Sunday Outting

We don't go out much for drives very often.. but it was a beautiful day and John wanted to go out to the Waipara Valley and have lunch at winery. Black estate Winery is where we had a wonderful salad.

Waipara Valley is situated in North Canterbury, only 40 minutes drive north of Christchurch International Airport and Christchurch city, the capital of the South Island. It is the fastest growing wine region in New Zealand with around 80 vineyards in the Waipara valley covering more than 1,200 hectares of plantings.

This shot was taken at Pegasus Bay Winery on our way home. They have great wines and food it is a bit too expensive for us.. but looked so good!

Pegasus Bay Winery is within the Waipara Valley and the vineyard gets maximum protection from the Pacific's easterly breezes by being tucked up under the lee of the Teviotdale Range. Heat summation during the day is promoted by smooth stones and gravels left behind by an ice age glacier. The soil is free draining and of low fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vine vigour. This produces low yields of optimally ripened, high quality, flavourful grapes, which fully express the qualities of this unique setting.

An unusually large vineyard staff allows operations such as shoot thinning, crop thinning, bunch exposure and fruit selection, to be carried out meticulously.
- See more at: http://www.pegasusbay.com/about-unique-vineyard#sthash.SWgh46Tn.dpuf