a super job of narrating and explaining about grapes and wines in the Marlborough Region. We visited several wineries and had a wonderful lunch, that we paid for. We also visited a Marlborough candy maker. It was a wonderful day and a great taste of this part of New Zealand.
Review by: Andrewstair67, November 2017
Very good wine tour. We went to four very nice winery's and ate at one of them. The meal was great a the wine even better. A great tour for Picton and the driver was fun and very accommodating. I would do this tour again!
Review by: david.mmp, November 2017
One word, superb. From start to finish 10 out of 10. The tour company that looked after us, Marlborough Wine Tours were brilliant.
Review by: TREVOR T, November 2017
GREAT TOUR WITH LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY SIDE. WINERIES WERE THE BEST PART BY FAR.
Review by: Briggsy, April 2017
Great day and the wine tasting was great
Review by: KIM B, March 2017
Beautiful trip through the wine region! We visited 4 wineries Saint Clair Family Estate, Omaka Springs Estates, Whitehaven and Giesen and enjoyed lunch at Giesen. The timing at Saint Clair was perfect and we were not rushed through the tasting. We loved the wines at Omaka Springs but it would have been nice to have sat at tables instead of standing. We least liked the Whitehaven experience as it seemed very rushed. We are not shoppers and would have preferred the time to remained focused on the tastings. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about their history, wines and region.
Review by: Natalie D, March 2017
Very good. A must do tour, thoroughly enjoyable!
Review by: tina w, March 2017
What an amazing tour 4 wineries all had a great selection of wines ready for us to taste and gave us some great local history etc. Lunch was ok this was at our own cost but only 3 choices and expensive i am sure there are other places better in the area. Our driver was amazing with great local knowledge and stories.
Review by: wfpratt, March 2017
This was an excellent tour through the Malborough Region. Experienced some great wines as we visited 4 wineries. It was a nice day and I would recommend this tour for others.
Review by: Paul M, March 2017
Mike was a wonderful guide, thoroughly enjoyed our day in beautiful Marlborough
Review by: Ginger M, March 2017
The Marlborough wine region is very impressive. Having lived in California and visited many of the wine making regions there, we can say that this area of New Zealand has a lot in common with the Central Valley and Napa areas. We visited 4 wineries. All were beautiful and produced some great wines. The tasting room staff who served us were all personable and knowledgeable. Our guide was good but fairly new to the job and did not have as much information about the region and it's history as we would have liked. Not bad, but not as good as some guides/drivers we've had. Also, the place we stopped for lunch was a great winery but a bit unusual in terms of the food offerings. Very limited menu, a bit pricey, and it was mostly finger-type foods cheeses, crackers and breads, olives, etc.. It was good food but not what we had expected. If you don't mind tasting wine in the morning, this is a really good tour of New Zealand's growing and impressive Marlborough region.
Review by: Camille W, March 2017
Wonderful small group tour with Tracy, visiting 5 very nice wineries and a chocolatier. I might have preferred another full-line winery over the sparkling wine-only at the last stop, but not really complaining. The lunch at Giesen was GREAT!!!
Review by: amishrn, February 2017
Katrina, our guide was great. The winery's were fun and tasted some great wines.
Review by: Paula F, February 2017
Absolutely a fabulous day, 5 unique wineries, a chocolate stop and a fabulous lunch of amazing NZ mussels, much bigger than those of New England in the US. Loved the outside Jasmine garden in which we ate. It was 9 people and we did several viators with the same group as it happened. We got to be friends. Love the driver guide. I since have forgot her name but she also took us to a high point to take a picture of our ship. She extended herself to make it special and even stopped for one of the ladies who needed something at the pharmacy and at a farm stand for us to purchase fruit. Really a great tour and guide.
Review by: David P, February 2017
It was a great day, very nice wineries we visited. The lunch restaurant was excellent. We came off of a cruise ship. The tour made sure we were back in time to board the ship!
Review by: Alan B, February 2017
An excellent tour. Highly recommended . We did 4 vineyards would have done 5 if we hadn't prolonged our excellent lunch at the Geisen vineyard, and had to get back to our cruise ship. Our guide was very informative and the small group made it better. We would definitely do again...
Review by: Kevin G, February 2017
Overall, this tour was amazing. We found our local driver very easily once we got off the port shuttles and because it was a smaller group 7 of us, but missing one couple it made it that much easier to move from each winery. My wife and I both really wanted to do this tour b/c of our interest in wines from Marlborough. We went to 4 local wineries that we have not tried in the US and each place was unique in its own way. Most of the time, I drink red wine, so this tour was good b/c it opened up my eyes to different white wines from the area. We really enjoyed the wine from Spy Valley winery much smaller distribution and output and had lunch at Giesen Winery. One of their daily specials was a cheese and meat tray for 2 that included a glass of one of the wines we sampled. It came with local bread that was really good and the overall setting was amazing. After the fourth winery, we stopped at a local chocolate place can't remember the name got some free samples and bought some gifts. Our driver Kevin was awesome too. He made sure to let us know how much time we had left at each place but wasn't pushy and allowed everyone to really enjoy their time there. I would highly recommend this tour.
