Drive, wine and dine

Hotel du Vin's Firstland Vineyards restaurant is set among lush, rolling hillsides. Picture / Carolyn Robertson

At this time of year keen day trippers are in their element. With the warm weather and long days, getting out of the city couldn't be easier. Even better if there's a winery at the end of the drive. As well as a bit of scenery, you can also try some wines and, as most places have restaurants, have some lunch. Here are five of the most visitor-friendly wineries within easy driving distance of Auckland.

FIRSTLAND VINEYARDS AND HOTEL DU VIN

Visit because: This is one of the most gorgeous drives into any winery in the country, along vine-flanked rolling green New Zealand hillsides. As soon as you leave the Southern Motorway you chill out. The restaurant is outstanding.

The drive is 40-50 minutes from Auckland City along the Southern Motorway then finally along the gorgeous Lyons Rd.

Flagship wine: Firstland Vineyards' Marlborough sauvignon blanc.

Food: The excellent food at the Vineyard restaurant includes grilled calamari salad, a brandy snap basket filled with fresh fruit berries and homemade sorbet.

Where: Lyons Rd, RD1, Pokeno, south of Auckland. Ph (09) 233 6314 or (09) 233 6304.

Open: Seven days for breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Vineyard Restaurant. The year-round Simply Sunday Lunch is a six-course degustation lunch from noon every Sunday costing $75. Bookings are recommended. The a la carte menu also runs throughout the Simply Sunday Lunch.

ASCENSION VINEYARD

Visit because: Within 20 minutes you will reach numerous beautiful white sand beaches, including Omaha. The main reason to go to Ascension is definitely for lunch. The food is so light, fresh and delicious that it is almost mandatory to stop here on any drive north. You can also picnic outside with a bottle of Ascension wine, then chill out at one of the beaches.

The drive is one hour from Auckland City and easy once you get past Albany, where the motorway widens and offers sweeping views of the beginning of the Far North.

Flagship wine: Ascension The Ascent Reserve Chardonnay, $35 from the cellar door.

Food: Yes, seven days a week. You can either dine in the airy, Mediterranean-styled brasserie or outside at the picnic tables.

Where: 480 Matakana Rd, Matakana. Turn right at Warkworth and follow the signs to Matakana. You can't miss the winery as it is on the main road. Ph (09) 422 9601.

Open: Cellar door tastings open seven days from 10am to 5pm; restaurant is open Monday to Friday 11am-4pm, weekends 11am-5pm.

SOLJANS VINEYARD ON KUMEU HIGHWAY

Visit because: It is close to the city, has a great casual eatery and is family-friendly. Soljans Vineyard is 20 minutes from Auckland on the northwestern motorway so there is no excuse not to check it out. Despite being so close to the city it still offers the chance to gaze at rows of pristine vines while sipping one of the wines made from them.

Flagship wine: 2005 Soljans Marlborough Riesling, which won a gold medal at the Air New Zealand Awards last year. Fusion bubbly is also a brilliant take on aromatic bubbles and is super for lunch because it is low in alcohol.

Food: New Zealand/Mediterranean-styled food. Every dish has a wine match recommended by winery owner Tony Soljan listed on the printed menu. Favourite dishes include the sweetcorn fritters, chorizo focaccia and chicken salad.

Where: 366 State Highway 16, Kumeu, Auckland. Ph (09) 412 5858.

Open: Seven days; cafe open 10am-4pm and the cellar door is open 9am-5.30pm.

MORTON ESTATE WINERY

Visit because: If you are driving along the Katikati highway and you need a break, this Cape Dutch-styled building is unmissably pretty and visitor-friendly. The restaurant has been refurbished and now features windows to view the winery. A huge range of wines is available, including its renowned chardonnays. The drive is 90 minutes from Auckland along the Southern Motorway then on to State Highway 2 towards Tauranga. The roads are busy but once you get off the motorway classic New Zealand countryside scenery prevails.

Flagship wine: Morton Estate Black Label Chardonnay and the Morton Premium Non-Vintage Brut, as well as the 2002 Morton Estate White Label Hawkes Bay Chardonnay, which won gold and a trophy at the 2005 Air New Zealand Wine Awards.

Food: Mortons Restaurant and Bar, open seven days for lunch from 11.30am. Dinners are available from 6pm Thursday to Saturday. Live music on Sundays. It features provincial New Zealand cuisine specifically tailored to go with the wine matches, which are suggested on the menu.

Where: State Highway 2, Katikati. Ph (06) 874 9631.

Open: Seven days, 9.30am-5pm. 

MATUA VALLEY WINERY, WAIMAUKU 

Visit because: This winery has an impossibly pretty setting on the top of a small hill inland from Whenuapai. It's the sort of place you want to throw down a picnic rug as soon as you arrive to take advantage of the well-established trees and a bottle of wine from the vast range from this historic and now large winery.

The drive is about 40 minutes from Auckland city, first a quick hop along the northwestern motorway, then along the Kumeu Highway, which gets greener, more lush and more relaxing the further you go.

Flagship wine: Matua Valley Paretai Sauvignon Blanc and Shingle Peak Sauvignon Blanc. The winery's founding owners, Ross and Bill Spence, were among the earliest pioneers of sauvignon blanc in New Zealand. Their top reds are also high quality.

Food: Bring your own food to the winery for a picnic and buy your wine at the cellar door, or dine at the separate Hunting Lodge, phone (09) 411 8259. Open in summer Wednesday to Sunday for lunch from noon and for dinner from 6pm. In winter months from Easter the Hunting Lodge is open Tuesday to Sunday for dinner from 6pm and Saturday and Sunday from noon for lunch. Group bookings year-round.

Where: Waikoukou Valley Rd, Waimauku, West Auckland. Ph (09) 411 8301.