Thursday (Oct 25) was a bit of an adventure. We took a 30-minute ferry ride to Waiheke Island, sometimes called NZ’s Martha’s Vineyard. For years it was mainly a hippie haven. Then NZ wealthy retirees discovered it and invaded. Today it is a high end resort area where the wealthy have found a way to coexist with the hippie culture. It was drop dead beautiful and enjoys a more moderate climate than Auckland since it is surrounded by water making it ideal for viticulture.

We tasted wine at Stoneyridge and Tantalus. Both focus their efforts on Bordeaux-style grapes and blends, a rather unusual approach in a country where pinot noir and sauvignon blanc rule. Fine wines at both venues, but the tasting room and restaurants at Tantalus were one of the best, most elaborate operations I have ever seen. As the saying goes: how do you make a small fortune in the wine business? You start with a large one and buy a winery.