Wine and Beer

One of my favorite things to do in New Zealand was to drink wine! The wines in this country are delicious and plentiful. It helped that I lived walking distance to New World, Victoria Park. On the weekends, they had this older Kiwi employee, a local wine connoisseur, divvy out free samples of wine and cheese to customers. There was a 60/40 chance I would end up buying his selection. The times I didn't, I would buy one of our favorites (Man of War Pinot Gris or Amisfield Pinot Noir).

We also made a point to visit as many wineries as we could...Villa Maria (a secret jewel near the Auckland Airport), Amisfield (Amazing chef's choice dinner menu, Mudbrick (for the gorgeous view)...just to name a few.

The beers in New Zealand weren't to shabby, though the wine surpasses it for sure! I would stay clear of buying cocktails in New Zealand because they cost lots and are relatively weak.

When in kiwi-land, do as kiwis would do....eat well and drink even better! These are absolute must try: Whites Villa Maria: Savinough Blanc Reserve Man of War: Pinot Gris Reds Amisfield: Pinot Noir Seresin: Pinot Noir [ http://www.seresin.co.nz/ ] Cable Bay: Five Hills Blend 2008 (Merlot, Malbec, Cab Sav)[ http://www.cablebayvineyards.co.nz/ ] By the way: I found an amazing WOMEN run wine company [ http://www.solawines.com/CTGY/auwinery.html ] that SELLS Southern Hemisphere wines (including NZ and Aussie). They will Ship for as little as $1 !!!