Cloudy Bay

New Zealand is famous world-wide for its young wine industry, which started out just a generation ago with sauvignon blancs from the Marlborough region but which now is branching out all over and with most all the basic wine types. Cloudy Bay was the first New Zealand winery to garner world acclaim, and it is still very highly prized. ($38 a bottle at the supermercado). We drove across much of the region, nestled in around Blenheim and Renwick, and stopped for a look and a taste of Cloudy Bay.

There aren't too many chateaux in New Zealand (nor castles,
nor cathedrals), but most of the wineries have attractive
reception and visitor centers; here is Cloudy Bay's, perhaps
a bit on the understated side

Terrace and grounds

We found the accoutrements and furnishings
of most interest

Bottle made into hurricane lamp

Cheese board made from wine barrel

Next year's release

Up closer to show the scary sand fly wall ornaments (so
they seemed to me)

We tried the current 2013 sauvignon blanc, the 2010 Te
Koko (also an SB), and a 2011 chardonnay; I actually liked
the Te Koko--softness with complexity--was not all that
impressed with the chardonnay, and disliked the sauvignon
blanc, with its harsh tones of grapefruit [sic!] and lime [sic!!];
I left wondering what meal I'd pair the sauvignon blanc with
and glad I hadn't bought a bottle before tasting; I guess I'm
just an Old World wine guy who has drunk too much 2$
Chuck