Blenheim and the Marlborough wine region, Picton

Marlborough's wineries are concentrated around Blenheim and Renwick in the Wairau Valley. Several Picton-based operators run guided wine tours from town, and InterCity coaches reach Blenheim in about 30 minutes.

Day trip
Rainy-day option
Food & wine

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At a glance

Distance: About 27–28 km south on State Highway 1; well under half an hour by car; about 30 minutes by InterCity coach
Cost: Tour prices vary — see operators
Getting there: Car, coach, the seasonal Coastal Pacific train, or a guided tour with pick-up in Picton
Scale: Nearly 31,000 hectares of vines, around two-thirds of New Zealand's planted area (New Zealand Winegrowers)

Grape vines near Blenheim with dry Marlborough hills and a blue sky behind them. AnnWoolliams / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

About Blenheim and the Marlborough wine region

Marlborough is New Zealand's largest wine region by a wide margin — New Zealand Winegrowers puts it at nearly 31,000 hectares, about two-thirds of the country's vines — and its cellar doors sit on the flat Wairau Valley around Blenheim and Renwick, half an hour south of Picton.

Without a car, the practical way to do it is a guided tour that picks up in Picton: Marlborough Wine Tours, Sounds Connection, Marlborough Tour Company and Hop On Hop Off Wine Tours all run them (half- and full-day formats; see each operator's site for what is currently offered). Beachcomber Cruises combines a Sounds cruise with wine tasting in its “Ultimate Marlborough Day Out”. Guided tours also solve the drink-driving problem. A wine day is one of the better wet-weather options from Picton, since the tasting happens indoors.