If I had to drink the wine of one region for the rest of my life, it would be Hawke's Bay. Mouthfilling, richly flavoured, and rounded, Hawke's Bay wines have great drinkability.

Rich history

	Visitors enjoy the superb wine and spectacular views of Hawke’s Bay at the Lombardi Vineyard.
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Te Mata Estate planted its first vines in 1892, after the owner's interest in wine was sparked by a French guest. The old brick stables, erected in 1872 and later converted into a winery, are still used today for cask storage.

Oldest vineyard

Mission Vineyards is New Zealand 's oldest surviving wine producer. More than 150 years ago, French missionaries of the Catholic Society of Mary planted their first grapes in Hawke's Bay, to make sacramental and table wine. Excellent wine still flows there and each year the Mission is also the venue of a popular international concert.

Just along the road, the Church Road Winery (belonging to Montana) houses New Zealand's best wine museum.

A power-packed drop

Harvest Hawke's Bay is in February each year.
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Few would disagree that Hawke's Bay makes New Zealand 's best merlot-based reds. You can buy some excellent reds here for $20. The other exciting red wine is syrah – dark, robust and spicy.

Vineyard dining

A dramatic newcomer in Hawke's Bay is Craggy Range, at the foot of Te Mata Peak - a $40 million investment, with stunning wines and a French country-style restaurant, Terroir, which was voted one of the world's 75 hot new restaurants by Conde Nast magazine. Sileni Estate is also worth a visit with two restaurants, a gourmet food store and a cooking school.

On your bike

It's easy to get around the flat terrain of the wine country, and two popular cycling tours - On Year Bike and Bike About - wend their way through the vineyards, olive groves, ostrich farms and orchards.

There are many wine festivals and vineyard events here each year - Hawke's Bay Harvest, the Napier Wine and Food Safari, and a wonderful charity wine auction, which offers a unique range of Hawke's Bay wines that are not commercially available.