The Original Marlborough Wine Tours — Local services in South Island

We did a full day tour during Easter. The day consisted of a 3 wine tastings prior to lunch with a 10 min stop a the chocolate factory in between, a wine tasting during lunch and two wine tastings after lunch. A total of 6 wineries with at least 5 wines to taste at each. The tour was relaxing in a sense that we didn't need to drive or figure out directions, muscle our way through a large Easter crowd of people and were immediately accommodated upon arrival. However I never felt like I could calmly take in the moment and just enjoy the wine. The whole day felt very rushed. Everyone was ready for lunch after the second winery and the place we went to for lunch only served light meals, eventhough very delicious, however since we didn't have time for starter before the main, the meals weren't sufficient in size for wine tasting stomachs.

When it comes to wine I prefer quality over quantity. We decided to do this tour, rather than rent a car since that way both my partner and I could enjoy the wine without restrictions. I had researched and made a list of wineries I wanted to visit since the website states: "With our classic tours, we have no set wineries that we visit, as our guides decide on the day.  We do like to try and accommodate all winery requests when possible." I was therefore very disappointed to discover this was not at all the case. The wineries had already been set in advance. Given the crowds at some places, this is understandable, however this statement makes me feel deceived about the product they offer.

All in all I think this is a good tour for people who aren't too fussy about the particular wineries that are visited and want to fit as many into their tour as possible. Our driver was fantastic, highly knowledgeable about the wineries and the region and...

What an excellent experience! We were collected promptly as expected in a lovely van driven by the equally lovely Dean who whisked us away to Picton to meet the boat. He explained along the way what would happen for the day. We were to be taken on a tour of Queen Charlotte Sound and we would meet up with Dean back at the dock after the boat ride. Everything went exactly as he had said it would with the exception of the weather- which had decided we’d seen enough of the South Island’s beauty and were now being confined to wind and clouds. It was an informative trip and we were collected by Dean when our boat arrived. We headed to a delightful cellar door where we had lunch and sampled various wines- followed by a glass of wine of our choice. We headed off to two more cellar doors after lunch and sampled more wine. The day was filled with very knowledgeable commentary from Dean and the cellar door employees. The genuine relationships between Dean and all of the cellar door employees was evident. You can’t strike up decent relationships like that if you’re not doing something right. By the time we were dropped back to our hotel, we were thoroughly satisfied with the day we had had. If you’re wondering whether this is a worthy use of your day while you’re in the Marlborough wine growing region, wonder no more. It’s fun, educational and well worth the money. I absolutely...

Had the pleasure of doing a wine tour during our port day in Picton with The Original Marlborough Wine Tours.

From the initial booking to the actual tour on the day the service from the team was exceptional. They were even kind enough to let us know we'd booked the wrong tour initially and made it easy to get the correct shore excursion that meant we'd made it back to the pick-up point with plenty of time to make our shuttle back to the cruise.

Gavin our guide was a breath of fresh air, extremely knowledgable and super accomodating (even allowed us to have a quick stop to pickup some fresh cherries on the way back to Picton).

The winery itinerary was great, with particular focus around some boutique and family run wineries. On the day we visited: Johannshof Cellars Hunters Wines Fromm Winery Allan Scott (lunch stop)

All in all it was a beautiful day exploring some of the Marlborough wine region! Would definitely recommend TOMWT to any thinking of indulging in a wine tour in the region. Thanks to all the team involved in ensuring we had a...