The Wine Diva in Wairarapa
Following her trip to New Zealand, Canadian journalist and wine blogger Daenna Van Mulligen has written an in-depth article on Wairarapa. It's a great insight into the region, the wine, and some of the charismatic personalities from the New Zealand wine industry...
"Is it always this bumpy?"
The man across the aisle from me asked a very pregnant flight attendant.
The flight attendant was sitting facing our front row seats as we began our descent.
"Pretty much," she responded smiling, "but this is nothing, this is about a 4.5 out of 10 for turbulence."
Just then, as the plane curved downward into a deeper descent toward Wellington the small aircraft began to toss in earnest.
"Okay, maybe a 6.5 out of 10," she laughed....
By this point I had been in windy New Zealand for two weeks. I had been in smaller planes and experienced bumpier flights so I was now somewhat used to it, and the capabilities of Air NZ pilots.
Wellington is located on the southern tip of the North Island of New Zealand - directly across the Cook Strait from Marlborough on the South Island. It's so close you can see it from the Marlborough coast. With a population less than 400,000, the capital of New Zealand is not the largest city in the country (Auckland is), nor is it the second largest (Christchurch is). But Wellington is a lovely, vibrant city with a fantastic food and arts culture. I was merely passing through though, on my way to Martinborough, the anchor of Wairarapa.
It is a beautiful drive from Wellington through the mountains to Martinborough, a village about an hour away from the capital. The proximity to Wellington is perfect for weekend getaways and day trips to Wairarapa wine country - the influence of tourism is noticeable by the number of restaurants located on and around Martinborough's main square.
I stayed in a lovely, quaint inn on the square called Pepper's Martinborough Hotel that was built in 1882 - its downstairs saloon-type bar was by far the busiest place in town.Martinborough was established in 1879 and was named after farmer and runholder (owner of a sheep or cattle station) John Martin. Martinborough has a population of less than 1500 people, it has no parking meters and no stop-lights, but plenty of great wine and some delicious food too!
Wairarapa - wine country
Wairarapa consists of three sub-regions - Martinborough, Gladstone and Masterton.
Martinborough is the most established and most widely recognized, but don't make the mistake of ignoring the other two sub-regions.
The entire region is defined by the western Tararua Range and the Ruamahunga River, which runs through all three regions, starting in the north in Masterton, through Gladstone and continuing past Martinborough...."
For the full article click here http://www.winescores.ca/newsletters/NZwairarapa.htm