Cloudy Bay
Cloudy Bay
4
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
This winery's Sauvignon Blanc brought international attention to New Zealand's wine region. Offers tastings, lunch, platters, light bites, wines by the glass. Bookings are strongly recommended.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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- whitey7230 contributionsA true highlight of our NZ tour. Very informative, friendly, relaxed wine tasting and lunch.Dropped in on the off chance in Oct 2023 as Cloudy bay is one of my wife's faves. We can only say that the experience was fantastic. Having not booked we walked in and tentatively asked what was available to us. We were accepted with open arms and sat down in their beautiful tasting room. The room itself stunning with glass walls showing insight into wooden casks. The external surroundings are equally as stunning with swinging chairs and seating areas in manicured gardens. We chose two tastings, the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Noir. We are not wine buffs, we buy what we like and can afford. We were then educated into each wine and when you start to understand it, the aromas and tastes really start to make sense. Three glasses of each choice is supplied with crackers and water to cleanse the pallet. I explained how my taste has altered over the years and the host went off to supply another glass to try, of a very expensive red. No pressure to buy, just real interest in the customer. They will open a bottle just to let you experience it and nothing was too much trouble. We then chose a small lunch which was perfect to set us on our way. Cost wise, it's very affordable and we bought one red (the Mustang), one white and a bottle of sparkling to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. A huge thank you to the Cloudy Bay team. It truly was a real highlight to our tour of NZ.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 11 November 2023
- the_GeeeEngland, United Kingdom535 contributionsVery professional and excellent wineVery easy to book online and lots of options. Great place to go for just wine or lunch outside. Service was very good and sadly we had a time constraint as we were on bikes. Tip is to use the on off shuttle or a cab as you’d get more vineyards in. Excellent wine and lovely modern set up. Certainly worth a visit.Visited December 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 29 December 2023
- GBoyGreat Bookham, United Kingdom215 contributionsWonderful relaxed lunch in a top wineryExcellent lunch at Jacks Raw Bar in the Cloudy Bay winery. Everything was so fresh and the flavours were superb. Olives and sourdough to nibble on before our mains of stuffed courgette for my wife and raw snapper with chilli and soy dressing for myself. My wife loved the lemon sorbet and strawberry dessert with a pour of house champagne over them. The wines need no recommendation and made for a lovely lunch in a lovely informal setting. A special call out for all the staff who went the extra mile to make sure everything was so good. Our Korean server was particularly lovely and helpful. All in all a wonderful experience and would definitely visit again if lucky enough to be in the area another time. Note all the dishes (except fries) are cold and the fish and meat are raw (hence the name). Think sashimi, ceviche, tartare etc.Visited January 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 13 January 2024
- XanteYorkshire, United Kingdom1,316 contributionsTop Class in all aspects!We arrived for the wine tasting which was very enjoyable and informative. It decided for us which wine we would drink with our meal. We sampled five wines with good descriptions from the host. We moved to the restaurant which was in a lovely location in the courtyard. Service was good and we selected the New Zealand Clams and bread with olives. The clams were amazing! Top class experience. We went on a Monday and it was quietly civilised. I would imagine the experience might have a different complexion on a weekend or when the cruise ships are in.Visited January 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 28 January 2024
- Tracey b17 contributionsInexperienced staff and too arrogantGreat wine, terrible service. We’ve been here before and loved it. Sadly, our last experience was such a disappointment. The team were young, inexperienced and didn’t seem to have a clue what was going on. Considering how much we spent we were treated really badly. I’d recommend buying the wine elsewhere but waste your time or money visiting.Visited January 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 3 February 2024
- Rick BSouthport, North Carolina23 contributionsAnother Great Blenheim area stop.Nice, classy environment and beautiful grounds. Our Italian hostess was very knowledgeable and made sure we learned a great deal about their wines. Tasting was very good, but wine much higher priced than others we visited.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 9 February 2024
