Fine Wine Tours

Fine Wine Tours

21 Rankers Reviews

5 Winery and Brewery Tours

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Feature Value Info

Organisation

Fine Wine Tours

Commercial organisation

Location

North IslandAuckland RegionAuckland

Categories

  • Activity__winery_and_brewery_toursWinery and Brewery Tours

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Coordinates

-36.8821951545262

174.820761680603

Latitude
-36.8821951545262
Longitude
174.820761680603

Reviews

    • We had a great time on the Food/Wine tour.

      Icon__personexpat

    • Excellent tour.

      Icon__personDogoneit

    • Fantastic!

      Icon__personAnnie544

    • Excellent trip.

      Icon__personDave Owen

    • This tour was a perfect ending to our holiday.

      Icon__personAndrea Pilch

    4.7 21 Reviews Analysis
  • We did our tour with Phil near the end of a 10-day trip to New Zealand and I'm only sorry we didn't do it sooner!

    The entire experience was wonderful. Phil was an excellent overall tour guide--sharing New Zealand, North Island and Auckland city information with us the entire time. He was friendly, engaging and we never once felt rushed. We had all the time we needed to explore and enjoy every stop.

    We chose the wine and food tour and every single place we went was another gem. All the food and cheeses we sampled were lovely and we found so many things to bring home that we had a minor (overweight luggage) emergency at the airport en route home.

    The scenery was lovely. Breathtaking west coast beaches, serene vineyards and everything in between.

    We had lunch at Soljan's winery and I was pleasantly surprised. Clearly they have put the same kind of time and effort into providing excellent food in their restaurant as that put into their winemaking.

    The wine tastings were comprehensive. At both stops, we were treated to the entire line of wines that they bottle and both Phil and the employees of the wineries were full of good information, suggestions and pairing tips. The personal attention was exquisite.

    Overall, we had a fantastic day! We are unlikely to do this tour again, but if Fine Wine Tours offers something new, we'll be there and will bring our friends!

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2010

    jgateau's avatar

    jgateau

    Customer

    Thanks so much for a detailed and fantastic review.

  • The tour was well prepared.

    We liked the nice and smooth guide through out; the comfortable car for 4 people, the good lunch in the country side and the easy-to-read wine list. Phil answered all our questions with his warm smile, but pushed nothing to us. We learned NZ wine and enjoyed Phil's half day tour very much.

    We recommend Fine Wine Tours to wine fans and also wine beginners.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2010

    taro horie's avatar

    taro horie

    Customer

    It was a pleasure to host you, and thank you for your kind review

  • Perfect day, beautiful wines, delicious New Zealand cheeses: Phil's tour is a delight.

    We would recommend to anyone wanting to experience New Zealand hospitality at its finest! Thank you Phil for a great day!

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in April 2010

    blmccoll's avatar

    blmccoll

    Customer

    As we say in NZ 'thanks heaps!'for your review

  • The wine tour was an absolutely wonderful way to spend a day in New Zealand.

    Phil was very friendly and down to earth and a wonderful host and guide. It was very convenient to be picked up and dropped off at our motel location, and the transportation was very comfortable and spacious.

    The three wineries we visited on the half day tour were a good variety, and each offered an excellent array of wines.

    Along with being taken to a nice variety of wineries, the sightseeing of the black sand beach was an added bonus. Our lunch at a local cafe was delicious, with a good number of menu choices provided.

    The cheese provided to us complimented the wine perfectly, and Phil's knowledge of the different wines provided was excellent and helpful.

    .

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in June 2010

    AlliK's avatar

    AlliK

    Customer

    Terrific! Glad that you both enjoyed the tour.

    Kindest regards

  • Phil picked us up on a rainy morning in Auckland and drove us to the Kumeu region for a terrific day - long tasting tour.

    This was at the beginning of our trip to NZ so as Phil drove us through the countryside he answered our many questions and allowed me to play a CD by Holly Smith, a local musical artist . Thanks Phil!

    We enjoyed exploring and finding our favorite wines at each stop. Not all are exported to the states so the unique pleasure of tasting them only in NZ made them all the more enjoyable. The cheeses Phil selected and brought with us for the traveling cheese tray were excellent as were the crackers.

    Our lunch at the Soljans Winery was exceptional ( for its bread ) and I particularly enjoyed my salad of fresh greens with a tasty vinaigrette and lots of squid lightly fried. Yum! The sun came out as we were eating and the remainder of the day was brilliant with color across the countryside. We saw rainbows!

