Duncan Darroch
Founder. A trained winemaker, with a University of Auckland Postgraduate Diploma in Wine Science with Distinction, the 2007 vintage at Kumeu River and four years at Villa Maria, then a decade teaching science.
Home / Great Wine Capital Reserve
Hosted tour · 7 hours, 10:00 to 17:00
Great Wine Capital Reserve, a full day.
Three award-winning estates at the pace the region deserves, built around a two and a half hour set menu lunch at Craggy Range. Private and hosted, 10:00 to 17:00 New Zealand time.
The Great Wine Capital Reserve is a private hosted day in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, running seven hours from 10:00 to 17:00 New Zealand time and priced from $780 NZD per person for a party of seven and $1,150 NZD per person for two, GST included. It visits Church Road, Craggy Range and Smith & Sheth, and is built around a two and a half hour set menu lunch at Craggy Range Winery. It runs Tuesday to Saturday.
Hawke's Bay is one of only twelve Great Wine Capitals in the world, alongside Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Rioja and Verona. Every year the Great Wine Capitals network judges the region's wine tourism and names a winner in each category. This day visits three of those winners, and it is hosted by a fourth.
The Signature shows you three great estates. The Reserve gives you time to understand each one.
Guest price, per person
New Zealand dollars · GST included · minimum 2 guests
2 guests$1,150
3 guests$880
4 guests$880
5 guests$820
6 guests$820
7 guests$780
Includes the Icon Tasting at Church Road, the Craggy Range Wine Experience, the set menu lunch at Craggy Range and the Smith & Sheth Lieux-Dits flight. Beverages and wine pairing with lunch are not included. Infants aged 0 to 4 travel free. Children aged 5 to 12 receive 50 percent off the per-person rate.
Best Of Wine Tourism
Every stop on this day is an award winner.
The Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism awards are judged across the twelve Great Wine Capitals of the world. These are the Hawke's Bay winners you spend the day with.
- Church Road. Winner of the Global Best Of Wine Tourism Award 2026, one of eleven winners worldwide and the only New Zealand winner that year. Hawke's Bay winner, Wine Tourism Services, 2026.
- Craggy Range. Hawke's Bay winner, Architecture and Landscape, 2025 and again in 2026 for the Giants Winery. Culinary Experiences, 2025 and 2027. Global winner for Hawke's Bay in 2025.
- Smith & Sheth. Hawke's Bay winner, Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences, three years running in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Wine Tourism Services, 2025.
- Your hosts. Winner, Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices, 2026 and 2027. The 2026 award was made to our sister brand Hawke's Bay Experiences and the 2027 award to Electric Executive.
The day, hour by hour
- 10:00Pickup from your accommodation
- 10:30Church Road, Taradale. The Icon Tasting
- 11:45Depart for Havelock North
- 12:00Craggy Range. The Craggy Range Wine Experience
- 13:00Signature Table set menu lunch at Craggy Range, two and a half hours
- 15:45Smith & Sheth, the Lieux-Dits flight with a cheese platter, Oenotheque at the Village Exchange
- 17:00Return to your accommodation
All times are New Zealand time. The Reserve runs Tuesday to Saturday, because the Oenotheque is closed on Sunday and Monday. Craggy Range runs its tastings to fixed session times, so your 12:00 appointment is booked rather than requested. Where an estate is closed on your date we substitute Mission Estate for Church Road, Black Barn Bistro for lunch at Craggy Range, and Te Mata Estate for Smith & Sheth. We tell you before the day, never on it.
What the day includes
- The Icon Tasting at Church Road
- The Craggy Range Wine Experience, five current release Estate wines and one Prestige wine
- Signature Table set menu lunch at Craggy Range Winery, two and a half hours, booked on your behalf
- The Smith & Sheth Lieux-Dits flight, five single-vineyard wines, with a cheese platter
- All winery and restaurant bookings arranged for you
- Private vehicle and local host for the full seven hours
- Pickup and return to your accommodation in Napier, Hastings, Havelock North or Cape Kidnappers
The Reserve is sold as a complete day and its inclusions are fixed. For a bespoke itinerary, see private hire.
