• Driver Guides

Meet the team!

We have an incredibly experienced, knowledgeable and friendly bunch of long-term local Driver Guides that know everything there is to know about wine and the Central Otago wine region! Be sure to ask them heaps of questions, they revel in sharing their facts, stories and information on history and the area with you.

Driver Guides

Gary Guide

Gary, originally from the UK, has spent the last 3 years in Queenstown and he has already decided that this is where he will retire. His knowledge of wine and spirits comes from a strong background in hospitality. Gary's passion for the region shines through on his tours, and his fun facts will ensure you learn something along the way!

PaulGuide

Paul, a proud New Zealander has been guiding with us for over 10 years. His "everything wine" knowledge is absolutely second to none, his local history knowledge admirable and guiding experience, extensive. Paul's greatest passion, along with wine and food, is gold-prospecting and no doubt our lucky clients would have been treated to some wonderful stories over the years.

MartinGuide

Martin has been wine guiding with us for over 7 years. Originally from Australia, he has a strong knowledge of Australian wines, however, New Zealand is well and truly his home now and his enthusiasm for Central Otago wines and the region would rival the most devout Queenstown local. Martin also has a strong background in creative design and is a talented photographer so brings a wonderful flair to the team.

RobertaGuide

Roberta, with her ability to "talk wine" fluently in English, Italian or Spanish, is an extremely valuable member of our team. Roberta is originally from Milan but has pursued her strong interest in wine over the past 4 years, ever since living on the doorstep to the southern-most wine region of the world. Roberta is available for Italian, Spanish or South American groups as a private wine guide also.

Add Ons

COMBOS

wine-tours

The Classic Wine Tour

Queenstown’s quintessential wine tour packed full of award-winning wines, stunning alpine scenery, fun facts and local stories, and guaranteed fun along the way! The Classic Wine Tour is a fun, informative and social afternoon, fully hosted by one of our friendly and passionate wine guides. Their…

Ziptrek

Ziptrek

Spend a morning among the trees and an afternoon among the vines with our fun Zip & Sip Tour combo! Choose from three Ziptrek Ecotour options and participate in this morning activity. The Ziptrek Eco tour finishes at the bottom of the Gondola 6 line Kea Tour, followed by an afternoon among the vines!

Skyline

Skyline

Queenstown Skyline Gondola Pass (anytime on your chosen date) and Classic Wine Tour running 1pm – 5pm. The Skyline Gondola is a Queenstown icon.  It’s the steepest cable car lift in the whole of the Southern Hemisphere and together with the Classic Wine Tour, a definite Must Do!

Ernslaw

TSS Earnslaw

One of Queenstown’s most iconic experiences across Lake Wakatipu showcases some of the region’s spectacular alpine scenery while offering plenty of time to explore a piece of living history. Today, the TSS Earnslaw is believed to be the oldest working coal-fired passenger steamship in the southern hemisphere. Guests can explore the decks from the engine room viewing platform to the Skipper’s wheelhouse. They can feel the heat of the giant steam engines at work and watch the stokers shovel coal into the glowing fireboxes.

Kjet jetboat and boutique wine tour Appellation Wine Tours Final

Jet Boat

Choose Millbrook or Arrowtown Golf Course and join the Classic Wine Tour.  Tour runs 8.30am to 5pm. Golfing on beautiful grounds in the morning and indulging in wine and cheeses in the afternoon; for many, there couldn’t be a better day out.

This combo includes 9 holes of golf at either the renowned Millbrook or Arrowtown Golf Course and allows time afterward for lunch (at own expense).   We will collect you froxm your accommodation at 8.30am and drop you off at your chosen golf course where your clubs, ball and cart will be waiting for you.

Appellation_Wine_Tours_Millbrook_Golf_Course2 (2250 x 1500)

Golf

Choose Millbrook or Arrowtown Golf Course and join the Classic Wine Tour.  Tour runs 10.30am to 5pm. Golfing on beautiful grounds in the morning and indulging in wine and cheeses in the afternoon; for many, there couldn’t be a better day out.

This combo includes 9 holes of golf at either the renowned Millbrook or Arrowtown Golf Course and allows time afterward for lunch (at own expense).   We will collect you from your accommodation at 10.30am and drop you off at Millbrook golf course where your clubs, ball and cart will be waiting for you.

