Bouquet of beet or berry at Castle Rock Winery

Castle Rock wine and preserves are mainly made from produce grown on site. Picture / Martin Sykes

Fancy a glass of parsnip wine? Or maybe a little drop of red - plum perhaps? Why not try something different? You're on holiday, after all.

A tasting at Castle Rock Winery at Te Rerenga, on the Coromandel Peninsula, is a little different to the usual vineyard counter. From the outside it's much the same, with vines on the hills behind a little cafe, but once inside and reading the labels on bottles, you'll see that pumpkin can substitute for chardonnay, and nashi for sauvignon blanc. The big red bouquet is likely to be beetroot or boysenberry.

With up to 30 handcrafted varieties on offer, there's likely to be something for all tastes. Owner David Wilson is happy to let customers sample away. Feijoa wine is the top-seller, he says, with fruit flavours more popular than vegetable flavours.

If you're not keen on wine, the boutique store also stocks organic chutneys, jams, jellies and vinegars - the intensely flavoured raspberry vinegar is a winner.

Prices are reasonable: $14-$18 for the wines and under $10 for condiments. Liqueurs (including peach schnapps, macadamia nut and feijoa) are also for sale.

Non-drinkers can enjoy a coffee during the free tasting sessions.

David and wife Sharon bought the winery - a rural property looking out to Whangapoua, 12km from Coromandel town on the road to Whitianga - from its founder four years ago. They offer self-contained on-site accommodation and hope to expand the cafe's simple fare come summer.

"We're not trying to compete with Mr Montana or Mr Nobilo - we're just having fun," says David.

The couple grow most of their produce on site, David does the outdoor work and Sharon, who has a background in laboratory work, is the alchemist turning choko into wine.

For cheers with a twist, after our tastings we took away a fruity little boysenberry number, and feijoa with ginger - a flavour which balanced nicely and which we enthusiastically knocked off back at our motel.

* Details: Castle Rock Winery, SH25, Te Rerenga, Coromandel. Open 7 days from 9am-6pm.

Ph (07) 866-4542 or 866-4570; email: castlerockwinery@xtra.co.nz; website: www.castlerockwinery.co.nz