    With Phil Parker as our guide we were with the most knowledgeable of New Zealand’s wine enthusiasts. His book “The Mad, Keen Wine Buff’s Road Trip” is evidence of his thorough and complete understanding of the wines and wine regions of NZ. The detailed information sheet provided to us by Phil helped us to understand more about each wine and winery. We made lots of notations and now have great reference material to use when searching for our favorites.

    We visited five wineries and finished the day off with a fun beer tasting at a micro-brewery.

    The experience was a 10 for us. We definitely recommend Phil Parker and the Auckland Wine Tour for your trip to NZ.

    Amy and Jeff in Dallas and Houston

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in June 2010

    Charlcey's avatar

    Charlcey

    Customer

    Hi Amy & Jeff,

    Thanks very much for thr glowing review! See you in NZ soon.

    Regards,

    Phil

  • We had a great time on the Food/Wine tour.

    Phil is a lovely person and very knowledgable. He is obviously a favorite at all the places he took us. The lunch at Blossoms Cafe was excellent and the portions were more than generous. My husband especially enjoyed not having to do the driving! We went back the next day for ice cream cones at Kapiti - delicious. Will do another tour with Phil the next time we're in Auckland.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in October 2010

    expat's avatar

    expat

    Customer

    Howdy! So glad that you had a great time. I'm sure that Kapiti were just as good on a second visit.

  • Me and 3 of my friends went on the Matakana wine tour to celebrate my 50th birthday with Phil and I must say it was excellent!

    Phil is very personable, friendly and he knows what he's talking about when it comes to wine!! The weather wasn't the greatest but that did not matter. Phil had everything we needed, umbrellas, chilly bins to put our purchases in etc. At the end of the day we each received a little gift which was a very nice touch! I would highly recommend taking his tours. I plan on trying some different ones when friends and family come to visit from Canada.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in December 2010

    djay1967's avatar

    djay1967

    Customer

  • We arrived in Auckland early Sunday morning and was ready for our very first New Zealand wine tasting adventure with Phil Parker's Fine Wine Tours.

    Phil got us off to a fine start. I had asked for 6 wineries to visit and Phil accommodated our group of 6. He arrived on time and provided a printed itinerary along with the list of wines with tasting notes for each of the wineries we were to visit. To enhance our wine experience even more, he provided a cheese platter. Phil is a very interesting guy with an extensive knowledge not only of wines and New Zealand but music as well. We used Phil's book, "Mad Keen Wine Buff's Road Trip", to plan our New Zealand wine tasting trip. I highly recommend his book. It's a very comprehensive wine tour book of New Zealand broken down with very detailed itineraries for you to follow. We had Phil sign our book at the end of the tour. Phil went the extra mile for us. He made sure we were comfortable and anticipated our every need. I lost my eyeglasses on the trip and Phil found them in his vehicle after our tour. He sent them to me at my hotel in Blenheim on an overnight courier. He refused my offer of payment for his efforts. I just heard that Phil has added a Waiheke Island Wine Tour. To do that tour with Phil will be on our to-do list when we return to New Zealand next time.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in January 2011

    eugene's avatar

    eugene

    Customer

  • My friend and I really enjoyed Phil's wine and cheese tour.

    Phil was friendly, flexible and very informative on not just wine, but the whole area. He even took us on a scenic route to see Muriwai Beach! The Vinyeyards we went to were all lovely and so were the staff. I highly recommend this tour to anybody wanting to see what our vineyards have to offer.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2012

    emcolhoun's avatar

    emcolhoun

    Customer

  • Phil is a very friendly and knowledgable guy.

    The tour flew by as we visited 3 excellent wineries, viewed the black sands of Muriwai and had a very enjoyable lunch.The scenery was beautiful and we learned a lot about the area and New Zealand wines, both from Phil and the winery staff. There was a huge selection of wines to taste and we thought the quality of all those we tried was superb. We were plesed to receive details of stockists back in the UK so we could buy some of the wines we had tried when we got back home.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2010

    judy1's avatar

    judy1

    Customer

    Thanks Judy! Good that you can find our great wines back in UK

  • Phil's tour was an excellent way to see some of the surrounding areas of Auckland as well as try some of NZ's best wine offerings.

    Phil was friendly and a wealth of information on the wines available at each winery, as well as knowing a lot about the history of the areas visited. He took all the hassle out of visiting the local wineries by being well organised, including the fantastic lunch at a local cafe.

