Wine tasting at Cargo, Queenstown. Photo / Supplied
Wine tasting at Cargo, Queenstown. Photo / Supplied
A Queenstown tourism operator has taken out a global award for its winetasting tour - bringing celebration to a region struggling with the lack of international tourists.
Altitude Tours' Queenstown Wine Sampler Tour was voted Top Wine Experience in the world by travel website Tripadvisor's Travellers' Choice awards. The awardis a result of all the reviews logged in 2020.
The tour is a five-hour sightseeing and wine tasting experience, lead by a trained wine master, travelling in a luxury Mercedes through wineries such as Gibbston Valley, Kinross and Mount Rosa.
Altitude Tours managing director Nigel Hobbs says the accolade is a significant achievement for a New Zealand tourism operator - particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Altitude Tours managing director Nigel Hobbs. Photo / Supplied
"We are absolutely stoked to be recognised as providing the best wine experience on the planet," says Hobbs.
"What's even better is that this award hasn't been decided by a third-party association – this has been judged by our previous customers who have submitted excellent reviews and ratings of the tour, making this award so much more authentic. We couldn't be happier.
"When we first launched the tour back in 2017 it was our vision to create the world's best wine experience and we're excited to have achieved that."
Gibbston Valley Wine Cave. Photo / Supplied
The Wine Sampler Tour really does showcase the best of what the lower part of New Zealand has to offer in terms of amazing wine and landscapes. We specifically picked off-the-beaten track and well-known cellar doors to give our guests the perfect combination of wines and cellar door experiences."
As well as winning Top Wine Experience in the world, the tour was also ranked as fourth-best overall activity in New Zealand, behind rafting and ziplining in Rotorua, and a Milford Sound flight-cruise.
"Although Covid-19 caused disruption for many tourism businesses in New Zealand, particularly in Queenstown, we're incredibly grateful to all the Kiwis that have come to see us in the past 12 months," says Hobbs.
