I engaged the assistance of a local gourmand (and tour guide) to help me root out the best local products and wines, which was the best decision of the trip, other than the one to go in the first place. Greg Beachen of Grape Escape Wine Tours chauffeured me around on the left side of the road, got me in for private tastings at the best boutique wineries no one has ever heard of stateside, and helped me track down and devour everything on my wish list—including a homemade pavlova courtesy of his friend Jan, and fabulous local grouper courtesy of Greg himself. He even scored me a night on a working truffle farm, plus interview and guided tour with the truffle-obsessed proprietor, Gareth Renowden. Greg totally, utterly, rocks!
Everywhere we visited, incredible regional foods held pride of place on restaurant menus, roadside stands, and farmers’ markets… tender lamb and locally grown saffron from Hawkes Bay; super-briny Marlborough oysters and green lip mussels; ginormous Kaikoura crayfish as big, meaty, and delicious as Maine lobsters; walnuts and venison and black truffles (yes, truffles) from Canterbury… and always, always a selection of more New Zealand wines than this Californian had ever dreamed existed.
7 Day Private Guided Tour
Deirdre Bourdet ,
Napa Valley
www.winecountry.com
Dear Greg
I want to thank you for providing a wonderful and adventurous nine day food and wine tour for my husband, my daughter and me. You provided us with a great start to our trip in Marlborough, with lovely lodgings in the midst of beautiful vineyards. The wine tours and tastings at No. 1 (fabulous “bubbles!” ) Gibson Bridge, (Howard’s delightful pinot gris,) and of course the wonderful savingon blancs, and other wines, at vineyards including Mahi, Wither Hills, Seresin and St. Clair, were a great start to our tour. We loved the batch house outside of Abel Tasman – even the blue penguins squawking at night under the house. Hiking in the park was magical.
Heading further south to Queenstown and Wanka , you once again provided beautiful lodgings overlooking the incredible Southern Alps and lakes. And, oh the wines! Just getting to Chard Farm and their awesome pinots, was an adventure – and worth the drive along the gorge. There were so many other beautiful vineyards with great wine – Mt. Difficulty, Bald Hills, Pererine, Felton Road and Olsen, just to mention a few. The trips to Milford Sound (wow!) and Mt. Aspiry (another wow!) provided more magical days. Oh – I can’t forget the food! We ate delicious fish I’d never heard of, awesome lamb and venison, all beautifully presented. New Zealand is such a beautiful place. We had such fun! You went above and beyond our expectations to ensure we had a great time – and we did. Many thanks.
9 Day South Island Tour
Guy and Bonnie Shane,
Ohio
Julie Shane,
Guam
Had a lot of laughs and a lot of fun, thanks Greg.
Peter and Susan Little - Orari, South Canterbury, New Zealand
Greg: Great day - thank you so very much! My father has already e-mailed my sisters, saying that today was the best day tour he has ever had.. and he does tours everywhere he travels (and he travels a lot!). You did an amazing job of customising things on the fly.
Elizabeth Rose - Stewart Island, New Zealand
Hi Greg. I want to thank you for taking such good care of me when I was in Napier. I had a wonderful time and felt rather sad - very much as if I were leaving friends - when I left.
Susan Crysler - British Colombia, Canada
Fab tour I learnt loads.
Sarah Lang - St Albans, UK
See you next time it was BRILLIANT.
Damon and Tracey Jacobs - Pukekohe, New Zealand
Greg Beachen knows his wines, knows his winemakers and, through his sense of humour, knowledge of the region and attention to detail, knows how to create delightful experiences for aficionados and casual imbibers alike. It is without reservation that I commend you to his Grape Escape wine tours.
Bruce Lieberman - New Mexico, USA
Very Awesome xxxx
Lisa Mc Pike - New Zealand
We have had a great day, a truly awesome day.
Debbie Ross - Hamilton, New Zealand
It doesn't get better than this.
Noelene and George Adcock - New Zealand
Great afternoon with The Grape Escape, a knowledgeable guide and fantastic winery tour. Lunch was organised for us which really made the experience even more special.
Lizette Riley, Surrey, England
Fantastic tour and guide would highly recommend. Thanks Greg.
Graham, Surrey, England
Fantastic afternoon. Lovely recommendation to have lunch at Sileni the food was fantastic. Thanks for a great afternoon Greg.
Jason and Amanda, Wellington
Wonderful - Fantastic tour. Greg is a very knowledgeable guide, knows his wines and wineries.
Ron Wicht, New Zealand
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