Wairau Valley

I realised as we were leaving today I hadn't taken a shot (for blip) of the valley in which some of NZ's best wine is produced.

There are actually several valleys, but the bulk of the wine is produced in the Wairau Valley, with Blenheim being the main town. It's an incredibly dry area with some of the highest sunshine hours in NZ, as seen by the Wither Hills in the distance of this photo. The soil is not that fertile, good for grapes I guess, but well irrigated. There are said to be about 11,153 hectares planted with 65% in Sauvignon Blanc.

We had lunch at a local vineyard today (Hunters) which was fantastic, and then headed home later afternoon. Back in CHC, work tomorrow ...