Don Bird is your experienced, 3rd generation winemaker guide

Private Wine Tour’s are hosted by experienced guides with many years involvement in the wine industry.

Don Bird who hosts The Winemakers Tour is a third generation Hawke’s Bay winemaker who has developed special relationships with winemakers in the region which makes it possible to do special private tastings.

Don takes great pleasure in sharing his many years of winemaking knowledge with his guests.

Read Don’s Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Our Offerings

All Tours Hosted By Don Bird. Read His Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Reasons to do a Wine Tour in Hawke’s Bay

Discover the Top Reasons and Benefits of doing a Wine Tour in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. High-Rated Private Winery Tours

The process of producing wine is complex, yet the majority of wine drinkers don’t have a clue on how the bottle in front of them came to be. Some people can’t differentiate between various wine flavours so a winery tour in Hawke’s Bay may be the furthest idea from their minds. However, before you completely close the door on the idea of heading out on a local wine tour in NZ, consider these reasons and benefits:

• Exceptional bottles of wine aren’t always apparent, and you may have never had the opportunity to taste some. There are several characteristics that contribute positively to the taste and price of a bottle of wine. Attending a wine tasting in Napier allows you to discover more about wine, such as balance and structure. As a result, your palate experiences multiple tastes and aromas that you can distinguish, which increases your knowledge of wine.
• Imagine sitting down at your favourite restaurant, and when you open their wine list, your favourite brand isn’t available. Now you’re left with the dilemma of selecting the ideal wine to pair with your meal from their list of available brands and types which is quite overwhelming. Taking the time to head out on wine tours in Hawke’s Bay gives you insight into the best wines to pair with certain foods. An example would be pairing a soft red wine with chicken, red meat and pasta. A wine and food tour will give you the insight you need for future pairings.
• Embarking on winery tours in Hawke’s Bay has the potential to return a commodity far more significant than knowledge of wine. You can meet new acquaintances that can develop into lifelong friendships. If you’re in a professional field, you could use the tour to network and connect with winemakers and connoisseurs. 

Don Bird is your experienced, 3rd generation winemaker guide

Private Wine Tour’s are hosted by experienced guides with many years involvement in the wine industry.

Don Bird who hosts The Winemakers Tour is a third generation Hawke’s Bay winemaker who has developed special relationships with winemakers in the region which makes it possible to do special private tastings.

Don takes great pleasure in sharing his many years of winemaking knowledge with his guests.

Read Don’s Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Our Offerings

All Tours Hosted By Don Bird. Read His Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

A Guide for Embarking on a Wine Tour in New Zealand

This guide provides the information you need in order to know how to taste wine with a purpose and refine your senses. 

You’ve probably witnessed an individual treat a glass of wine with utter respect, sniffing the aroma that emanates from within, swirling around the liquor and taking a glorious sip while closing their eyes hoping to find the answer to humanity’s existence. You immediately notice them discarding the wine in a bucket and wonder, what is going on?

This guide provides the information you require to taste wine with a purpose and refine your senses.

• Never hold the wine glass at the belly of the glass because it heats up the contents, resulting in an impure experience for you. The stem of the glass is there for a reason. You should hold the glass in front of your face with a slight tilt which allows you to view the colour of the wine at the bottom of the glass right to the tip. Since you’re searching for clarity, it’s advisable to perform this in front of a clear or white background. If you find the wine to be cloudy, it means the winemaker didn’t filter it efficiently. In terms of the colour, a lighter liquid suggests the wine is young while darker colours indicate an older wine.
• Allowing the wine in the glass to interact with oxygen helps release fragrant molecules that enrich the taste. Sniff the edge of the glass with a slightly open mouth as the aroma deflects off the edge and into the nostrils. Inhale deeply and try to identify the different smells. Your sense of smell is subjective so if you pick up aromas that others aren’t, there’s no need for concern as it’s up to your own perception.
• Believe it or not there are techniques to get the most out of wine tours in NZ. Even though it may be tricky, you must follow your first sip of wine with a breath of air which aerates the wine and emboldens the flavour. Before swallowing the wine, roll it around your tongue for a few seconds and exhale via your nostrils when you eventually swallow. You’re doing this because your sense of smell and taste operate in unison to provide a mind-blowing taste experience. There are two elements of wine tasting – flavour and structure. Flavour refers to components such as blackberries or chocolate while structure informs the level of sweetness, alcohol, acidity and tannin.

Don Bird is your experienced, 3rd generation winemaker guide

Private Wine Tour’s are hosted by experienced guides with many years involvement in the wine industry.

