Euchre Lodge is Black Barn’s first new luxury retreat in seven years, adding to a portfolio of 16 stunning residences in Hawke’s Bay.

These retreats embody the hospitality Black Barn is famous for - they’re warm, expansive social spaces that are an escape from urban life, where visitors can immerse themselves in the best of the region.

A melding of wine, food and luxury accommodation, Black Barn was founded by Kim Thorp and Andy Coltart 20 years ago with the purchase of a vineyard on the banks of the Tukituki River. Today they have 25 acres growing premium Bordeaux-style varieties.

At the heart of the operation is the picturesque winery and bistro*, positioned on the sunny lower slopes of Te Mata peak, where a farmers market creates a bustling hub in summer, and an atmospheric ampitheatre hosts concerts and events (Lorde is set to perform in March).

Euchre Lodge is a 10-minute drive away, nestled into a valley above the Tukituki river with views across farmland and Black Barn’s Block Five vineyard to Mt Erin.

Like all Black Barn properties, Euchre Lodge has been designed as a sanctuary that sits seamlessly in its surroundings, its batten and board exterior and pitched roof resembling a traditional farmhouse, the surrounding gardens designed as if they’ve been there forever. Inside, it’s the picture of sophisticated modernity, with no expense spared on the finishings, furniture and state-of-the-art appliances.

On the dark and wet Friday evening Viva arrives, the Black Barn hospitality is in full force when chief winemaker Dave McKee greets us at the door. He doesn't usually play tour guide to visitors; this is special treatment for the newly opened lodge, which includes a guided tasting of Black Barn wines.

Dave has the fire lit in the stone fireplace, which forms the centrepiece of the open plan kitchen, dining and living area, crafted from Te Kūiti limestone hand selected by Andy Coltart.

In the kitchen, Brad Simpson from Roam is putting the final touches on a platter filled with local delicacies like Hōhepa Blue cow’s milk cheese, Craggy Range Sheep Dairy Pecorino, double cream Fromager D’Affinos, and homemade licorice figs; pear and ginger chutney; and poached quince.

Brad recently returned to New Zealand from Melbourne where he worked at Acre Farm & Eatery and The Smith. His grazing box and catering company Roam is his chance at a slower-paced job after working as operations manager at popular Hastings spot Crave Brewery. He says it’s a pleasure to be able to source products from some of the country’s most talented producers and growers, all within a 10km radius.

Dave has been with Black Barn since 2001, encouraged by the winery’s artisan philosophy and focus on wine growing - there are no second labels, and no requirement to push the volumes; they produce mostly domestic wines available through the cellar door.

All of Black Barn’s wines come from Hawke’s Bay and 95 per cent come from their own vineyards. The food focus is important too, the wines designed to pair well with the bistro menu, and available in all the retreats.

Black Barn is best known for its chardonnay, and the Hawke’s Bay Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2020 is a blend of multiple vineyards grown in the Tuki Tuki valley, an ideal spot for growing chardonnay, explains Dave, where it’s sheltered from the wind yet cools down at night, intensifying the aromatics of the grapes.

They’re pressed as whole bunches, which produces a natural cloudy grape juice that’s sent directly to barrels for fermentation. Dave’s tasting notes include grapefruit, citrus florals, a little brioche and vanillin from the French oak barrel.

“There’s flintiness as well that’s almost matchy, that gives a layer of complexity.”

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Next, Dave pours us Black Barn Sangiovese 2020. Sangiovese is the main variety in Italy’s Chianti region and the story of this wine’s transplant to Hawke’s Bay originates in Ischia, where the Italian founder of Lombardi Wines met her husband, a New Zealand soldier convalescing on the island during World War II.

Black Barn has leased a vineyard from Lombardi Wines since 1994, and a stipulation of the deal was for Black Barn to grow some Italian varieties, including the temperamental sangiovese.

“Sangiovese is like a prancing horse, it’s a devil of a variety because it doesn’t stand wet weather,” says Dave, “it’s so thin-skinned and crops amazingly heavy so it needs a lot of attention to detail on the vineyard.”

