Plan Your Visit to Marlborough Wine Country
Marlborough wine country has no gate and no entry ticket. More than 30 cellar doors sit among the vines, most within a ten-minute drive of each other, and each one charges its own tasting fee or pours free. If you are pricing Marlborough Wine ticket prices, the fare you pay is the ticket, and what matters is what that fare pays for once you are at the cellar door.
Getting here
You arrive by ferry, by air or by road. The Interislander and Bluebridge ferries cross from Wellington to Picton in about three and a half hours. Marlborough Airport, Blenheim's airport, is a 30-minute flight from Wellington, and Wine Marlborough says three airlines fly direct. By road you are 1.5 hours from Nelson or four hours from Christchurch.
Picton sits 20 to 30 minutes north of Blenheim and the vineyards. Most tours start in Blenheim, so a ferry arrival shapes which tour you can join: one afternoon tour warns that the 12.15pm Interislander arrives too late for it. Timings, ferries and the road are set out in getting to Marlborough.
Where do the tours start?
Most van tours collect you from your accommodation in central Blenheim or Renwick, free. Marlborough Tour Company's days start at the Blenheim i-SITE, and the shore excursions meet at the Picton i-SITE, where the free cruise-ship shuttle stops. The bike days start from The Vines Village on Rapaura Road, in the Wairau Valley, with a pickup from town if you want one.
| Where you meet | What leaves from it | When |
|---|---|---|
| Your Blenheim or Renwick accommodation | Most van half-days and full days, and the free pickup on the Explore Marlborough bike days | By the slot you book; full days collect you from about 9.15 to 10am |
| Blenheim i-SITE, 8 Sinclair Street | Marlborough Tour Company's full day and its wine-and-seafood day | 9.15am |
| Your central Picton accommodation | Some half-days and full days; others charge a surcharge or do not come | Afternoon tours 12.30pm (12pm May to October); full days from 9.30am |
| Picton i-SITE, The Foreshore | The cruise-ship shore excursions, at the free ship shuttle's stop | Usually 9.30am, timed to your ship |
| The Vines Village, 193 Rapaura Road | The bike hire and the Explore Marlborough bike days | Bikes out from 9.30am, back by 4.30pm |
| 42 Alfred Street, Blenheim | Bike Hire Marlborough's town base | From 9.30am |
Where to stay so the pickup is free is set out in where to stay for a wine tour.
Who pays at the cellar door?
This is the question that splits the fares. On every van tour the fare pays the tasting fees, so you taste without reaching for your wallet. On the bike days it depends on the listing, and on one of them you pay at every stop.
| How you go | Tasting fees | Lunch |
|---|---|---|
| A van half-day | In the fare | No lunch stop on the afternoon tours, so eat first; some mornings stop at a winery restaurant, at your cost |
| A van full day | In the fare | A lunch stop at your own cost on most; in the fare on the Gourmet Gold day, the Marlborough Tour Company day and the wine-and-cruise day |
| A shore excursion from Picton | In the fare | Not in the fare |
| The private day | Standard fees in the fare | Not in the fare |
| The bike hire | Not in the fare: many cellar doors charge around NZ$10 | Yours to buy on the trail |
| The guided bike day | The three morning wineries only | Not stated |
| The self-guided bike day | Not stated, so budget for them | Not stated |
Wine Marlborough says a typical day takes in three to five cellar doors, each tasting around 40 to 60 minutes. It adds that every cellar door that charges for tasting has light food available, and that you should book ahead if you plan to eat lunch at one.
What does a Marlborough wine day cost?
A day on a bike costs a fraction of a day in a van, but on the bike you usually pay the tasting fees on top. The fares below are the operators' own, in US dollars, per person.
| How you go | Fare per person | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| By bike | $37 to $130 | A bike, a helmet and a cellar-door map; the tasting fees are mostly extra |
| A van half-day | $98 to $121 | Three or four wineries in about four hours, the tastings in the fare |
| A shore excursion | $150 to $173 | Four or five wineries from the Picton i-SITE, back before the ship sails |
| A van full day | $124 to $340 | Four to six wineries and a lunch stop; the top of the range puts lunch in the fare |
| Lunch in the fare | $185 to $340 | A full day with lunch paid, one of them with a Sounds cruise |
| A private day | $228 | Your group only, from your Blenheim accommodation |
Wine you buy is never in any fare. Wine Marlborough says many cellar doors sell wines found only in their tasting rooms and ship them within New Zealand and overseas; the self-guided bike day collects the bottles you buy along the trail.
Would you rather someone else drove?
Wine Marlborough's own advice is to arrange a tour or a designated driver. The van tours collect you in Blenheim or Picton and pay the tasting fees.
Driving yourself or cycling
You can visit the cellar doors on your own; no law says you need a tour. What the region asks is that whoever drives does not taste, and Wine Marlborough says so plainly: arrange a tour or a designated driver. The alternative is a bike. The trail from Rapaura Road is flat, over a dozen wineries sit within 3 km of the base, and e-bikes help when the afternoon wind picks up.
The bike days are compared in Marlborough bike wine tours, with who pays the tasting fees on each.
Ages, access and what to bring
- Age: the drinking age is 18, and several tours set 18 as their minimum. One asks for passport ID if you are 18 to 25, so carry it.
- Children: several van tours and one shore excursion are for adults only. The bike days rent kids' bikes and seats, and the private day has infant seats.
- Wheelchairs: no listing says it is wheelchair accessible. One Picton tour takes a collapsible wheelchair if someone can help you board, so ask before you book.
- Luggage: some tours take one small bag only and no suitcases.
- Bring: sunscreen, a hat and a warm layer; the valley is sunny and dry, and the wind can pick up later in the day.
In winter, Wine Marlborough says a number of tasting rooms close, though most still sell wine, and some tours move their pickups earlier. The seasons are compared in the best time to visit.
Cancelling
Every tour listed here refunds in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. If the operator cancels for weather or too few travellers, you are offered another date or a full refund. The wine-and-cruise day's cruise depends on the weather.
Frequently asked before you go
Do I need a ticket to visit Marlborough's wineries?
Are tasting fees included in a Marlborough wine tour price?
Is lunch included on Marlborough wine tours?
Do the tours pick up from my hotel?
Can I join a tour straight off the Wellington ferry?
Is there a minimum age?
Next: read the FAQs for the short answers, see what travellers said in the reviews, or compare every tour on Marlborough Wine Tours.