Queenstown Food & Drinks

Queenstown food and drink experiences are mostly built around the Central Otago wine region, with a few dinner cruises and a helicopter lunch for variety. Most wine tours head to Gibbston Valley or Arrowtown, so the choice is how you get there and what you eat along the way. It all sits within things to do in Queenstown, and the full range of wine tasting and winery tours from Queenstown goes deeper on the cellar doors.

Guided wine tours from Queenstown

A guided tour means someone else drives and the tastings are covered. The 6-hour wine sampler tour visits four cellar doors in Gibbston, pours around 18 cool-climate wines and walks through an underground wine cave. The full-day gourmet wine tour stops at four venues and serves a five-dish lunch cooked in retired Pinot Noir barrels and matched with five wines.

Shorter on time? The Arrowtown half-day wine tour calls at up to four boutique wineries with a local guide, and the twilight wine and craft beer tour leaves at 3pm for three Gibbston cellar doors, 12 or more tastings and a charcuterie platter. If wine isn't the whole story, the wine, beer and gin tour adds Rifters Gin in Arrowtown and Canyon Brewing to an Amisfield tasting, for adults only in a group of 10 at most, and the Cardrona Distillery and Gibbston wine tour pairs a 75-minute distillery tour with a vineyard tasting and a platter lunch.

Cycling between wineries

On two wheels, the self-guided full-day wineries bike tour starts in Arrowtown and covers 15km to Gibbston Valley, with a map of the wineries and the option to upgrade to an e-bike. Tastings are paid for at the cellar doors. For a gentler ride, the Gibbston e-bike tour includes hotel pick-up, a return shuttle and a trail briefing. A hop-on, hop-off option also exists: the hop on hop off wine tour lets you choose between a half-day and a full-day set of stops, though the bus isn't licensed for drinking on board.

Lake Wakatipu cruises with dinner

For families and anyone who'd rather eat than taste, Walter Peak High Country Farm is the destination. The TSS Earnslaw cruise and Walter Peak BBQ crosses the lake on a historic steamship, then serves a gourmet BBQ buffet at the Colonel's Homestead, followed by a farm demonstration. The Walter Peak cruise on the modern catamaran has 260-degree panoramic views, the same BBQ buffet and a farm dog show. Wine fans can combine both in the Earnslaw cruise and wine tour, a 90-minute lake cruise followed by three Gibbston wineries. More boat trips are under Queenstown cruises, and Queenstown with kids has days that suit mixed ages.

Eating somewhere different

The private helicopter flight to an alpine kitchen BBQ flies up to a historic high-country station for a BBQ lunch and a whiskey tasting, with a Goldminer's Cottage and a saloon with a pianola to explore. The helicopter landing and wine sampler tour lands on a mountain for a glass of sparkling wine before four Gibbston cellar doors. More flights are under Queenstown flying experiences.

Choosing between them

Pick by how much of the day you want to give it. A twilight tour fits a late afternoon, a half-day tour fits a morning, and a full-day tour with lunch is the right call if wine is the reason you came. Cyclists set their own pace, and families do best on the Walter Peak cruises.

Frequently asked questions

Are wine tastings included on Queenstown wine tours?

On guided wine tours from Queenstown the tastings are included, along with transport. On self-guided bike tours, tastings are paid for at each cellar door.

Do you need ID on a Queenstown wine tour?

Bring valid photo ID, especially if you look under 25. The wine sampler tour accepts an NZ driver's licence or an international passport, and you must be 18 or older to drink on bike tours.

Can kids go on a Queenstown wine tour?

Some tours take children and others don't. The full-day gourmet wine tour welcomes children from age 6, while the wine, beer and gin tour is adults only. Walter Peak cruises suit all ages.

How long is a half-day wine tour from Queenstown?

Half-day wine tours from Queenstown are a 4 to 5-hour trip. A full-day tour with lunch is a 6 to 7-hour trip.

Can you cycle between wineries near Queenstown?

Yes, you can cycle between wineries near Queenstown on self-guided bike tours that start in Arrowtown or Gibbston. They include a bike, helmet and map, with e-bike upgrades available.

Is the Walter Peak cruise suitable for young kids?

The Walter Peak cruise and BBQ suits all ages, and children enjoy the farm demonstration. Child tickets on the TSS Earnslaw cover ages 5 to 15, with infants under 5 travelling on infant tickets.

Queenstown food and drink runs from cellar doors in Gibbston to a BBQ across the lake. Decide who's driving first, then work out the rest.