- SallyLondon, United Kingdom75 contributionsHighly recommendLovely staff and service, good food and amazing wine with beautiful vistas and lounging areas to enjoy. Suggest booking. We went mid afternoon with no booking and they managed to squeeze us in but it was clear we were very lucky. Loved our experience thereVisited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 12 February 2024
- 601Sally58Royal Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom26 contributionsExcellent Customer ServiceWe had hesitated as to whether to visit this prestigious winery - worried that it might have a slightly "corporate" feel. How wrong we were - all our preconceived ideas were quickly dispelled by the wonderful welcome we received from Jackson this morning. His warm and friendly nature, the way he made suggestions to particularly suit our (unfortunately) brief time available - his understanding that I only wanted to sit outside in the sunshine sipping my sparkling rosé wine. It made such an impression and we came away impressed not just by the wine (delicious) but equally important to us, the whole ambiance of the place and through the example set by Jackson, the staff whom they employ to look after visitors.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 15 February 2024
- SuperShan1Singapore, Singapore1,337 contributionsNot worth it.Tourist trap! Drive away if you can! Food is nice, not Michelin star pls. The clams at NZ 12 a piece is quite ridiculous. I ordered 6 oysters + 6 clams + 2 glass of wine + 2 burrata salad (which is small portion) comes to NZ 250. We've been to so many nice restaurant, this is the worst value for money across all the nice fancy restaurant we've been. :)Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 1 March 2024
- Mary ELeesburg, Virginia101 contributionsBeautiful property and great serviceWe started off with a tasting and then had lunch at Jack's Raw Bar afterwards. We enjoyed ourselves so much plus it was a beautiful, that we ended up getting chairs on the lawn and had another bottle. The wines overall were very good -- highly recommend the sparkling rose.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 11 March 2024
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4.0
537 reviews
Excellent
286
Very good
130
Average
62
Poor
39
Terrible
20
Premr2222
Sydney, Australia6 contributions
Dec 2019 • Friends
We asked for wine tasting and the elder man put the menu in front of us without explaining. After reviewing the tasting menu, I chose the premium indulgence package and my friend chose the experience package. The server told us to come to the register to pay, so we followed him and paid. By then, our spot at the bar was taken by another white couple, so after paying for tasting, we stood behind them, expecting the server will make space for us at the tasting bar. He poured two glasses of wine and passed on to us, without any explanation and started serving the other couple, who were not asked to pay before tasting. He kept walking away, so we had to call him back to serve us the next course. We managed to get some space at the bar after our third taste. The carafe of water in front of us was taken by another couple, so I asked another serving lady for some water. She looked at us and pointed towards outside and said “there is free drinking water there, help yourself”. I explained that our water was borrowed by someone so it would be nice to get some more water to help cleanse the palette and rinse the glass in between tasting. She picked the carafe from another spot and put in front of us and got a fresh carafe of water for the other couple. I wondered why she could not do that in the first instance and not bother the other couple. Finally, a young man asked us if we wanted something. I explained that we were in our final taste, so it would be good if he could serve us. He poured us the wines and said, “now you have got your wine, can you move back and allow others to join the tasting bar”. I asked him why, as we had not finished our tasting. He said “I’ve noticed you have been here for a while so you need to move on”. My friend and I explained that we were there as nobody was serving us and also, another white couple standing to our right were there before us and why he did not ask them to move. By then, we started noticing a pattern of racism as we were the only coloured people around. I called it out to him and asked if we were being treated that way because of our skin colour. He went silent. His manager (an Asian lady) came along to inquire. We explained to her the entire incident from the beginning and how we were being treated. She apologised and offered to do something for us, offering free oysters, cheese etc. I politely declined, feeling further insulted. Free food does not compensate for racism. We eventually left and made a decision to never buy any Cloudy Bay wines. Their wines are great, I always enjoyed their Pinot and Sav Blanc, often gifting to friends in Asia. It’s my small protest for my unpleasant experience with racism.