The tastings
What you actually drink, and why.
Church Road, Taradale. The Icon Tasting
Church Road has made wine in Taradale since 1897 and holds the Global Best Of Wine Tourism Award for 2026, one of eleven winners across the whole Great Wine Capitals network. Beneath the winery run the underground cellars and a wine museum.
The Icon Tasting pours the current release TOM wines alongside cellar-aged TOM vintages chosen by the Church Road team. TOM is named for Tom McDonald, who made the first serious Cabernet Sauvignon in New Zealand here in 1949, and the range is made only in years good enough to carry the name. Tasting a current release beside an aged bottle of the same wine is the clearest way to understand what Hawke's Bay reds do with time.
On the day you may prefer the Flavour of Place tasting instead, a wider range across the Church Road 1 collection of single-vineyard wines made with minimal intervention. Tell your host on arrival. There is no change to your price either way.
Craggy Range. The Wine Experience
Craggy Range sits directly beneath the Te Mata Peak escarpment, in what is widely held to be the most beautiful winery setting in New Zealand. The estate has won Architecture and Landscape twice and Culinary Experiences twice, and took the global award for Hawke's Bay in 2025.
The Wine Experience pours five current release Estate wines and one of the flagship Prestige wines. The fruit comes from two very different places: Gimblett Gravels, a stony former riverbed that ripens Bordeaux varieties and Syrah, and Te Muna Road in Martinborough for Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. One estate, two terroirs, poured side by side.
Craggy Range. The Signature Table
Lunch is a set menu at the Craggy Range restaurant, and we set aside two and a half hours for it. The kitchen runs an 800 square metre organic kitchen garden on the property and the menu marks which items were grown there. You are welcome to walk the garden before or after you eat.
This is the reason the day is seven hours rather than five. A lunch this good, in this setting, is not something to hurry.
Smith & Sheth. The Lieux-Dits flight
Smith & Sheth have won Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences three years running, in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The Oenotheque, whose name means wine library, sits in the courtyard behind Porters Boutique Hotel at the Village Exchange in Havelock North.
The Lieux-Dits flight pours five single-vineyard wines from three Hawke's Bay sub-regions: Omahu in the Gimblett Gravels, Fratelli in the Bridge Pa Triangle and Two Terraces at Mangatahi. Lieux-Dits translates as "named places". Tasting the three sub-regions beside one another is the clearest lesson in Hawke's Bay terroir we can give you in a single day, and it is the right note to finish on. A cheese platter is served with the flight.
"Your commitment to quality, flexibility, and delivering a seamless experience has not gone unnoticed... a testament to the care and professionalism that you and your team bring to every interaction."
Your host
A named host, not a driver.
Every tour runs with one host for the whole day. We tell you who it is when we confirm your booking.
Heather Clinton
Formerly of Zest Food Tours Wellington, Heather curates and hosts our Artisan Producers tours, leading with food, people and what makes Hawke's Bay tick.
Niki Willis
Decades of professional driving and wine tour hosting across Hawke's Bay wine country.
Philip Shambrook
A former Royal Air Force officer and community leader who hosts our Te Mata Peak excursions.
Louise Shambrook
A former Royal Air Force officer and business manager, Louise has called Hawke's Bay home for more than 20 years and loves sharing the lifestyle of the Bay.
Leo Olsen
Born in South Africa and a New Zealander for 20 years, Leo is a keen tennis player and former county cricketer who loves sharing the journey with every guest.
Ginny Williams
Originally from England and a Hawke's Bay local for more than 30 years, Ginny is a former tour guide and winery and distillery cellar door manager who loves sharing the region with guests from around the world.
Bronnie Coory
A foundation of Electric Executive and a former charity general manager, Bronnie brings warmth and meticulous organisation to every guest she welcomes aboard.
Trevor Morrison
Formerly Chief Pilot at Napier Port, Trevor brings calm precision and quiet professionalism to every journey.
When the day changes
What happens when a day goes sideways.
