Best Wineries in Auckland: Trusted Experts You Can Count On

The best wineries in Auckland sit far closer to the city than most visitors expect, a short ferry ride across the Hauraki Gulf or a twenty minute drive west. Cellar door tastings, guided vineyard tours and long lunches at a vineyard restaurant are all within reach across Waiheke Island and the Kumeū wine country. Mudbrick Vineyard and Stonyridge Vineyard are two of the names that put the region on the map.

1Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant

Mudbrick sits on a ridge above Church Bay at Oneroa, looking out across the Hauraki Gulf and back to the Auckland skyline. Nick and Robyn Jones planted the first vines in 1992 and still own and run the estate, which now takes in four vineyard sites, a cellar door and tasting room, two restaurants and a spread of accommodation. It suits visitors who want a full day on Waiheke rather than a quick tasting stop.

Services

• Guided cellar door tastings across flagship, reserve, dessert and Marlborough grown ranges
• Private vineyard tours of the grounds, gardens and vines
• Dining at the Mudbrick restaurant and the Archive bistro
• Weddings, conferences and group occasions
• Overnight stays in cottages, the Lodge and other properties on and off the estate

Highlights

• First vines planted in 1992 by Nick and Robyn Jones, who still own and operate the estate
• Four vineyard sites across Waiheke: Mudbrick, Hawke’s Crest, Shepherds Point and Sea View Road
• Velvet, the flagship Cabernet Sauvignon blend, is a multiple trophy winning wine
• Cellar door and tasting room open seven days a week, all year round
• Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil produced on the estate alongside the wine

Location & Contact

Name: Mudbrick Vineyard & Restaurant
Address: 126 Church Bay Road, Oneroa, Waiheke Island, Auckland
Phone: 09 372 9050
Website: mudbrick.co.nz

2Stonyridge Vineyard

Stonyridge is a north facing block on Onetangi Road, chosen by owner Stephen White after climate research for a site that could ripen a Bordeaux style red. The estate is built around Larose, its flagship blend, and the cellar door and restaurant open seven days from 11am for tastings, lunch and drinks under the olive trees. It suits anyone who would rather taste a small number of serious reds than work through a broad varietal range.

Services

• Stonyridge Signature Tasting, four island wines poured by the cellar door team
• Larose Vertical Tasting, four back vintages selected by the sommelier team
• Restaurant set menus, with walk-ins welcome for drinks and nibbles
• Function and event hire across the Lookout, the Veranda Café, the Olive Grove and the full venue

Highlights

• First Bordeaux vines and olive trees planted in 1982
• The first commercial olive grove in New Zealand
• Made the new world’s first Bordeaux five blend with the 1993 vintage
• A French sommelier team placed Larose 1996 first equal with Chateau Petrus, Lafite Rothschild, Latour and Cheval Blanc in 2000
• Introduced the En Primeur system to New Zealand in 1987, still run through the Larose VIP Club

Location & Contact

Name: Stonyridge Vineyard
Address: 80 Onetangi Road, Waiheke Island, Auckland
Phone: 09 372 8822
Website: stonyridge.com

3Soljans Estate Winery

Soljans is the mainland option, sitting on State Highway 16 at Kumeū about twenty minutes from the central city, with the cellar door, winery, bistro and gift shop all on one site. The family’s winemaking goes back to Bartul Soljan planting vines in Henderson in the 1930s, and five generations are now involved in the estate. It suits anyone who wants a winery visit, a tour and lunch without a ferry crossing.

Services

• Cellar door tastings, with walk-ins welcome
• The Glimpse winery tour, run daily through the working winery
• Private guided tours for groups, by booking
• The Bistro for lunch on site
• Weddings, functions and Christmas events

Highlights

• Family owned and operated across five generations, which the estate notes is unmatched by any other New Zealand winery
• Soljans Wines founded by Frank Soljan in 1937 on Lincoln Road, Henderson
• Moved to the current Kumeū estate in 2002, after 64 years at the Henderson site
• Contract bottling for other New Zealand wineries, including Méthode Traditionnelle, offered for more than 40 years
• One of the few wineries with an Auckland Transport bus stop directly outside, on routes 122, 123 and 125

Location & Contact

Name: Soljans Estate Winery
Address: 366 State Highway 16, Kumeū, Auckland
Phone: 09 412 5858
Website: soljans.co.nz

4Man O’ War Vineyards

Man O’ War is tucked at the north eastern end of Waiheke Island, where a beachfront tasting room and restaurant look straight out over Man O’ War Bay. The surrounding farm carries no fewer than 75 vineyard blocks planted on steep coastal hillsides, alongside sheep, cattle, orchards, olive groves, restored native forest and beehives. It suits visitors happy to travel a little further for the setting, reaching the bay by road, by direct sailing from the Viaduct or by helicopter with prior arrangement.