There are literally hundreds of activities on offer in Queenstown.

To help you make the best use of your time and money we have devised an array of combo options ranging from soft activity through to iconic attractions. These quintessential Queenstown activities complement perfectly with our Classic Wine Tour and to help combine them logistically, we will collect you from their front step.

So, no need to go through the laborious process of organising and shopping around, let us do the hard work for you.

  • “We went on two tours over a few months, one with Martin & the other with Paul. What absolutely fantastic guides, both so extremely knowledgeable and pleasant to spend the day with. Was great to go to different vineyards on each tour and taste some extremely amazing wines, certainly makes you appreciate the talent that we have in NZ wine makers.”

    Greenstone2424 (Trip Advisor) - OCTOBER 2020

  • “Great day out, Logan is a knowledgeable guide makes sure everyone has a good time meeting and making new friends while enjoying wine and food. Neil’s share platters are delicious and Thomas’ wine passion extraordinary. Thoroughly recommend. John and Lisa from WA.”

    johnbK703MR (Trip Advisor) - OCTOBER 2020

  • "Awesome experience visiting 3 different vineyards within the Gibbston Valley. Not a wine drinker usually but think I have been converted. Highly recommend this company and driver Gary, he was knowledgeable and entertaining."

    Pheontour777 (Trip Advisor) - SEPTEMBER 2020

Say hi to Lola! Chard Farm's sculpture waves in al Say hi to Lola! Chard Farm's sculpture waves in all visitors to the winery, where you can enjoy an array of beautiful wines from Central Otago . . . #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays  #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz
Here we have a lovely honeymoon couple and best fr Here we have a lovely honeymoon couple and best friends enjoying the stunning surroundings at Kinross. Kinross are currently celebrating harvest with an assortment of events to celebrate end of events. See their website or Facebook for full details and get involved! . . . . . #kinross #wine #centralotago #winetours #kinrosscottages #queenstownnz #winetime #autumnvines #vines
How beautiful is this autumn carpet of yellow vine How beautiful is this autumn carpet of yellow vines?! We snapped this shot domainroadvineyard this morning. 😍 . . . #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz
Love this feedback on our Gourmet Food & Wine Tour Love this feedback on our Gourmet Food & Wine Tour. This tour has everything - award-winning wines, exquisite local cuisine and incredible scenery through the Kawarau gorge. Check it out on your next visit to Queenstown. 😄📸🍷.⁠ ⁠ #winetour #review #qtsights #sightseeing #queenstownsights #queenstown #scenery #queenstownnz
Autumn is really setting in now! Harvest is an inc Autumn is really setting in now! Harvest is an incredibly beautiful and exciting time of year for our wine region 🍁🍇 . . . #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz
Harvest is well underway in Bannockburn now! These Harvest is well underway in Bannockburn now! These beautiful pinot noir bunches are about to begin their transformation into delicious wine. 😍🍇🍷⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz
This beautiful view can be found at the Te Kano ce This beautiful view can be found at the Te Kano cellar door in Bannockburn, we really loved their Blanc de Noir!⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz
This breathtaking back drop is brought to you by B This breathtaking back drop is brought to you by Bannockburn and Lake Dunstan. A different wine sub-region to Gibbston, the grapes grown here provide different characteristic to the wine, and you'll get to taste the difference on our tours. ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ⁠ #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz
What are your weekend plans? Ours definitely invol What are your weekend plans? Ours definitely involves wine! 😍🍷⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ⁠ #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz
Celebrating, wine tasting and learning- a fantasti Celebrating, wine tasting and learning- a fantastic combo! We cover a lot of bases here at Appellation Wine Tours, come and join the fun!⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ⁠ #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz
We know the perfect spots for you to sit back and We know the perfect spots for you to sit back and relax as you enjoy the region's delicious wines.⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ ⁠ #appellationwinetours #nzwine #supportlocal #winelover #winetasting #winetime #backyourbackyard #southislandnewzealand #travelnz #discovernewzealand #purenz #newzealandfinds #nzmustdo #discovernz #bannockburn #gibbstonvalley #newzealandtravel #otago #Queenstown #dailywine #queenstownholidays #centralotago #winetour #discoverNZ #lovenzpinot #queenstownwinetours #queenstownwinerytours #southislandnz #purenz #stoneridgecellardoor
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