Wineries & Cellar Doors
You're staying at the Central Otago’s Sunniest Wine Sub-Region
Located right in the Alexandra Basin, Mad Hacienda gives you immediate access to small-scale, local wineries. Explore boutique tasting rooms down the road or take a day trip to the larger vineyards in Bannockburn and Cromwell.
ALEXANDRA BASIN WINERIES · CENTRAL OTAGO CELLAR DOORS · PINOT NOIR COUNTRY SINCE 1864
ALEXANDRA BASIN WINERIES · CENTRAL OTAGO CELLAR DOORS · PINOT NOIR COUNTRY SINCE 1864
ALEXANDRA BASIN WINERIES · CENTRAL OTAGO CELLAR DOORS · PINOT NOIR COUNTRY SINCE 1864
ALEXANDRA BASIN WINERIES · CENTRAL OTAGO CELLAR DOORS · PINOT NOIR COUNTRY SINCE 1864
A Frenchman planted the first vines in 1864
Jean Désiré Féraud staked his claim at Monte Christo, right here in the Alexandra Basin, more than a century before the rest of the region caught on.
Modern Central Otago wine took off in the 1980s, but the ground around Alexandra had already proven itself. The daily swing between hot days and cold nights, right up to harvest, is what gives the region's Pinot Noir its structure and lift.
Monte Christo Winery has since opened its own cellar door on the original site. It is a genuinely rare thing to taste, wine made where the region's whole story began.
Quick Visits & Local Tastings
Smaller vineyards, more personal tastings. Several of these sit close enough to visit without planning your whole day around it.
Judge Rock Pinot Wines
HILLVIEW ROAD, ALEXANDRA
Multi-award-winning Pinot Noir with a terrace overlooking the vineyard. A strong first stop for anyone new to the region.
Hinton Estate Vineyard
CHICAGO STREET, ALEXANDRA
Right on the Otago Central Rail Trail. Relaxed tastings and fresh seasonal fruit if you're arriving on two wheels.
Monte Christo Winery
ALEXANDRA BASIN
Multi-award-winning Pinot Noir with a terrace overlooking the vineyard. A strong first stop for anyone new to the region.
Dunstan Road Wines
DUNSTAN ROAD, ALEXANDRA
Another easy stop straight off the rail trail, without a detour needed to reach it.
Grey Ridge
LETTS GULLY ROAD, ALEXANDRA
A boutique, owner-hosted cellar door with platters and views, and rarely crowded.
Three Miners & Como Villa
EARNSCLEUGH VALLEY
Two more Alexandra Basin cellar doors carrying the region's gold rush history into their wine.
More sub-regions, perfect for a long lunch
Central Otago has more than fifty cellar doors across four sub-regions. If you want to range further than Alexandra, here's where to point the car.
01
BANNOCKBURN
The hottest, driest sites in the region
Smaller vineyards on dry, well-draining soil, with a high share of organic and biodynamic growers.
NOTABLE WINERIES
Mt Difficulty, Carrick, Terra Sancta, Akarua
02
CROMWELL BASIN
Several cellar doors, one short walk
Vineyards on the terraces below the Pisa Range, many close enough to visit on foot from each other.
NOTABLE WINERIES
Quartz Reef, Wooing Tree, Misha's Vineyard
03
BENDIGO
The region's biggest, boldest Pinot
North-facing slopes and the largest plantings in Central Otago, producing full-bodied, high-tannin wine.
NOTABLE WINERIES
The Cloudy Bay Shed, Maori Point
Three ways to do it properly
A wine day only works if nobody must drive back sober and disappointed.
01
Ride there
Hinton Estate and Dunstan Road Wines sit directly on the Otago Central Rail Trail, an easy stop between kilometres rather than a detour.
02
Book a tour
Local operators including Roaring Wine Tours and Cromwell-based Classic Car Wine Tours will do the driving and the planning for you.
03
Ask before you go
Many Alexandra Basin cellar doors run by appointment. A quick call ahead saves a wasted trip to a locked door.
Taste Local, Stay at Mad Hacienda
Explore Central Otago's best vineyards at Mad Hacienda. Soak in the spa pool, warm up in the sauna, and stay put for the rest of the evening.
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