Aitken's Folly Vineyard — Local services in Otago

A really great place to stop in for a very friendly and personal wine tasting in the heart of Wanaka. We usually leave with a few bottles to enjoy at home.

This time we really liked the Blanc de Noirs - @$30 which we took a few of. That was our top pic and is a trending wine we see will take off with others no doubt. It’s cheaper to produce than the Pinot Noir and will appeal to those who enjoy a crisp champagne taste without the bubbles.

The Riesling was also enjoyable also $30. Great value, comparable to many other local Rieslings that cost around $45-50 a bottle and some we didn’t think were as enjoyable as this one. Great value for the Riesling enthusiast.

The Pinots were ok, They were offered two quite different styles in the 2018 and 2019 vintages - Pinots generally taste better with some age on them and these were ok but for that price $45-60 there are some younger offerings which probably suited our pallets better, however it comes down to personal preference and it’s fantastic to have these both available. Both Pinots were much smoother and enjoyable for example than the standard Pinot Rippon had on offer for their tasting, which had a distinct unpleasant funk to it that was too biodynamic for our liking but might appeal to some pallets.

Generally we found prices in Central Otago are all creeping up and the quality is varied, so tasting your way around makes sense to find what you personally like. Perhaps it’s a sub region or a producer - for example Maude is another local drop that gets mentioned a lot in Wanaka however we found Aitken’s Folley on a par. Grab a few of each from areas across the regions and line them up for fun like we did.

Overall - Aitkins Folly offers relaxed unpretentious tastings. It is a lovely stop for dog lovers in particular, with the much loved canines wandering in and out during the tastings to join the fun. It’s something very personal, a little different, right in the heart of...

Such a unique, homey, and cozy wine tasting experience! This isn't the place for you if you're looking for the stereotypical Instagramable white-cloth vineyard tasting room, BUT if you're looking for a unique, personal, rustic and homey tasting experience unlike any other, this IS for you!

The small tasting room is a simple room full of random chairs and artwork, directly attached to the owners house in the middle of the vineyard. We were greeted by the owners themselves and treated to samplings of exquisite wines, some I'd rarely seen on tasting menus and didn't see anywhere else in Wanaka. Not only that, but I don't normally enjoy Chardonnays but I LOVED the Chardonnay they gave us and the owners simply said that we likely just don't enjoy bad Chardonnays.

I'd highly recommend this simple mom and pop vineyard over larger ones! They don't ship wine very far and we walked away with 4 bottles to enjoy on the rest of our trip, it...

What a cracking little vineyard. A proper wine tasting, with wines that are well worth drinking. We finished up getting a couple of their 'mystery boxes', that cost us NZ$ 65 per box. If you don't buy anything, there's a box for a donation, which is to essentially pay for the winemaker's time. Their pride in their product just shines through, and is eminently justified. The wine is just sensational ... I don't even really like Pinot Noir, but the glass that I had here might convert me!!

In summary, this place is tremendous, and well worth visiting if you're anywhere close to Wanaka (or New Zealand). This (IMO) is an honest, well run business, and the type of enterprise that we should all be...