A visit to New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay wineries should start with a visit to the The New Zealand Wine Centre. Wine enthusiasts will want to return to the Wine Centre for wine flights as every six months the wines in the flights change.
The New Zealand Wine Centre, with an extensive aroma room, provides a wine experience that is fun and benefits most wine enthusiasts. After a visit to the aroma room, visitors are guided to a special room with a video. Dependent upon which tasting is chosen a red or white wine flight is waiting in the subdued lighting of the theatre.
Wine Tasting Event and Wine of the Week
The first Wednesday evening of each month, the Wine Centre offers three or more free wine tastings beginning at 5pm. Wines available for tasting are discounted for purchasing. Those who join the Wednesday Night Wine Tasting Club receive information about special promotions and the wines to be tasted on the first Wednesday of the month.
For those who enjoy tasting a variety of wines, each week the Wine Centre features a “Wine of the Week.” Check back each week to learn more about wine from the Hawke’s Bay region.
The New Zealand Wine Centre's Museum Room
The Museum Room offers incite into the history of winemaking in New Zealand. Visitors to the Wine Centre will view photos, charts and artifacts including a wood labeling machine.
Wine Aroma Awareness Room
The next room to visit is the Wine Aroma Awareness Room across from the Museum Room. In the Aroma Room one has the opportunity to note the actual aromas of wines and check their skill with a self-checking option. Fifty-four different wine aromas are available. In addition, twelve aromas of faults are included in the aroma room.
Video Includes a Red or White Wine Flight
Visitors choose the red or white flight when ordering tickets. After spending time in the Aroma Awareness Room, visitors enter one of two small theatre settings. One theatre is for white wine flights and the other for red wine flights. The video begins with an air flight over Hawke’s Bay vineyards. A flight of red wines or white wines is set at each place. Each flight is with six wines accompanied with a small spittoon and water. Paper and pencil are supplied for wine tasting notes. The video moves from the general and picturesque aspects of the Hawke’s Bay wine regions and then features winemakers or owners who talk about the attributes of the wine being tasted in the wine flight.
Location in Napier, Hawke’s Bay
Located in Napier, the Wine Centre is a quick and easy walk from the Scenic Hotel Te Pania that faces Hawke’s Bay. Nearby shopping areas and restaurants offer a fun filled day.
Close to Hawke’s Bay, many wineries are available with tours daily. The New Zealand Wine Centre is located at 1 Shakespeare Road, Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
Kathleen Sullivan - Kathleen Sullivan is the co-owner and writer for Wine Trail Traveler, a winery and vineyard virtual visitor center. The Wine Trail ...
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