    Would definitely recommend this company if you're looking for a no-hassle way to get the insider's knowledge and guidance on NZ wines.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in April 2010

    iwood's avatar

    iwood

    Customer

    Thanks, Ian - my pleasure!

  • We did the "Big Day Out" Tour with Phil and had a great day.

    Only small tour groups each time so the service is very personable. Phil was attentive to all our questions and interacted really well with the guests, but was not intrusive or overbearing. It was a relaxed day and the wineries we visited were varied in their wines as well as their outlooks and asthetics so we felt we got a good cross section. We took the option of the Micro German brewery which rounded the day out nicely with a refreshing ale or two. Highly recommend.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2010

    AnnieMac's avatar

    AnnieMac

    Customer

    Hi Annie. Thanks for your review!

    Cheers,

    Phil

  • Excellent tour.

    Well worth paying the extra and getting an expert and being driven around, rather than trying to do it yourself and having to have a non-drinking driver. We had a good bunch of people on the day we went which made it even more enjoyable. Chap running the tour knew his stuff but was not a wine bore. All in all, a really enjoyable day. There's a lot included in the price, so it's pretty good value for money.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in April 2011

    Dogoneit's avatar

    Dogoneit

    Customer

  • This tour was a perfect ending to our holiday.

    The wines were superb, wishing we could have taken more home. The wineries were friendly, obviously Phil has a worked hard for his good relationship with each winery. Lunch enjoyed in peaceful surroundings. If we ever go back to Auckland we would definately go again!

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2010

    Andrea Pilch's avatar

    Andrea Pilch

    Customer

    So glad that you enjoyed the experience.

    Welcome back any time!

  • My friend and I really enjoyed Phil's wine and cheese tour.

    Phil was friendly, flexible and very informative on not just wine, but the whole area. He even took us on a scenic route to see Muriwai Beach! The Vinyeyards we went to were all lovely and so were the staff. I highly recommend this tour to anybody wanting to see what our vineyards have to offer.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2012

    emcolhoun's avatar

    emcolhoun

    Customer

  • Excellent tour.

    Well worth paying the extra and getting an expert and being driven around, rather than trying to do it yourself and having to have a non-drinking driver. We had a good bunch of people on the day we went which made it even more enjoyable. Chap running the tour knew his stuff but was not a wine bore. All in all, a really enjoyable day. There's a lot included in the price, so it's pretty good value for money.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in April 2011

    Dogoneit's avatar

    Dogoneit

    Customer

  • We arrived in Auckland early Sunday morning and was ready for our very first New Zealand wine tasting adventure with Phil Parker's Fine Wine Tours.

    Phil got us off to a fine start. I had asked for 6 wineries to visit and Phil accommodated our group of 6. He arrived on time and provided a printed itinerary along with the list of wines with tasting notes for each of the wineries we were to visit. To enhance our wine experience even more, he provided a cheese platter. Phil is a very interesting guy with an extensive knowledge not only of wines and New Zealand but music as well. We used Phil's book, "Mad Keen Wine Buff's Road Trip", to plan our New Zealand wine tasting trip. I highly recommend his book. It's a very comprehensive wine tour book of New Zealand broken down with very detailed itineraries for you to follow. We had Phil sign our book at the end of the tour. Phil went the extra mile for us. He made sure we were comfortable and anticipated our every need. I lost my eyeglasses on the trip and Phil found them in his vehicle after our tour. He sent them to me at my hotel in Blenheim on an overnight courier. He refused my offer of payment for his efforts. I just heard that Phil has added a Waiheke Island Wine Tour. To do that tour with Phil will be on our to-do list when we return to New Zealand next time.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in January 2011

    eugene's avatar

    eugene

    Customer

  • Me and 3 of my friends went on the Matakana wine tour to celebrate my 50th birthday with Phil and I must say it was excellent!

    Phil is very personable, friendly and he knows what he's talking about when it comes to wine!! The weather wasn't the greatest but that did not matter. Phil had everything we needed, umbrellas, chilly bins to put our purchases in etc. At the end of the day we each received a little gift which was a very nice touch! I would highly recommend taking his tours. I plan on trying some different ones when friends and family come to visit from Canada.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in December 2010

    djay1967's avatar

    djay1967

    Customer

  • We had a great time on the Food/Wine tour.

