Travel

You have to go to New Zealand to taste this wine

Marlborough may be New Zealand’s largest and best-known wine-making region, however, in a country known for its fine vintages, Hawke’s Bay gives it a run for its money.

Black Barn Vineyard Black Barn Vineyard

One big difference: The sunny, North Island region — which has been producing wines since the 1850s on its sheltered coastal plains — has many wineries too small to produce large quantities. The best way to sample Hawke’s Bay’s finest plonk, then, is to book a flight to New Zealand.

There are other reasons to go, too, of course, as Hawke’s Bay offers much more than just wine.

It’s a region obsessed with food and design, perhaps most notably in the coastal city of Napier, which was built up in the art deco style after a devastating 1931 earthquake.

What to see

Napier’s concentration of different art deco buildings rivals only Miami’s.

To explore the city in style, take a vintage car tour through the Art Deco Trust ($140 per car). Climb into the backseat of a Packard and let your tour guide, who will be nattily dressed in 1930s garb, whisk you around a city whose streets are named for writers (Shakespeare, Emerson, Dickens).

Napier New Zealand’s alluring art deco streets.Handout

Architectural gems include the National Tobacco Company building and the Municipal Theatre.

To balance the inevitable hangover, take a winery bike tour through Takaro Trails. A typical tour (about $50 per person) could include a cycle along the Tukituki River with stops to sample wines and break for lunch.

This being New Zealand, there’s also plenty of other outdoor activities, with gorgeous places  fly fish and more.

The sporty vibe gives the area a laid back and unpretentious vibe, making it perfectly acceptable to rock up to a fancy winery restaurant wearing fleece.

Where to drink

Elephant Hill, located across the street from the beach, is a collection of antique copper-clad buildings with an elephant sculpture at the entrance. It has both a beautiful design and a stellar restaurant that overlooks the vineyards and a reflecting pool. Tuck into a dish like lamb fillet with smoked labneh, and wash it down with a bottle of 2014 Elephant Hill Le Phant Rouge.

Nearby Clearview Estate Winery has a completely different feel. Cozy and family-friendly, it has a kids’ play area in the courtyard and a woodburning stove near the tasting counter.

Craggy Range, backdropped by the Te Mata mountain range, has a sleek, contemporary tasting room and award-winning wines. It also offers a knockout place to stay: The four bedroom Lodge is a single-story home wrapped around a courtyard with its own private plunge pool (from approximately $1,800 per night). Although it comes with a gourmet kitchen, make a reservation at Craggy Range’s Terrôir restaurant, where the huge central fireplace is also used to roast meats.

Tired of wine? The art deco Emporium Eatery makes a great classic dry martini to keep the region’s art deco vibe going.

What to take home

In between tastings, bike along the Tukituki River.Richard Brimer

Hawke’s Bay has a variety of artisanal foods. An easy one-stop shop for locally made goodies is the retail store at Black Barn Vineyards, which carries craft beer from Giant Brewing, olive oil from The Village Press and beautifully packaged Hawthorne coffee.

New Zealand is famous for its Manuka honey, and you can buy it for a fraction of what you’d pay at Whole Foods at Arataki Honey. The retail store features a hive as well as a tasting counter. Honey is sold in everything from suitcase-friendly pots to huge buckets.

The local yogurt is also divine. Head to Chalk’n’Cheese, a café and retail store owned by Origin Earth, an award-winning dairy that uses biodynamic farming principals. Go for the cheese tasting to sample Sleeping Giant, a hard sheep’s milk cheese or Takenga Gold, a soft cheese with a slightly nutty taste. The yogurt pots come with a thick layer of cream on top.

Need more gifts for friends back home, or just want to satisfy a sweet tooth? Silky Oak Chocolate Company makes handmade sweets from scratch in flavors such as dark chocolate covered ginger and maple walnut fudge. To balance out the sugar, grab a sandwich from the adjacent café or brush up on the history of chocolate from the on-site museum, whose collection includes an ancient Mayan chocolate pot and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory posters.