Review by: Rick S, January 2017
We loved this tour! There were only eight of us on the tour plus our guide. We went to three boutique wineries and had lunch. Enjoyed all the tastings. Our guide told us about the area as we drove, plus a farmer was moving his sheep from one field to another down the street we were on. What a unique experience. The only downside was the wineries were small so they do not sell their wines in the US.
Review by: Carol M. V, January 2017
Beautiful ride and friendly guide. Lots of wine tasting and visit to a very expensive chocolate shop.
Review by: Crusher, January 2017
A great time. Thought about giving it only four stars but hard to criticise it because some of our fellow tourists were painful. And the tour guide coped very well with the challenges they presented.
Review by: Collette P, January 2017
This was an awesome trip to the Marlborough Region. We got to experience some beautiful wines and being a small group we could see more wineries. Was not worried at all about getting back to the ship as the driver is always very aware of this. I would recommend this to people cruising into the Picton area.
Review by: Joseph W, January 2017
The minibuses were waiting for us and off we went.The wineries we went to were excellent and we brought home some different wines. Lunch at Giesen winery was excellent. We had NZ mussels while the others had cheese and meat platters. Great day
Review by: Melissa M, January 2017
Fantastic tour and great wineries. Superb lunch at the last winery. Guide allowed us to move at our own pace and decide what extras we might want to explore. Great chocolate shop at the end!
Review by: Stan, January 2017
Booked this tour as opposed the one provided by the cruise company we were sailing with due to price and the promise of a small tour group. We weren't disappointed. Arrangements to meet the tour guide were clear and easy to follow. As promised it was a small tour group 9 of us and the guide was very helpful. Visited 4 wineries and a champagne house I know we're not allowed to call it that but that's what it was!. And to finish the day off a brief stop at a local family owned chocolate shop where you can see the chocolate being produced, sample items and then buy. All in all a very good tour which I would recommend.
Review by: Alan M, December 2016
This tour is amazing! First of all, our tour guide Trishia was amazing! We stopped in 6 vineyards which were amazing a stop in a nice chocolate factory. In each we tasted 4-5 different wines in one of them we had lunch. The attention by Trishia was really nice, and each vineyard was very nice. Highly recommended tour!
Review by: Diane M, November 2016
We loved the region and not having to drive was a real bonus. The driver was very accommodating to any other wineries we wanted to go
Review by: Stephen P, May 2016
EXCELLENT
Review by: dj.ridings6, April 2016
Our guide Andy was fabulous. Everything was pre arranged at the wineries and we received VIP treatment. Andy knew the area extremely well and managed to let us spend some time exploring some additional shops and wineries that were not originally part of our tour. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to take a tour of the wineries in the Picton region.
Review by: Sam, April 2016
Nice tour with a excellent guide.
Review by: Sharon S, April 2016
Tour was exceptional. The tour guide was well informed and very accommodating. We visited a number of wineries and tasted some delicious wines, topped off with a delicious lunch and a visit to a handmade chocolate supplier. Would highly recommend this tour. Great value for money.
Review by: John O, April 2016
It was a grand day in Marlborough Wine Country... being part of a small group meant that we got a lot more attention and information at the various wineries we visited.. The lunch stop was not only wonderful but timely...we did need a break from wine tasting. A beautiful tour and a great guide.
Review by: beamcch, April 2016
We had a great time. Our driver was full of information and treated us all well. She knew all our names and made the tip personal. She also answered all our questions.
Review by: Alan D G, April 2016
Really enjoyed our wine tasting tour. Our tour guide was entertaining, knowledgeable and made the tour extra special.
Review by: Benjamin S, March 2016
Delightful tour! Andy gave us a remarkably pleasant tour to 4 wineries and a great restaurant for lunch. It was easy to find him at the agreed-upon pickup spot, and it was a great day.
Review by: LOIS S, March 2016
All went well with our getting to the tour bus from the ship, where we were met by our very nice tour guide for the day. We were taken to four very nice and picturesque wineries, some of the wines were very good, others not quite so much to our taste. The guide I forget her name certainly had a very good knowledge of the area and wine growing and production. We had lunch at one of the wineries, which was a very pleasant experience. we were then taken to the Chocolate factory, which was very nice, but rather expensive.
Review by: RedWagon, March 2016
This Tour was one of the Best! We had a wonderful Tour guide who made a point to take us to wineries we could all enjoy. We prefer Red Wine but we told her we liked a sweeter wine and we found two of the four wineries had just what we wanted in white wine._br/_ The small group gave us time to tour the wineries, have a delicious lunch and stop at a Candy factory to watch candy made and taste sample. A real enjoyable tour!
Review by: Lynnette B, March 2016
The tour was a bit rushed due to the late arrival of our ship. We still had the opportunity to visit some great beautiful wineries. Our guide, Carol, made sure that we had the chance to visit a wonderful chocolate shop which was the reason one member of our party signed on. Really enjoyed the day.
Review by: Nana2010, March 2016
Our tour guide and driver took us to us to the wineries that were less traveled and therefore NOT crowed with tour buses. And they served wonderful wines. The small group made it easy to hear and travel together. This was a GREAT tour and highly recommended.
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