Ata Rangi - Vineyard & Winery — Attraction in Martinborough Community

Visiting Ata Rangi was supposed to be ticking off one of the top 10 on my bucket list. Now, I regret wasting so much time and money going over to NZ just to visit Ata Rangi ( luckily Te Papa made up for it).

Ata Rangi is world famous for its pinot noir, regarded by many to be one of the top 10 or 20 most influential wines outside France. It also happens to be one of my favourite non Burgundian pinot noir wines (apart from Bass Phillip).

We had planned this trip months ago. We emailed Ata Rangi and asked if we could visit for a tasting. Ata Rangi responded quickly and confirmed our visit. We then booked our flights, accommodation and car hire.

The drive from Wellington to Martinborough is not the easiest as one has to drive over "the hill" to get there.

We got there promptly just before 11am. There was another group of 3 also there for the tasting. We were invited to the tasting room by a staff member before being led to the vineyard for a walk around and to see the "gumboot clone" pinot noir vines first hand ( hint: google gumboot clone or abel clone for history).

After that,we went back to the tasting room where we were treated to a tasting of 6 wines. The Sav Blanc, Chardonnay, Botrytis Riesling, Crimson, Pinot Noir and the Celebre. Ata Rangi was generous to supply Riedel stemware for the tasting but rather stingy on the pours.

The staff member was relatively new and didn't have much to tell us about the wines, the wine making process or the grapes. I asked one question about their process but she didnt know the answer. So, i decided not to embarrass her any further.

During the tasting session, founder Clive Paton and the chief wine maker Helen Masters wandered in at different times and we got a quick intro and a wave. (Possibly a busy day in May for wine growers?)

And then it was over. Ata Rangi doesn't charge for the tasting. So, I decided to buy a few items as a small gesture of appreciation.

What really disappointed us was that as i was paying for my purchases, the winemaker came in and collected a few Riedel glasses and took the other 3 people who were in the tasting group into the winery for what I am guessing a personal tour and barrel tasting. Sure, one of the 3 in that group so happened to know the owner and the winemaker, we thought that the camaraderie we had formed with the other 3 in that brief time of tasting would have made Ata Rangi extend the courtesy to us as well. Afterall, what is another 2 glasses (of stingy pour)? I came to learn about the people, the land, the vine, the winemaking process and left Ata Rangi feeling empty and disappointed. (we had private tours and with barrel tastings at Louis Jadot, Domaine Faiveley, Pascal Marchand, and many others in Burgundy and left with so much appreciation and respect.) We felt welcomed in Burgundy but at Ata Rangi, we felt like we were intruding.

My advice - if you enjoy Ata Rangi wines, please keep drinking them. Dont bother visiting. If you do visit, then be prepared to be disappointed.

Ata Rangi - why bother? If you are going to be so stingy with your pour and stingy with your time, then consider charging for visits (like Domaine Anne Gros) or not open to public* ( like DRC). I am sure people would not mind paying for...

Ata Rangi, a must visit in Martinborough. We were here just a few days ago for the 2pm tasting experience. You need to book ahead, they have either a 11am or 2pm tasting session at the moment. It was fabulous!! On arrival, lovely Karen came out to us and met us as she saw us pull up, that in itself, may not be an always things, but was a lovely, lovely way to be greeted at vineyard. We were then taken into a beautifully designed and decorated tasting room and sat down, until the other guests at that session arrived. Just five of us including Karen, and it was lovely. Karen was so knowledgeable, informative and easy to talk to and ask questions. The setting of Ata Rangi and the buildings etc are beautiful, fashionable and grand, but this is by no means a pretentious experience where one could feel uncomfortable, not at all. They are about family values and great wine! The tasting experience lasted about an hour, no charge, and at the end Karen asks you we wanted to make a purchase, no pressure though, not at all. We purchased a beautiful bottle of Célèbre that we finished in one sitting. Karen and all the team, who had contact with, including Julia were a pleasure to deal with. We also met Vanessa, one of the family members who took the time to speak to us and made us feel even more welcome. Highly...

A highlight of any Self Drive Tour to Martinborough is a visit to Ata Rangi Wines. Make sure you call them early in the week to book a tasting on the weekend. The curated tastings are available at 11am and 2pm. There were some outstanding wines here, the best in their class being their 2021 Pōtiki Chardonnay 98 pts A benchmark wine that perfectly captures place and season. 2022 Late Harvest White Blend 98 pts A stellar example of how winemakers adapt to different seasons, making the very best of botrytis in the Lismore Block. A very deft touch. Perfect palate, length and acidity. 2021 Crimson Pinot Noir 97 pts A crowd favourite and a personal favourite of mine, that pairs perfectly with Venison. These wines are not served with food during the curated tasting, but any Sommelier worth their salt will agree - that is where these wines excel. Thank you to Clive and the team at Ata...