Wine country · WINE TOURS IN QUEENSTOWN
Good wine tours in Queenstown fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Spend 5.5 hours touring Gibbston, Bannockburn, and Cromwell with a local guide such as Ben, John, or Evie. Taste wines at four cellar doors, enjoy a shared platter lunch, see Lake Hayes and the Kawarau Gorge, and return to Queenstown by air-conditioned vehicle.
“Excellent day with very knowledgable guide Phil .. absolutely delicious lunch and great variety of wineries ..”
Spend about six hours visiting Gibbston Valley Winery, Kinross, Mt Rosa, and Ayrburn in a small luxury Mercedes van. Your guide, such as Do, Lee, Allegra, or Beth, handles the driving, tastings, timing, and local stories while you sample Central Otago wines.
“We enjoyed getting to taste all the different wines with some of the history behind the vineyards. Our tour guide driver Do was super friendly and made the trip really fun! We enjoyed her sing along on the way back to town. the only thing wRead more”
Spend four easy hours tasting wine and craft beer in Gibbston with an informative guide such as Do, Ash, Stuart, or Shanay. Visit the GT Tasting Room, Kinross Cellar Door, and Altitude Brewing, with shared antipasto platters at the final stop. Central Queenstown pickup and return are included.
“Shelley (driver) led an awesome tour and made it even better than it was. 3 great places to stop, great wine and craft beer, and an amazing host of a driver who ensured we all had a ball.”
Start at The Station in Queenstown and follow a one-way route through Arrowtown and Gibbston Valley. Buses run about every 45 minutes, with wine, beer, food, gin, scenery, and adventure stops. Drivers such as George, Keri, Peter, and Liana provide useful local advice.
“A fantastic way to see Arrow Town, Ayrburn and as many wineries, gin bars, breweries at your own pace. You can spend the min time at a destination or wait , have lunch and some drinks and get picked up on the second time slot and carry oRead more”
Spend 5.5 hours touring Gibbston wineries from central Queenstown. Your English-speaking guide, often T, Ed, Angus, or Andrew, leads hosted tastings at three wineries, with a main course and matching wine at lunch. Expect boutique cellar doors, generous pours, local stories, and a relaxed small-group feel.
“An excellent experience with a knowledgeable tour guide (T) who had a wicked sense of humour. T looked after the group with apparent ease and good commentary. I enjoyed the variety of wines at three different wineries and the lunch at Kinross was delicious. We were lucky to be blessed with a great group of people. I can highly recommend this tour. A must do in Queenstown.”
Ride from Queenstown into the Gibbston Valley on a standard or electric bike, following the Arrow and Kawarau rivers to wineries, a cheesery, tavern, and the Kawarau Bridge bungy site. Around The Basin supplies the bike, helmet, map, safety briefing, and scheduled shuttle back to town.
“Really nice trip to do for a day out of Queenstown. Fun and varied trail to cycle, stunning scenery and some really open doors available on the tour with tasty wine and food Would highly recommend”
Spend a full day linking Queenstown, Arrowtown, and Gibbston Valley by scheduled bus. Choose from wineries, breweries, taverns, food stops, and activities, with local drivers such as George and Harry offering route advice. Tastings, meals, and attraction fees cost extra, so plan bookings and timing carefully.
“As once we worked it the itinerary (no where near as complicated as I thought!), the day went really smoothly - all wineries were welcoming and Arrowtown is just a gorgeous village to wander around (great spot for lunch if you haven’t made other bookings). Pick ups were on time and the drivers were very knowledgeable and helpful”
Spend six hours tasting Central Otago wines at Gibbston Valley, Kinross, Mt Rosa, and The Church Tasting Room. Your English-speaking guide handles the driving in a Mercedes van, with Wi-Fi and Spotify on board. Lunch at Kinross is optional and paid separately.
“It was my partners and I first wine tour and we absolutely loved it. We enjoyed Kinross, cellar doors the best and thought the Frenchman was great. Really enjoyed Trish at Mt Rosa but not the wine as much and lastly loved trying 2019 Devil Staircase from Rockburn. We both have a new appreciation for white wine, particularly Pinot Gris and Riesling.”
Join local guides such as Claire, Rob, Andrew, or Angus for a six-hour Wine Hopper from Queenstown. Choose cellar doors, wine caves, cheese, lunch, craft beer, or Arrowtown stops, then let the driver handle the road and pickup timing.
“Andrew our guide was absolutely amazing with his knowledge of each of our chosen vineyards. He accommodated the 4 of us on his tour going to each chosen vineyard. Flexible with pick ups /drop offs too”
Travel from Queenstown through Gibbston, Cromwell and Bannockburn, visiting four premium vineyard experiences, Australasia’s largest wine cave, and historic Arrowtown. Your English-speaking guide handles the driving, tastings and five-dish wine-paired lunch, with guides such as John, Lindsay, Paul and Muza leading recent tours.
“A very fun, relaxed tour. Sampled great wines at very nice wineries, and lunch was fantastic. Our guide, Alan, was very knowledgeable and friendly, and travelling in a small great gave a great vibe.”
Ride from Queenstown with an English-speaking guide to three Gibbston wineries, including Gibbston Valley, Kinross, or Mount Rosa. Expect generous Pinot Noir tastings, local wine stories, scenic cellar doors, and an optional winery lunch. Guides such as T, Claire, Andrew, Angus, and Ed have led recent tours.
“tastings were plentiful and a great selection. Our tour guid Mr T was fantastic and keot us well informed abd entertained. No improvements that I can think of.”
Join Altitude Tours for a 4.5-hour small-group trip from central Queenstown. Ride in a premium Mercedes van, explore Arrowtown, watch bungy jumpers, taste Gibbston wines with cheese, and finish with a 30-minute Lake Whakatipu cruise.
“Graham our tour guide was great, friendly and engaging , he drove the van very well and took us to some great areas, with fantastic views of the mountains, lake And Queenstown . It was a great tour , we saw more than I excepted. The cheese board with wine tasting at Bald Hill Winery was a real treat. To top it off the water taxi ride back to Queenstown gave us even more spectacular views ! This is a great tour that you can just sit back and enjoy the sights without any stress of driving yourself around and is quick and easy!!”
Spend 5.5 to 6.5 hours with an English-speaking wine guide, visiting four boutique vineyards near Queenstown. Taste Pinot Noir and other Central Otago wines, eat a local-produce platter at Carrick Winery, and hear stories about the region. Select an option with a jet boat ride or nine holes of golf.
“Excellent lunch, wine and very friendly informative driver and guide”
Ride a premium pedal-assist e-bike from Arrowtown along the Arrow and Kawarau rivers, visit historic Kawarau Bridge, then taste Central Otago wines at Brennan Wines and Mt Rosa Wines. Small groups, guides such as Ksena and Tom, an artisan platter, hotel-area pickup, and free photos are included.
“It was a great day. E-bike equipment was good, and Ksena was a terrific guide with good knowledge of the landscape, wine and a very nice easy going style. We could as a family all participatee. Great day thanks from Denmark 😀”
Set out from central Queenstown in a premium Mercedes van for three tastings across Gibbston. Choose wine or craft beer, visit two cellar doors and a brewery, enjoy antipasto at the final stop, and hear local stories from guides such as Ash, Alina, or Kevin.
“Had a blast, the guide was awesome, highly recommend!”
Cellar doors, tasting rooms and the long lunches in between.
