Gibbston is Queenstown's wine country, only a 30-minute drive from central Queenstown, and famous for its pinot noir. Here, you can pair a tasting with a long, relaxed winery lunch. Set aside a slow day to experience the valley of the vines, meandering along picturesque roads, stopping to enjoy the landscape, and building up an appetite along the way.
This guide to Queenstown's winery restaurants will help you plan a relaxing day exploring the local wine region and a glorious lunch among the vines.
Queenstown Wineries for Long Lunches
These wineries and restaurants with cellar doors are stunning spots for an indulgent lunch accompanied by a flight of local vintages. Settle in, explore delicious dishes made with seasonal local produce and a few unhurried glasses of wine.
Mora Wines & Artisan Kitchen
On the way to Gibbston at Lake Hayes, Mora Wines & Artisan Kitchen is the cellar door for Mora Wines. Book in for a guided wine tasting of five wines made with grapes from Mora’s Pisa and Bannockburn vineyards, then stay for lunch at the artisan restaurant.
The menu is full of simple bistro classics that showcase Central Otago’s delicious local produce. We love the aged smoked cheddar fondue for a fun wine pairing, the alpine salmon for a light lunch, or the venison pinot pot for a hearty warming plate. Choose the chef selection for a taste of many good things. There’s a pretty courtyard area in the garden for outdoor dining or cosy indoor spaces inside the historic cottage.
Ayrburn
Another gem on the way to Gibbston, Ayrburn is close to Mora Wines. A group of old farm buildings have been reinvented as a cellar door, bars and restaurants. Merrily while away a few hours at this stylish foodie destination, before heading on to the wine region.
Start with a guided Ayrburn wine tasting in the Barrel Room, and explore their wines made with grapes grown in Central Otago. Then stroll to your table at one of the Ayrburn restaurants.0 There are two MICHELIN Selected eateries. The Woolshed offers bistro classics and grilled meats, and Billy’s serves up creative, modern Chinese fare. For something more causal, the Manure Room offers wine flights paired with shared plates.
Mount Rosa Wines
Towards the end of the Gibbston Valley, Mount Rosa Wines make wines from the vines surrounding their cellar door. Start with a guided tasting of their single-estate wines for a delightful vine to glass experience, then settle in for lunch. Their thoughtfully curated menu offers snacks like polenta fries and marinated olives, small plates of bruschetta, parfait, or baked brie, and generous platters. Choose from local cheeses, cured meats, hot smoked salmon, and a plant-based medley of hummus, vegan cheese and pickled vegetables. Each platter is accompanied by a selection of relishes, dukkah, fresh breads, and more.
There’s a sunny courtyard, and covered outdoor seating, or lounge on a bean bag on the lawn and soak up the views of vines, poplars, and the surrounding hills. There are lawn games for kids and big kids alike. In winter, a roaring fire offers a cosy retreat. If you’re lucky, you’ll be welcomed by vineyard dog Baz, a shaggy little scrap who’s big on charm.
The Church Cellar Door
The Church Cellar Door repurposes a church built in 1894 into the home of Stronsay Wines. The wooden church was moved to the site in 2000. Now it sits surrounded by chardonnay vines. The cellar door pours their home block Chardonnay, along with a range of eight Mount Edward wines from Bannockburn including a grüner veltliner, a gamay, and a pet nat rosé. They also have a solid line up of local craft brews for those who prefer beer to wine.
The menu is packed with unpretentious tasty treats, a range of toasties, pizzas, platters, and chunky chips. On a sunny day you can take your tasting flight outside to the deck, relax on a lounging bed boat on the lawn, or play games. Look out for Max the vineyard cat.
Gibbston Valley Cheesery & Deli
Not a restaurant, but who says a picnic can’t be a long lunch? The Cheesery offers cow, sheep, and goat milk cheeses made nearby. Choose a cheese board, or a vineyard platter, accompany your cheese selection with local fruit chutneys, honey, breads, and crackers, then pick up a bottle of Gibbston Valley Wines to go with your alfresco spread.
Take your picnic to the sunny outdoor seating or linger among the vines and bask in the beauty of the mountains. If you prefer to explore wine and cheese with an expert, a wine and cheese tasting experience guides you through four cheese and wine pairings.
The Gibbston Tavern
Ok, so this isn’t a winery restaurant either, but the historic Gibbston Tavern is a convivial Kiwi country pub in the heart of Queenstown wine country offering wine tastings and pouring local wines alongside tasty pub grub, so it’s ideal for a long lunch. Choose your favourite tipple then order from the friendly menu. People rave about the delicious woodfired pizza, nachos, and loaded fries, and there’s an extensive plant-based menu for vegans and vegetarians.
Once you have a wine in hand, pull up a seat in the cosy pub, or grab a bench in the sunny garden. The tavern is perfect for groups with beer lovers, as there’s a strong line up of chilled local craft ales. Also check out the GT Tasting Room for craft spirits and regional gins from Broken Heart Spirits, Rifters Gin, and Cardrona Distillery. For a taste of Gibbston's boutique wine scene, head to the nearby Monte Christo Winery's Gibbston Cellar Door, housed in the stone stables of the 1860s Gibbston Hotel, and enjoy a personalised tasting of their limited-production wines alongside a platter of local cheeses, charcuterie, breads, and olives.
