Like a stone monastery rising up from the vines of Napier’s fertile plains, Church Road Winery is one of the oldest and finest Hawke’s Bay wineries. Established in 1897, this vineyard was the first in all of New Zealand to release a Cabernet Sauvignon, and when bottles hit shelves in 1949 they were instant New Zealand classics. Fast-forward over half a century, and Church Road Winery has been completely renovated and is still one of Napier’s best. Aside from the a la carte restaurant on site and imposing cellar door, where rows of wine barrels stand in for pews you might find in a dimly lit church, one of the best parts of visiting Church Road winery are the daily cellar tours. Learn the history of Church Road Winery and the time-honed winemaking process, and pair the wines with succulent foods in an intimate, boutique tasting area. You’ll also find a wine museum beneath the tasting area, where some of the country’s oldest wine relics are housed in concrete vats. Throughout the tour you can talk with the staff about wine and the Hawke’s Bayterroir, and elevate your level of wine expertise at one of New Zealand’s best wineries.