My wife and I are avid wine enthusiasts who live in the USA and travel extensively to visit the world's wine regions.

We were visiting five ports in New Zealand and Phil was the only tour guide to respond promptly to our emails and questions. He was able to customize our tour to our particular requirements and he made everything very easy.

Phil is very knowledgeable about wines and certainly knows the turf around Auckland as well as having a very good relationship with the wineries. He didn't blink when we told him we didn't want to taste the sauvignon blancs that are so ready available in the States and to concentrate on wine we couldn't get or varietals that aren't exported in mass. He was able to discuss the wine industry, trends, history not only in New Zealand, but around the world. An added plus was the cheese plate he prepared and his excellent chutney as well as the quick tour of some of the sights outside of Auckland. As any great wine lover should, he was also able to suggest some excellent restaurants to try in Auckland.

From pick-up to drop-off it was an excellent day of wine tasting, touring and informative conversation with a gentleman who really knows his stuff. We came away with a better appreciation of the wine scene in New Zealand. I would highly recommend to all from wine enthusiast to casual tourist wanting a great tour with some wine as a special touch.

Reviewed almost 15 years ago and experienced in October 2009