Kumeu Wine Country

Croatian immigrants from Dalmatia came to Northland in the late nineteenth century to dig kauri gum, and when that trade collapsed many moved south to the clay country around Kumeu and planted vines - which is why the surnames on the labels here are Brajkovich, Nobilo, Selaks, Babich and Soljan. Some of those families have been making wine on the same land for a century. The district's reputation now rests on chardonnay: Kumeu River in particular has had its chardonnays placed alongside white Burgundy in blind tastings, which is a rare thing for a New Zealand white outside Marlborough sauvignon. The climate is humid and the rainfall high compared with the classic southern regions, which makes it difficult country to grow in and partly explains the small scale. Cellar doors are close together and half an hour from central Auckland, so it works as an afternoon.

What you actually see

• The chardonnay - the district's serious claim, benchmarked internationally.
• The Dalmatian founders - family names on labels for a century.
• The scale - small producers close together, half an hour from the city.
• The difficult climate - humid, wet, and worked around rather than ideal.

When to go

November to April; harvest is late February into March. Cellar doors keep shorter hours midweek and in winter - check before driving out. Weekends are busy with Auckland visitors.

Honest expectations

Tastings are charged. Cellar-door hours vary and several open weekends only. There is no public transport worth using; it is a car district, so plan a driver.

Nearby

Muriwai Beach is west; Auckland is half an hour south-east.