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan P
Singapore12 contributions
Dec 2019
I was looking forward to Cloudy Bay vineyard in Blenheim. What a disappointment. I am by no means a connoisseur of wines, but Cloudy Bay being one of the bigger vineyards I was really looking forward to the experience. We paid for 2 wine tasting samples,there were in total 4 different wines. but unlike other vineyards where the person serving you stands and explains each individual wine, or you are given a tray of the selected wines for sampling and you then sit and sample them, we were told to take the first sample and go for a walk outside. I was totally confused and the girl serving us then promptly disappeared. We realised later that she was also serving food, as my husband asked her for some cutlery which she never brought to us. So when I came back for sample number 2 and spoke to someone else, they obviously questioned proof of what we had purchased, this I understand but it was the attitude I didn't need. As there was only 2 of us, we felt importance was given to larger groups of which there were 2 on that day. After we left we went to a smaller vineyard not far from Cloudy Bay, the lady their could not have been more helpful/friendly, so much so we left with 6 bottles of wine, and we were not the only customers she was serving. Just because you are a big company Cloudy Bay doesn't mean you treat your customers with disdain.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Blake B
Houston, TX19 contributions
Jan 2020
This winery has gotten very commercialized and the wines are extremely expensive. We visited about 8 wineries and this one was towards the bottom of the pack, despite the pedigree. The savignon blanc was smooth but fairly tasteless. It had a decently decorated cellar and outdoor area, but I’d recommend somewhere more local.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NigelDavies_Tas
Launceston, Australia149 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
Private wine tasting for two in the luxurious surroundings of Cloudy Bay’s ‘Shed’ - an inadequate term to describe the venue.
We tasted nine wines, including a museum bottle of 2007 SB, a 2012 Central Otago PN and a recently disgorged sparking from the 2012 vintage. The highlight of the tasting was actually our knowledgeable host, Robyn, who engaged us for two hours and answered all our questions regarding the viticulture, winemaking and positioning of the wines.
Possibly the best commercial tasting I have attended.
We tasted nine wines, including a museum bottle of 2007 SB, a 2012 Central Otago PN and a recently disgorged sparking from the 2012 vintage. The highlight of the tasting was actually our knowledgeable host, Robyn, who engaged us for two hours and answered all our questions regarding the viticulture, winemaking and positioning of the wines.
Possibly the best commercial tasting I have attended.
Written 19 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
T4870
Cairns, Australia57 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Looked forward to visiting here for months and was left very disappointed. Don't get me wrong the winery is absolutely stunning, and beautiful backdrops if that's all you are after but the experience itself I'd rate 0. When you arrive it's really confusing where to go, signs pointing to a bar or food, you head there and then it says wine cellars is indoors but unsure which doors. Finally make it to where wine tastings are and was told they are fully booked. The place was a quarter full but 3/4 of tables had 'reserved' signs on. I noticed one even said 3pm and the time was 1.15pm. Slightly disappointed we couldn't do the wine tasting but not to worry, went outside to sit and have a drink. My partner stood for 10 minutes at the bar waiting to be served, no tasting racks available (would have loved to try the variety even if we couldn't get a Guide to do so). There were 10 children running around, jumping around on furniture, broke a swinging seat, ok this is more parents responsibility but I really believe the staff should have tried to address it as it was totally out of control, I even saw a poor man get hit in the head with a toy whilst drinking a wine. From start to finish there was no information on the place or story. Not a good experience and wouldn't recommend.
Written 13 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Devdarshini
Melbourne, Australia476 contributions
Nov 2019
We visited Cloudy Bay on our short trip to Marlborough. While we saw many wineries on our trip, Cloudy Bay stands out because we tasted some of the best white wines here. The wines here are expensive as compared to the rest of the region, but once you taste them and have the experience of tasting, you can tell the difference. The view from the tasting room as well as the surrounding area is beautiful We had a lovely time and picked up a lot of wines for the rest of our holiday and to take home.
Written 11 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JMSherman
Birkenhead185 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
Very busy when we arrived at our allotted time for a tasting and we were told by a more mature receptionist ( I wish that I'd got her name--her badge was under her cardigan) to wait upstairs while our table was prepared. 15 minutes later when I saw another couple being shown to our table I went down to speak to her again and she told me that she had expected me to come back down earlier......not acceptable at all.
A lovely French sommelier, Coline brought us our first few wines and was very knowledgeable and friendly. Unfortunately she was extremely busy so the tasting went very slowly. By the last 2 wines the original woman was back telling us how expensive the Pinot Noir that we were tasting is and not telling us about the wine at all. By now we were running very late for our next appointment so we had to really rush away, not stay for the banal chit chat that we were getting.
A huge disappointment as except for the 2 sparkling wines the wines were really disappointing and the service (apart from Coline) was abysmal. Our poor experience of the Cloudy Bay Cellar Door leads us to believe that it is just a commercial enterprise with no interest in customer satisfaction.
