Wineries to visit in NZ Nelson and Marlborough "Ian Hoare" wrote ............ Always glad to oblige ! Firstly, I must confess to being curious as to where you are visiting before you get to the northern part of the South Island, like your arrival point into NZ - as you must arrive into a major NZ port of entry, it does make a difference as to how you intend travelling to Marlborough. Perhaps a little lesson in geography may buttist. Marlborough is centred around the town of Blenheim; which, although it has a small airport, is relatively isolated. It involves either a quite splendid ferry trip from Wellington, or an equally spectacular coastal drive up from Christchurch. As Ian suggests, Blenheim has a whole gambit of accommodation. Take a look at: Nelson City is an hour or so to the west of Blenheim - driving is the only realistic option - the Nelson wineries are in fact a further 1-2 hour or so beyond the city. With these distances, you should regard each region separately, although of you only have three days I would tend to stay in Blenheim, and make a day trip over to Nelson (leave early - return late) - but if you have more time, definitely stay in Motueka; a small town close to wineries and beaches etc. As to the wineries, this is an excellent site: Neudorf and Seifried are the most notable - the former make no pretences - they are all about wine without the distractions of cafes etc. In saying that, many NZ wineries have cafe or even formal dining facilities - however, many smaller establishments start winding down after Easter, so phone first. Marlborough is a relatively compact area, very easy to drive around with 60-70 wineries within a close proximity to each other. Again many have eating facilities, and I would be remiss not to mention Hertzog Winery & Restaurant; a first clbutt establishment for fine dining. As Ian suggests, Cloudy Bay, simply because of it's iconic status is a must visit; Allan Scott Wines are right across the road. Villa Maria, although Auckland based have an excellent facility which I recommend; Seresin, Wairau River and Saint Clair. Remember, May is autumn downunder - expect cooler evening temperatures but daytime temps in that 18-20degrC range. -- st.helier 
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