Hans and Therese Herzog own and run the successful Herzog winery, restaurant, bistro and vineyard cottage in Jeffries Road. The Herzog’s are originally from Switzerland where Hans and Therese had established a winery called Taggenberg, in Zurich’s wine region. Taggenberg was considered one of the foremost estates in the country, ...
Therese remembers it well: “I didn’t want to leave at first and fought hard to stay where we were.” The restaurant was on the brink of receiving its Michelin Star and everything was going so well for Therese, who had already quit her marketing job in the computer industry and reinvented herself as a successful restaurateur. “I created a restaurant where the entire dining experience was the focus. Great food and wine is meant to be enjoyed slowly; celebrated and savoured for its subtleties.” Indeed Therese’s non-traditional approach to fine dining was the perfect way to showcase Hans’ wines, which were widely acclaimed as serious, handcrafted food wines. But Hans had been making wines in Switzerland for almost 30 years and had taken the Taggenberg label as far as he could. What Hans wanted now was to find a place where he could produce great Bordeaux-style wine and other varieties not possible in the cooler climate of Switzerland. Their journey led them to Marlborough, which at the time was a still a fledgling winegrowing region. They bought the land in Jeffries Road in 1994 for its warm, dry microclimate, and “commuted” for the first 6 years.
Marlborough’s wine country is home to a diverse range of large scale and boutique local wineries, some of whom have opted for a more natural approach to wine making where organic and bio-dynamic practices assist in producing quality wines that are better for the health of the land and the environment.
If you happen to visit Lochmara Lodge on Queen Charlotte Sound, you are likely to be introduced to some unusual Marlborough locals, some of whom are so uncommon they are nearly extinct.
The Queen Charlotte Track is a superb route through natural vegetation including fantastic tree ferns. Everywhere there are lovely views of the Marborough Sounds. It's one of the worlds great walks that both mountain bikers and walkers can enjoy together.
New Zealand’s longest running and largest wine and food event will be held in the heart of Marlborough’s celebrated wine region on Saturday 12 February 2011. The iconic Marlborough Wine Festival has a history of featuring New Zealand’s greatest young ...