    Phil is a lovely person and very knowledgable. He is obviously a favorite at all the places he took us. The lunch at Blossoms Cafe was excellent and the portions were more than generous. My husband especially enjoyed not having to do the driving! We went back the next day for ice cream cones at Kapiti - delicious. Will do another tour with Phil the next time we're in Auckland.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in October 2010

    expat's avatar

    expat

    Customer

    Howdy! So glad that you had a great time. I'm sure that Kapiti were just as good on a second visit.

  • We did the "Big Day Out" Tour with Phil and had a great day.

    Only small tour groups each time so the service is very personable. Phil was attentive to all our questions and interacted really well with the guests, but was not intrusive or overbearing. It was a relaxed day and the wineries we visited were varied in their wines as well as their outlooks and asthetics so we felt we got a good cross section. We took the option of the Micro German brewery which rounded the day out nicely with a refreshing ale or two. Highly recommend.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in September 2010

    AnnieMac's avatar

    AnnieMac

    Customer

    Hi Annie. Thanks for your review!

    Cheers,

    Phil

  • Phil picked us up on a rainy morning in Auckland and drove us to the Kumeu region for a terrific day - long tasting tour.

    This was at the beginning of our trip to NZ so as Phil drove us through the countryside he answered our many questions and allowed me to play a CD by Holly Smith, a local musical artist . Thanks Phil!

    We enjoyed exploring and finding our favorite wines at each stop. Not all are exported to the states so the unique pleasure of tasting them only in NZ made them all the more enjoyable. The cheeses Phil selected and brought with us for the traveling cheese tray were excellent as were the crackers.

    Our lunch at the Soljans Winery was exceptional ( for its bread ) and I particularly enjoyed my salad of fresh greens with a tasty vinaigrette and lots of squid lightly fried. Yum! The sun came out as we were eating and the remainder of the day was brilliant with color across the countryside. We saw rainbows!

    With Phil Parker as our guide we were with the most knowledgeable of New Zealand’s wine enthusiasts. His book “The Mad, Keen Wine Buff’s Road Trip” is evidence of his thorough and complete understanding of the wines and wine regions of NZ. The detailed information sheet provided to us by Phil helped us to understand more about each wine and winery. We made lots of notations and now have great reference material to use when searching for our favorites.

    We visited five wineries and finished the day off with a fun beer tasting at a micro-brewery.

    The experience was a 10 for us. We definitely recommend Phil Parker and the Auckland Wine Tour for your trip to NZ.

    Amy and Jeff in Dallas and Houston

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in June 2010

    Charlcey's avatar

    Charlcey

    Customer

    Hi Amy & Jeff,

    Thanks very much for thr glowing review! See you in NZ soon.

    Regards,

    Phil

  • The wine tour was an absolutely wonderful way to spend a day in New Zealand.

    Phil was very friendly and down to earth and a wonderful host and guide. It was very convenient to be picked up and dropped off at our motel location, and the transportation was very comfortable and spacious.

    The three wineries we visited on the half day tour were a good variety, and each offered an excellent array of wines.

    Along with being taken to a nice variety of wineries, the sightseeing of the black sand beach was an added bonus. Our lunch at a local cafe was delicious, with a good number of menu choices provided.

    The cheese provided to us complimented the wine perfectly, and Phil's knowledge of the different wines provided was excellent and helpful.

    .

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in June 2010

    AlliK's avatar

    AlliK

    Customer

    Terrific! Glad that you both enjoyed the tour.

    Kindest regards

  • Phil's tour was an excellent way to see some of the surrounding areas of Auckland as well as try some of NZ's best wine offerings.

    Phil was friendly and a wealth of information on the wines available at each winery, as well as knowing a lot about the history of the areas visited. He took all the hassle out of visiting the local wineries by being well organised, including the fantastic lunch at a local cafe.

    Would definitely recommend this company if you're looking for a no-hassle way to get the insider's knowledge and guidance on NZ wines.

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in April 2010

    iwood's avatar

    iwood

    Customer

    Thanks, Ian - my pleasure!

  • This tour was a perfect ending to our holiday.

    The wines were superb, wishing we could have taken more home. The wineries were friendly, obviously Phil has a worked hard for his good relationship with each winery. Lunch enjoyed in peaceful surroundings. If we ever go back to Auckland we would definately go again!

    Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2010

    Andrea Pilch's avatar

    Andrea Pilch

    Customer

    So glad that you enjoyed the experience.

    Welcome back any time!