|
Queenstown is situated in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. The city is built around Lake Wakatipu which happens to be a thin long ‘S- shaped' lake. The city is famous for a number of wineries. There are a number of winery tours which you must undertake if you are visiting Queenstown. The wineries in Queenstown have a long and rich history. The first wines were produced in Central Otago during the 19 th century during the gold mining but the wine industry died out after the gradual subsiding of the gold era. The 1970s and the 1980s saw a revival in wine making when a number of vineyards were developed. Central Otago in New Zealand is the area where a number of vineyards are located which produces world class wines. The Chard Farm Vineyard in Queenstown is an important vineyard in the region. The Chard Farm Vineyard, Queenstown was established in 1987 by the Motueka brothers Rob & Greg Hay. The Motueka Brothers were the first to come to the area with the sole intention of setting up a commercial vineyard. They selected the Chard Farm site after careful evaluation of the peculiarities of grape growing in Central Otago. One of the Motueka brothers, Rob had studied winemaking in Germany for three years in the early eighties before returning to New Zealand in 1985 to search for the "terroir" that best emulated the cool continental climate and soils of some of the greatest wine producing areas of the world. Most notable among these regions include the Burgundy and Alsace regions of France. This search leads them to Central Otago. The Motueka Brothers thus went about fulfilling their goal to produce some of the finest and classic wines in the world. The tasting room of The Chard Farm Vineyard, Queenstown is open 7 days a week: Mon - Fri 10am - 5pm Sat - Sun 11am - 5pm.
|
