Nelson Vineyards

Nelson Vinyards - Gravity Cellars

Nelson, situated at the top of the South Island, west of Marlborough is home to 3 national parks, along with settled sunny weather and golden sandy beaches make it a very attractive visitor destination.

Nelson also has many small, family-owned wineries. Vineyards are planted on the rolling Moutere Hills, and Tasman Coastal region, west of Nelson City and in the Waimea Plains to the south of the city.

Rosie Finn with her son Toby

While Sauvignon Blanc is the most planted grape, Nelson’s wine reputation has, to a great extent, been forged by the fine wines of Judy and Tim Finn from Neudorf Vineyards with estate now in the hands of daughter Rosie Finn, and the innovative aromatic wines of Agnes and Hermann Seifried with management passing to their three children, Heidi, Chris, now head winemaker, and Anna, who is responsible for marketing.

Mendoza Chardonnay Clone at Neudorf

Abel Wines

In a recent visit to Nelson, I enjoyed catching up with Rosie Finn and Anna Seifried as well as Mark McGill of Abel Wines, the specialist chardonnay vineyard, located in the Moutere Hills. Mark and Sophie McGill, daughter of highly regarded Dog Point and Cloudy Bay winemaker, the late James Healy, also make two innovative sparkling wine from Nelson apples.

View from Mapua Wharf

Patrick Stowe of Rimu Grove Wines

Staying overnight in the coastal town of Mapua, the Rimu Grove Winebar owned by Patrick Stowe, winemaker and sommelier, offer a large range of Nelson wines on their extensive wine list.

Winemaker Trudy Sheild of Sheild Wines joined us for a glass of her local Albarino, inspired by the wines of Galicia, Spain.

In 2025, Nelson has around 1060 hectares under vine which equates at around 2% of New Zealand’s total vineyard area. Nelson’s 613 hectares of Sauvignon Blanc are approximately 60% of Nelson vineyards plantings however it is arguably chardonnay that excels in the region. Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewurztraminer are also popular grapes.

Gravity Cellars

Wineries with extensive food options included Gravity Cellars with its dramatic views of Tasman Bay now owned by the Booster Group, the kiwisaver fund who purchased Waimea Estate, along with Sileni in Hawke’s Bay and Louis Vavasour in Marlborough. They have a Cuisine Hat and offer elegant local cuisine. Here you can taste all the wines from the Booster with the exception of Sileni.

Moutere Hills Winery

Moutere Hills Vineyard and Restaurant offers great dining and cellar door tastes with a wide range of grape varieties including Syrah, Chenin Blanc and Gewurztraminer.