On a scorching November afternoon we cruise along the Kawarau Gorge road just north of Queenstown. Here, rough, chocolaty hills career upwards on either side.

At Kawarau Bridge, the famed bungy launch pad, we bypass the buses and campervans and creep off down a gravel path to The Winehouse & Kitchen.

Cellar-door-cum-restaurant, The Winehouse & Kitchen is an immaculately restored 1913 homestead with an endearing past and a bright future. Rescued from its fate as a local fire brigade training exercise in 2003, the then-dilapidated Winehouse & Kitchen was moved to its current site and reinvented as a base for van Asch, Rock Ferry and Freefall wines. In the three years since it opened its newly painted doors, The Winehouse & Kitchen has also scoured out a name as a top eatery, complete with accolades from Cuisine Magazine.

We settle in for a food-matched tasting with Wine Manager Tim Morrison-Deaker.

‘Timbo’, as he’s known round here, looks like he’s been drinking red wine all night. The towering blonde, in dark moleskin trousers and a crumpled polo shirt with the collar up, appears somewhat gravelly around the edges and a little weary about the eyes.

“Excuse me if I’m a bit bleary-eyed today,” Timbo says, wine glass in hand. “I’ve been up since 1am when the frost alarms went off.”

Although the Central Otago sun is blazing this afternoon, last night saw a -3.5 degree frost envelop the local vines, rendering many useless.

But it is these extreme climatic conditions that have helped forge Central Otago’s international reputation as a leading pinot noir producer.  Pinot Noir now accounts for 85% of Central Otago’s vines, and the area has been dubbed one of the world’s top five pinot producers outside of Burgundy.

“Central Otago’s hot, dry days and long, cool nights during growing season suit the slow-ripening pinot noir,” says Ian Mill at nearby Gibbston Valley Winery.

And Ian should know: Gibbston Valley Wines has been awarded over 220 wine accolades (primarily for its pinot noir) in the past 10 years. The cellar door operation, located a short drive from The Winehouse & Kitchen along Gibbston Highway, is reputedly the most successful in the Southern Hemisphere, with 60% of what they produce sold right at the door. 

The winery’s popularity is evident as we arrive behind a well-dressed gaggle of ladies on a hen’s party (here for the wine), and in front of an MTV film crew (here for the wine cave).

Gibbston Valley Wine Cave is New Zealand’s largest, delving 60 metres into a knobbly hillside. Inside, overhead lamps and wavering candles cast a dim glow across the promenade of wine barrels stacked neatly along the walls. Crafted from French oak, each barrel holds 225 litres of slowly maturing Gibbston Valley vintage.  As we wander by, a sweet, berry-like scent lingers in the still cave air: the smell of pinot noir escaping. 

 “The best pinot noir should smell like a milking shed,” exclaims Timbo, back at The Winehouse & Kitchen.

For a moment, I think the lack of sleep is catching up with him. But I soon realise that Timbo has a charmingly unaffected approach to wine tasting, with a philosophy that “if you can taste it, it’s there”.

As our group gorges on wine-matched platters of lamb loin, orzo pasta salad and confit pork belly, Timbo entertains with his delightful tasting notes.

“This one should smell like a river bed,” he announces, of a 2007 Riesling.

“Bible paper?” he suggests, for the delicious Rock Ferry Viognier. Laughing, we nibble greedily on mussel fritters, smoked groper and heirloom-tomato bruschetta.

Restaurants and cafes are popular additions to the increasing number of cellar-door operations scattered throughout Central Otago. Places of relaxation, celebration and wine contemplation, eateries give visitors the chance to linger a little longer, and enjoy their favourite wine with a new or specialised dish.

At The Winehouse & Kitchen, food is styled to reflect New Zealand’s pastoral history: hearty home-style cooking matched seamlessly with Freefall, Rock Ferry and van Asch wines.

Over at Amisfield Winery, nestled near the shore of pretty Lake Hayes, the food is all about organics and local produce, adhering to the winery’s slogan of ‘grown, not made’.  

Amisfield’s country-style bistro has twice won Cuisine Magazine’s Best Winery Restaurant award. The winery has also enjoyed accolades for its cellar door architecture, and for its pinot noir.

Originally focussed solely on champagne production, the Amisfield team “soon realised we couldn’t just make bubbly,” explains our host and ex-wine judge Brian Dennis.

Brian was once a pharmacist but got into the wine industry when he decided “creating headaches was a sight more interesting than fixing them”.

Hiding from the unforgiving Central Otago heat, we wander down to the cool, dark basement and sip on Amisfield’s trademark Arcadia bubbles. Their pinot noir may be stealing the limelight for now, but Amisfield’s bubbles are still reputed to be the region’s best.

The wine, the food, the heat; it’s been a long day, and although we’ve only covered three of the region’s 30+ wineries, it’s time to travel back to Queenstown, through the unforgettable namesake landscapes of Central Otago.

Amelia visited Central Otago’s wineries courtesy of TravCom, Destination Queenstown and Four Corners.