Don Bird who hosts The Winemakers Tour is a third generation Hawke’s Bay winemaker who has developed special relationships with winemakers in the region which makes it possible to do special private tastings.

Don takes great pleasure in sharing his many years of winemaking knowledge with his guests.

Read Don’s Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Our Offerings

All Tours Hosted By Don Bird. Read His Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Don Bird is your experienced, 3rd generation winemaker guide

Private Wine Tour’s are hosted by experienced guides with many years involvement in the wine industry.

Don Bird who hosts The Winemakers Tour is a third generation Hawke’s Bay winemaker who has developed special relationships with winemakers in the region which makes it possible to do special private tastings.

Don takes great pleasure in sharing his many years of winemaking knowledge with his guests.

Read Don’s Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Our Offerings

All Tours Hosted By Don Bird. Read His Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Don Bird is your experienced, 3rd generation winemaker guide

Private Wine Tour’s are hosted by experienced guides with many years involvement in the wine industry.

Don Bird who hosts The Winemakers Tour is a third generation Hawke’s Bay winemaker who has developed special relationships with winemakers in the region which makes it possible to do special private tastings.

Don takes great pleasure in sharing his many years of winemaking knowledge with his guests.

Read Don’s Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Our Offerings

All Tours Hosted By Don Bird. Read His Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Advantages of Private Wines Tours

Discover what makes ‘The Winemakers’ Tours so special 

Private Wine Tours offer more flexibility

Private wine tours are growing in popularity as more and more visitors to Hawke’s Bay begin to value privacy over other factors such as the costs of traveling.

The Winemakers Tour recognises that traveling with other people may not be something that some visitors to Hawke’s Bay enjoy; with private tours, you’ll be able to have more flexibility in your scheduling as well as having more time for you to spend with your friends and family.

You decide on what to do during our Wine Tour

The best part about private wine tours is that you have the power in determining the itinerary and scheduling of the tour.

The Winemakers Tour designs a tour for your individual intrigue visiting wineries and tasting varietal wines that you have a special interest in.

Don Bird is your experienced, 3rd generation winemaker guide

Private Wine Tour’s are hosted by experienced guides with many years involvement in the wine industry.

Don Bird who hosts The Winemakers Tour is a third generation Hawke’s Bay winemaker who has developed special relationships with winemakers in the region which makes it possible to do special private tastings.

Don takes great pleasure in sharing his many years of winemaking knowledge with his guests.

Read Don’s Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Our Offerings

All Tours Hosted By Don Bird. Read His Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor

Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand’s Champion Wine Region

Discover what makes Hawke’s bay the best place to try premium wines

New Zealand’s Oldest Wine Region

Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s oldest wine region, dating back to 1851 when missionaries planted vineyards to make sacramental wines. By the 1920s, a thriving wine industry called Hawke’s Bay home, and some of the early wineries are still operating today – Te Mata, Mission Estate and Church Road among them.

Volcanic and Geologically young Soils

Hawke’s Bay’s varied soil patterns make it the most versatile and diverse wine-producing regions in New Zealand. These soils, mostly volcanic and geologically young, have been deposited in the area by rivers over time. Free-draining sand, silt and clay are all common, as is gravel, which is present in the very best vineyard sites. Any discussion of Hawke’s Bay would be incomplete without mentioning Gimblett Gravels, a terroir comprising shingle soils and warm temperatures that are particularly suited to growing Syrah and Bordeaux Blend varieties. The gravels were laid down by a river, the Ngaruroro, which changed its course after a flood in 1867.

Perfect Winegrowing Conditions

The warm, dry summers and long autumns experienced in Hawke’s Bay are excellent for viticulture. The maritime climate means that the warmth brought about by long sunshine hours is moderated by the Pacific Ocean. This coastal influence is reduced moving inland, as the Hawke’s Bay’s varied topography provides shelter from the prevailing weather systems. Vignerons must choose their sites carefully to take advantage of the region’s complex mesoclimates.

Ultra-Premium Wines focus

Hawke’s Bay winemaker’s focus is on the production of ultra-premium wines from a great diversity of grape varieties, more than any other region in New Zealand.

Over the years, the region has won international acclaim for its very high-quality Bordeaux-style reds and full-bodied Chardonnays. Syrah, Hawke’s Bay’s ‘Hero’ wine, is produced in a classic European style with strong black-pepper and floral aromas followed by ripe powerful flavours.

Our Offerings

All Tours Hosted By Don Bird. Read His Outstanding Reviews On Trip Advisor