Things to do in Gibbston Valley

Gibbston Valley sits 25 minutes east of Queenstown along the Kawarau Gorge, and it is the highest and most southerly pinot noir wine region on the planet. A dozen-plus cellar doors line State Highway 6, from small family plots to Gibbston Valley Winery, home to a cave carved into the rock and matured with several thousand bottles at a constant temperature.

Tastings typically run NZD 10 to 25, often credited back against a bottle bought on site. Driving and tasting do not mix on these winding roads, so most visitors either pedal the Gibbston River Trail between cellar doors or book a tour with a driver.

The valley also marks the gateway to Bannockburn and Cromwell, another 35 to 40 minutes further on, where the pinot country continues on drier, more exposed terraces.