An itinerary is only a plan. A good day depends on what happens when that plan meets a delayed flight, a closed cellar door or a vehicle that cannot run. We plan for each of those before you arrive.
- A backup vehicle, always. We hold a backup vehicle on every operating day. If a vehicle cannot run, another one collects you.
- Your flight, monitored. We track your flight and start complimentary waiting from actual landing: 30 minutes for a domestic flight and 90 minutes for an international flight.
- A closed venue, replaced. If a venue on a published tour closes on your day, we substitute an equivalent award-winning estate: Black Barn for Craggy Range, Mission Estate for Church Road, and Te Mata Estate or Black Barn for Smith & Sheth, choosing one not already on your route.
- A person on the phone. Our duty number, +64 21 025 87832, answers by call or WhatsApp on the day.
- Vetted, trained hosts. Every host is Police vetted, passes driver safety testing and holds a comprehensive first aid certificate.
- Licensed and insured. Small Passenger Service Licence 0332519, $10 million NZD public liability cover, and Qualmark Silver.
Questions
Reserve questions, answered.
How much does the Great Wine Capital Reserve cost?
From $780 NZD per person for a party of seven, rising to $1,150 NZD per person for two guests. Per person, including GST: $1,150 for 2 guests, $880 for 3 to 4, $820 for 5 to 6 and $780 for 7. The Icon Tasting, the Craggy Range Wine Experience, the set menu lunch and the Lieux-Dits flight are all included.
What time does the Reserve run?
Seven hours, 10:00 to 17:00 New Zealand time. The Reserve runs to a set schedule because the lunch booking and the winery appointments are held for you. Craggy Range runs its tastings to fixed session times, so the 12:00 appointment is booked in advance.
Which days does the Reserve run?
Tuesday to Saturday. The Smith and Sheth Oenotheque is closed on Sunday and Monday, so the Reserve does not run on those days.
Is lunch included in the Reserve?
Yes. A two and a half hour Signature Table set menu lunch at Craggy Range Winery is included and booked on your behalf. Beverages and wine pairing with lunch are not included. If Craggy Range is unavailable we substitute Black Barn Bistro.
Which wineries does the Reserve visit?
Church Road in Taradale for the Icon Tasting, Craggy Range beneath Te Mata Peak for the Wine Experience and lunch, and Smith and Sheth for the Lieux-Dits flight in the Oenotheque at the Village Exchange. Where an estate is closed on your date we substitute Mission Estate for Church Road and Te Mata Estate for Smith and Sheth.
Are these wineries award winners?
Yes, all three. Church Road won the Global Best Of Wine Tourism Award in 2026, one of eleven winners worldwide and the only New Zealand winner. Craggy Range has won Architecture and Landscape in 2025 and 2026 and Culinary Experiences in 2025 and 2027. Smith and Sheth have won Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences three years running, in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Electric Executive holds the Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices award for 2026 and 2027.
What is the Icon Tasting at Church Road?
A tasting of the current release TOM wines alongside cellar-aged TOM vintages selected by the Church Road team. TOM is named for Tom McDonald, who made New Zealand's first serious Cabernet Sauvignon at Church Road in 1949, and the wines are made only in exceptional years. On the day you may prefer the wider Flavour of Place tasting instead, at no change to your price.
What is the difference between the Reserve and the Signature?
The Signature is five hours of tasting with light platters and no seated meal. The Reserve is seven hours, 10:00 to 17:00, built around a two and a half hour Signature Table set menu lunch at Craggy Range, with the Icon Tasting at Church Road and longer appointments throughout.
Can you collect us from Cape Kidnappers?
Yes. We collect from and return to accommodation anywhere in Napier, Hastings, Havelock North or Cape Kidnappers at no extra charge.
What is your cancellation policy for tours?
Cancellation is free more than 30 days before the tour date, 50 percent between 30 and 14 days, and 100 percent inside 14 days. Supplier costs already booked on your behalf, such as tastings and meals, cannot be refunded.
Enquire
We would be delighted to host your day.
Tell us your dates, your party size and where you are staying. We reply by email, usually within a few hours between 04:00 and 23:00 New Zealand time.