Marlborough Wine Tours by Bike – A One Day Itinerary Full of Fun

Marlborough New Zealand is a wine lover’s paradise. The weather in Marlborough is perfect for wine: warm, dry, and beautiful. That also makes the area perfect for something else: winery tours. There are so many wineries in Marlborough it’ll make your head spin. The cellar doors, or tasting rooms, for all of the wineries in the area are also all located in a relatively small area, making it great for wine tasting tours. In our opinion, the best way to do a Marlborough wine tour is on a bike. When you bike, there are a ton of benefits that you get, which you don’t get while driving from winery to winery:

• You can sip wines without worrying about driving
• Explore the wineries at your own pace
• Experience the natural beauty of Marlborough
• You have the option of doing a fun tandem bike!
• All wines you bought can be picked up at the bike rental place
• Great photo opportunities

There are a few different bike rental options in Marlborough, and in our opinion the best is Wine Tours By Bike. Steve and Jo, who run the company, are fantastic. They will pick you up at your hotel or campsite, and drop you off at the end of the day. That way, you won’t have to worry about operating your car or truck before, during, or after your wine tour.

First Stop – Wine Tours By Bike with Steve and Jo

Steve and Jo are great because they outline the whole Marlborough area extremely well. In addition to the bike and helmet you’ll be provided, you’ll get a full map of the area in addition to a great welcome presentation upon arrival.

After your welcome to the area and a rundown of the bicycle you’ll be riding, then you are free to design your entire day! We recommend first biking to Sugar Loaf Wines.

Pro Tip: Do NOT Save Your Longest Ride for the End of the Day!

Winery 1 – Sugar Loaf Wines

Sugar Loaf Wines will be a great first winery to stop at on your Marlborough Wine Tour. This winery has lovely wines, a beautiful tasting room, and friendly staff pouring your tasting.

Tasting Cost: $0

Stop at Sugar Loaf Wines for a great first tasting. Enjoy the wine, stay for 10 minutes or so, and then get back on your bike and head to winery number 2.

Winery 2 – Whitehaven

Stop number 2 on your Marlborough bike wine tour is Whitehaven Wines. This is a wonderful winery that has a few delicious Sauvignon Blancs and a few excellent Pinots as well.

Tasting Cost: $5 (free with purchase)

The cost is $5 here, but go ahead and buy a nice bottle of wine and the tasting will be free. Whitehaven has a large, beautiful tasting room, and an excellent staff that knows pretty much everything there is to know about the wine they’re pouring. Once you’ve had your fill from Whitehaven, hop back on that bike and head to the next stop.

Winery 3 – No. 1 Family Estate

No. 1 Family Estate is stop number 3 on this bike wine tour of Marlborough. This stop is our one and only stop that specializes in bubbles, and oh my GOODNESS do they do it well.

Tasting Cost: $0

Bubbles are basically champagne. They aren’t allowed to call it champagne, because it wasn’t made in Champagne, France, however it is the exact same thing. The champagne served at No. 1 Family Estate is beyond delicious.

The growers and producers at No. 1 Family Estate truly know what they’re doing. They’ll walk you through the entire champagne-making process, in addition to pouring some excellent free tastings while you visit the cellar door.

Winery 4 – Wairau River Wines

Wairau River Wines is the perfect lunch stop during your bike wine tour through Marlborough. This tasting room has a wonderful on-site restaurant that serves delicious food options. Take a long lunch at Wairau River Wines and you’ll have a wonderful time. Of course, they have excellent wine pairings with the food as well.

Tasting Cost: $5 (free with purchase)

If you’d rather pack along a lunch or have plans to eat somewhere else, you can still stop by Wairau River wines for an excellent tasting. Learn the history of this wonderful winery while tasting some delicious wines. If you buy anything, whether lunch or a bottle of wine, then your tasting will be absolutely free!

Winery 5 – Forrest Estate

Stop number 5 on your Marlborough wine tour by bike is the Forrest Estate Wines. This winery also has an excellent on-site restaurant, so if you are looking for a yummy snack this might be your place.

Tasting Cost: $0

The tasting here at Forrest Estate is delicious. The staff was super funny, telling jokes that had us laughing our butts off. Admittedly, we may have been especially prone to laughter due to this being our 5th winery of the day.

Another option you’ll have at Forrest Estate is to taste some of the local beer brews. if you want a change of pace, ask for a beer tasting rather than wine. Once you have had your fill, head to winery number 6, our last of the day.

Winery 6 – Te Whare Ra

The final winery on this bike wine tour of Marlborough is Te Whare Ra. This cute, quaint winery is the furthest south you’ll go in Marlborough, and is an excellent opportunity to see a vineyard from above.

The Te Whare Ra tasting room is locate on the second story of their cellar, which gives you the opportunity to look down on the vineyard. You’ll be able to gaze out at the fields of grape vines that grew the grapes that produced the very wine you are about to taste!

Tasting Cost: $0

Take your time at Te Whare Ra, as this will be the final winery on your wine tour of Marlborough. Enjoy the wine, enjoy the company, and enjoy the experience. When you’re ready, time to head back to Steve and Jo’s Wine Tours By Bike. You can pick up any wine you bought throughout the day, and catch your ride back to your hotel!

If you want to watch this very bike wine tour, check out the video below. This shows our bike tour to all 6 wineries we told you about above.

We sincerely hope you enjoyed this article on an itinerary for a bike wine tour through Marlborough, New Zealand. You will have the time of your life exploring all of the beautiful, delicious wineries Marlborough has to offer.

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