A lovely French sommelier, Coline brought us our first few wines and was very knowledgeable and friendly. Unfortunately she was extremely busy so the tasting went very slowly. By the last 2 wines the original woman was back telling us how expensive the Pinot Noir that we were tasting is and not telling us about the wine at all. By now we were running very late for our next appointment so we had to really rush away, not stay for the banal chit chat that we were getting.
A huge disappointment as except for the 2 sparkling wines the wines were really disappointing and the service (apart from Coline) was abysmal. Our poor experience of the Cloudy Bay Cellar Door leads us to believe that it is just a commercial enterprise with no interest in customer satisfaction.
Written 14 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. I am sorry to hear that this was the experience you had when visiting us as we always strive to provide the best customer service for our guests. I want you to know we value you as guests and customers of Cloudy Bay and appreciate you for making the effort to visit us. Please contact us at cellar.door@cloudybay.co.nz so we can review this situation together further. I have passed your feedback on to our entire team, and we will be sure to use it to make improvements to the service we provide to guests in the future.
Written 15 March 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jimmy R
32 contributions
Dec 2022 • Business
I visited the “Cloud” three times during December each time with guests on a wine tour .Each time my guests were treated kindly and with respect even though at times both tasting room and restaurant were full. All of the staff both cellar door and Jacks Raw bar restaurant did their best to ensure the people were made to feel wanted and appreciated. Especially challenging was on Boxing Day okay a public holiday however only three cellar doors open, naturally CB was open albeit with the sheer number of visitors, under the pump as they say. Busy yes but respectful in trying times .
I guess all the other wineries went to the beach on that day? Shame as the tourists in case anyone had forgotten are here in their droves, sometimes left kicking their heals left with very limited options
Thank heavens for Cloudy Bay
Jimmy’s Classic Marlborough wine tours
I guess all the other wineries went to the beach on that day? Shame as the tourists in case anyone had forgotten are here in their droves, sometimes left kicking their heals left with very limited options
Thank heavens for Cloudy Bay
Jimmy’s Classic Marlborough wine tours
Written 30 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KiwiKerry53
Wellington, New Zealand5,091 contributions
July 2020
Lovely visit, nice wines. The guy who did our tasting knew his stuff and was friendly and informative. Couldn't resist buying a bottle or two, though a lot more pricey than I would normally buy, they are always consistently good.
Written 6 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
proficiscimus
Oberursel (Taunus), Germany449 contributions
Jan 2020
We visited cloudy bay winery for lunch and wine tasting.
Tables in the garden are scenic and beautiful, esp. on s sunny day.
Food is influenced by Japanese kitchen and very tasty. Portions somewhat small but totally ok for a light lunch. So far so good.
The key part of the winery is the wine and the tasting. Here we were a bit disappointed. We picked the $25 tasting with a sparkling, two Sauvignons and two pinots.
Problem was twofold- Frust only few of the staff have proper background on the wine and give you a bit more details around aging and the wine itself and secondly the tasting zips are tiny. If you make the customers pay for the tasting you need to make it a real tasting rather than a very stingy thing. Wines are pretty good though.
All in all feels pretty commercial rather than focussed on the wine experience.
Tables in the garden are scenic and beautiful, esp. on s sunny day.
Food is influenced by Japanese kitchen and very tasty. Portions somewhat small but totally ok for a light lunch. So far so good.
The key part of the winery is the wine and the tasting. Here we were a bit disappointed. We picked the $25 tasting with a sparkling, two Sauvignons and two pinots.
Problem was twofold- Frust only few of the staff have proper background on the wine and give you a bit more details around aging and the wine itself and secondly the tasting zips are tiny. If you make the customers pay for the tasting you need to make it a real tasting rather than a very stingy thing. Wines are pretty good though.
All in all feels pretty commercial rather than focussed on the wine experience.
Written 17 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rmcgirr
Christchurch, New Zealand
Do you need to book in advance or can you turn up on the day and take a tour / wine tasting
Bob & Kate
Written 31 October 2016
Wine tasting can certainly be done on a turn up basis. They charge NZ$10 for a basic tasting of 4 wines of which $5 can be applied to a purchase. I consider this fair as it discourages those that only come to tastings for free drinks. A beautiful venue with knowledgeable and very friendly staff.
Written 1 January 2018
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