Services

• Guided Flagship tastings at the beachfront cellar door
• Private Kulta tastings for small groups
• Restaurant lunches and wine flights on the bay
• Forest Flight, an immersive kauri forest journey on the island’s eastern edge
• Exclusive venue hire for weddings and private events

Highlights

• Seventy five separate vineyards across the farm, following the land’s natural contours
• More than three decades of steep hillside viticulture on Waiheke’s eastern edge
• Best known for Syrah, Chardonnay and Waiheke’s signature Bordeaux blends
• Viticulture and winemaking team unchanged for over a decade, led by winemaker Duncan McTavish

Location & Contact

Name: Man O’ War Vineyards
Address: 725 Man O’ War Bay Road, Waiheke Island, Auckland
Phone: 09 372 9678
Website: manowar.co.nz

5Cable Bay Vineyards

Cable Bay is on the west coast of Waiheke at Oneroa, roughly a fifteen minute walk up from the Matiatia ferry terminal, with a cellar door, two dining rooms and wide lawns facing back towards Auckland city. The first vineyard here went in during 1998, and the estate now also owns and manages vineyard sites in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley. It suits a group that wants a tasting, a long lunch and a venue in the same place.

Services

• Cellar door tastings covering both the Waiheke Island and Awatere Valley wines
• The Verandah restaurant, serving seasonal modern New Zealand cooking
• Private dining in the Wine Library and the Motukaha Room
• Weddings, corporate functions and exclusive venue hire for groups from 10 to 350

Highlights

• Waiheke vineyards established in 1998, with the first Chardonnay taking gold at the International Wine Challenge in London in 2002
• All vineyards accredited by Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, and the Cinders Vineyard certified organic by BioGro
• Estate owned vineyards in two regions, Waiheke Island and Marlborough’s Awatere Valley
• The bistro was designed by architects Fearon Hay
• A private art collection on site, including work by Phil Price, Virginia King, Ray Haydon and Anton Forde

Location & Contact

Name: Cable Bay Vineyards
Address: 12 Nick Johnstone Drive, Oneroa, Waiheke Island, Auckland
Phone: 09 372 5889
Website: cablebay.nz

Wineries in Auckland at a Glance

How to Choose the Right Winery in Auckland

• Decide first whether you want a ferry trip out to Waiheke Island or a mainland estate in the Kumeū area that you can simply drive to.
• Check whether the cellar door takes walk-ins or wants a booking, because the threshold changes with group size at every estate.
• Match the varietals to your taste. Waiheke is red wine country, built on Bordeaux blends and Syrah, while some estates also pour Marlborough grown whites.
• Look at whether there is a restaurant on site, and whether lunch needs to be reserved separately from the tasting.
• If you are travelling as a group or hosting an event, ask about private tastings, function rooms and minimum numbers before you commit to a date.

Frequently Asked Questions About Auckland Wineries

How much does a wine tasting cost at an Auckland winery?

It varies with the estate and the wines poured. Soljans Estate charges $20 per person at its Kumeū cellar door, Mudbrick prices its tastings between $22 and $31 per person depending on the range, and Stonyridge charges $35 per person for the Signature Tasting and $80 per person for the Larose Vertical. Winery tours are usually priced separately from the tasting.

Do I need to book a wine tasting in advance?

Not always, but it depends on numbers. Mudbrick takes walk-ins at the cellar door for groups smaller than seven and asks larger groups to call ahead, Stonyridge offers availability dependent walk-in tastings alongside reserved guided tastings for up to eight people, and Soljans welcomes walk-in tastings for any number. Private tours and large group tastings need to be booked.

Can I visit Auckland’s wineries without a car?

Yes. Passenger ferries run from downtown Auckland to Waiheke Island in around 35 to 40 minutes, and buses 50A and 50B leave from the Matiatia terminal, with a seasonal Eastern Explorer bus service out to Man O’ War Bay. On the mainland, Soljans Estate has a bus stop directly outside its entrance on routes 122, 123 and 125. Timetables and fares are published by Auckland Transport.

Which grape varieties do Auckland wineries grow?

Waiheke Island is red wine country. Warm, dry summers and clay and volcanic soils suit Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot, along with Syrah and Chardonnay. Mudbrick also grows Montepulciano, Pinot Gris and Albariño, and several estates supplement their island fruit with wines made from grapes grown further south in Marlborough and Central Otago.

Are Auckland wineries open all year?

Most are, but the hours shift with the season. Soljans Estate opens its cellar door from 9.30am to 4.30pm seven days, Cable Bay runs its cellar door from 10am to 5pm daily, Mudbrick pours from 10am seven days year round and Stonyridge opens seven days from 11am. Man O’ War runs longer summer hours and closes on Mondays and Tuesdays through winter, so it is worth calling ahead.

Can you hold a wedding or a corporate event at an Auckland winery?

Yes, and it is a large part of what these estates do. Mudbrick, Soljans Estate and Man O’ War all host weddings, Stonyridge hires out spaces from a single terrace through to the full venue, and Cable Bay caters for groups from 10 up to 350 across its bistro, Wine Library and Motukaha Room. Capacities and hire fees differ, so ask early.

Are any Auckland wineries certified sustainable or organic?

Some are. Cable Bay Vineyards has all of its vineyards accredited under Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand and its Cinders Vineyard certified organic by BioGro, and it grazes sheep through the rows and composts kitchen waste back into the soil. The Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand programme is run by the national industry body, New Zealand Winegrowers.

Can I buy wine directly from the winery?

Yes. Every estate here sells at the cellar door and online. Soljans Estate notes that its cellar door is the only place stocking its full range, Stonyridge runs separate New Zealand and international shops, and Cable Bay sells its own olive oil and honey alongside the wine. Some Waiheke estates restrict which bottles may be sold on restricted trading days.