Queenstown Winery Restaurants for Special Occasions
Amisfield Restaurant & Cellar Door
This MICHELIN Starred restaurant at Lake Hayes offers two dining experiences, a Bistro style à la carte menu by day, and a multi-course degustation menu that by night. Both take you on an immersive journey through seasonal Central Otago ingredients celebrated for the theatrical presentation of their dishes, and their regional storytelling, Amisfield pair their ingeniously crafted dishes with their own organic wines.
The stone winery buildings conceal a theatrical rustic-modern interior. Local schist and beams salvaged from an old railway bridge contrasts with elegant marble tables. Work off your meal with a game of boules on the pétanque pitch next to the vines.
Gibbston Valley Restaurant
Gibbston Valley Lodge Restaurant is set in Central Otago's oldest vineyard. The menu highlights regional flavours such as wild game – the wild venison tartare is a standout – high-country lamb, fresh salmon from Rakiura, and local stone fruit. The beautifully presented dishes are accompanied with wine pairings. As you’d expect from the first winery in the region, their wine list is packed with award-winning vintages from their organic vineyard.
The Loge restaurant’s relaxed, elegant interior has soaring wooden ceilings, library shelves, and comfortable chairs at sleek stone topped tables. The large windows have views over vineyard. Dine by the circular indoor fire pit, or on the sunny outdoor terrace.
Kinross
Kinross Cellar Door pours wines from five Gibbston wineries: Kinross, Hawkshead, High Garden, Valli, and Wild Irishman. Experience different winemakers’ expressions of the region or taste the same varietals from five different wineries side by side.
After your wine tasting, amble next door to the Kinross Bistro for lunch. Sharing plates include baked Whitestone camembert, braised beef cheek, and Royalburn Station lamb shank. There are tasty wood-fired pizzas for a more casual dining experience, and a small but delicious selection of desserts. Or you can trust the chef with five shared, seasonal courses, paired with local wines. Watch out for live music and occasional comedy events.
Winery Eateries Further Afield
If you’re keen to venture further afield into the Central Otago wine region, the next wine growing area is Bannockburn. Continue along the road through Gibbston, 50 minutes’ drive from Queenstown. Here are three of our favourite Bannockburn winery eateries.
- Carrick Winery is above the Bannockburn Inlet. Their seasonal menu uses produce from their kitchen garden, eggs from the vineyard chickens, and their own olive oil.
- Mt Difficulty’s cellar door and restaurant offers platters and a small a la carte menu. There’s an outdoor terrace for the summer and a roaring fireplace in the cooler months.
- Cloudy Bay Shed sits alongside their lakeside cellar door. Their trust the chef menu is paired with wines and the small a la carte menu is exquisitely conceived and cooked.
Plan a Delicious Day in Gibbston
Make a day of your winery lunch in Queenstown by joining a wine tour or riding the Gibbston River Trail, which runs right through the wine country, with lunch as a natural mid-ride stop. If you want to stay in Gibbston, try Gibbston Valley Lodge, Mt Rosa Lodge, and the cottages at Kinross – all offer restful accommodation among the vines. Gibbston is a Dark Sky Park, so it’s well worth making a night of it to marvel at the southern stars.
You can discover all Gibbston’s wineries here, and we’ve put together more tips for exploring Gibbston's wineries and cellar doors. If you’re keen to experience more local eateries you might enjoy this guide to MICHELIN-listed restaurants in Queenstown, and there’s a comprehensive guide to places to eat and drink in Queenstown over here.
Your Winery Restaurant FAQs
Which Queenstown wineries do lunch?
A few wineries near Queenstown offer a proper sit-down lunch: Amisfield, Ayrburn, and Mora Wines & Artisan Kitchen at Lake Hayes, and Gibbston Valley and Kinross in Gibbston. Between them they cover everything from a relaxed lakeside shared plate to a MICHELIN-starred set menu. Several other cellar doors do tastings with platters and light bites.
How far is Gibbston from Queenstown?
Gibbston is about a 30-minute drive from central Queenstown, out along the Kawarau Gorge. Amisfield, Ayrburn and Mora Wines & Artisan Kitchen are a little closer, Lake Hayes, is roughly 20 minutes away on a local bus route. Both are an easy trip out and back with shuttle and tour options, so a long lunch among the vines is doable even if you have no car.
Can you get to a winery lunch without a car?
Yes. Wine tours run from Queenstown into Gibbston so no one has to sit out the tastings, and you can build a lunch stop into the day. One easy transport option from Queenstown is the shuttle bus to Gibbston Valley Winery, that runs 2–3 times daily. The Hop on Hop off wine tour is another affordable way to get to the wine region. You can also cycle. The Gibbston River Trail runs through the valley of the vines as part of the Queenstown Trail.
Can you bike to lunch in Gibbston?
Yes, and it is one of the nicer ways to explore the wine region. The Gibbston River Trail runs through the valley as part of the Queenstown Trail, so you can ride between cellar doors and stop for lunch along the way. Plenty of riders build a winery lunch into a day on the trail, with a shuttle sorting the ride home.
Do you need to book a winery lunch in Queenstown?
Booking is a good idea and it is worth confirming what days and hours a winery is open before you go, as these tend to change with the seasons. Most winery restaurants ask that you book ahead for groups of ten or more. Weekends and the warmer months fill early, so the further out you can plan, the better.
What is the difference between a cellar door and a winery restaurant?
A cellar door is where you taste a range of wines from a winery, often with platters or light bites. A winery restaurant serves a full sit-down menu, usually matched to the wines. Some Gibbston wineries do both, so it pays to check which you’re booking before you arrive hungry.