They’ve only produced three vintages, in 2004, 2009 and a “stellar, exceptional year” in 2020. It’s a plush, beautiful wine, with 10 per cent cabernet sauvignon to round it out and elegant acidity on the end. It pairs beautifully with Roam’s cured meats, which take the edge off the subtle tannins. With the tasting concluded, Dave and Brad leave us to the rest of the platter and wine, and the luxury surrounds of Euchre Lodge.

There are many cosy corners to retreat to, but interior designer Brigit Christie has ensured the fireplace area is particularly lovely, where an oversized curved couch creates a conversation space. Above it hangs a custom-painted oar-turned-pendant light by Leanne Culy that shimmers like greenstone, one of many standout pieces by artists including Billie Culy, Fane Flaws and Martin Poppelwell.

The dining area overlooks the pool and manicured gardens, and at the other end of the space an elegant living area with New Zealand-made furniture from the likes of Simon James, Nathan Goldsworthy and Jamie McLellan is framed by views of the river and mountains.

The generous master suite at the far end of the house, one of three ensuited bedrooms, has a super king bed dressed with linen in shades of river stones, an ample wardrobe and a marble-accented ensuite stocked with Black Barn’s own lavender-infused toiletries. It’s a soothing and luxurious setting in which to unwind in style, and make the most of the region’s best food and wine if you can bear to leave the house.

Where to eat and drink in Hastings and Havelock North

On a rainy Saturday, Havelock North restaurant Malo provides welcome respite, with chef Bert van de Steeg and his team serving classic dishes of eggs Benedict; creamy Te Mata mushrooms on ciabatta and Vietnamese pancakes with pork belly and nuoc cham.

Bert favours classic-yet-modern dishes with rustic flavours and quality ingredients, and that ethos is reflected in the warm interior too, with its vertical wood panelling, booth seating and hints of foliage. There’s a lounge area ideal for cosying up with a pre-dinner drink, and in summer, the courtyard is the place to be.

Wine tasting with a difference at Smith & Sheth

The team at Smith & Sheth keep the details of their interactive wine-tasting experience purposefully vague, so you emerge from the two-hour experience thoroughly buzzing.

It begins in the Smith & Sheth wine lounge and cellar door in the courtyard behind Porters Boutique Hotel (next door to Malo), where visitors can enjoy Smith & Sheth Cru wines, drops from sister wineries Pyramid Valley and Lowburn Ferry alongside some sommelier-selected wines from around the world.

Over a glass of Champagne, business development and sales co-ordinator Jason Lambert describes the Smith & Sheth concept as a meeting of minds between Steve Smith MW, a viticulturalist at heart, and Brian Sheth, a Texan tech entrepreneur and fan of Burgundian wines, who bonded over a love for Aotearoa and a dream of sourcing wines from great growers around NZ.

Their vision changed in 2017 when the opportunity to acquire Pyramid Vallery in North Canterbury, and Lowburn Ferry in Cromwell came up.

Smith & Sheth’s “one of a kind” wine-tasting experience is an intro to these wines, as well as their Cru range, housed inside the Heretaunga Wine Studio, a dark, barrel-filled room with a 47ft cinema screen and an intimate eight seats.

The scene is set with a Māori greeting, accompanied by stunning visuals of Hawke’s Bay by photographer John Paul Jones. We’re guided through eight limited-production wines by Jason, who assesses his guests’ wine knowledge (not much, in our case), sharing stories of the wines’ creation, interspersed with visual and audio effects. We leave excited about our newfound wine knowledge, and weighed down by the bottles we bought on the way out.

Artisan gin and tasting flights at Hastings Distillers

Having heard a lot about Hastings Distillers and with their bittersweet orange-hued aperitif L’Opera in our drinks cabinet at home, we were excited to experience the philosophy of owners Kate Galloway and David Ramonteu first-hand.

The French salon-inspired space is a bit like stepping into an oasis of artisan spirits; the interior so chic you wish you’d dressed for the occasion. The heavy velvet curtains, gold-topped bar, glass display cabinets and dark navy walls, it’s all just right.

Opened by ex-wine makers Kate and David in 2019, Hastings Distillers offers Aotearoa’s first bio-certified organic spirits and liquors, using botanicals grown on nearby “gin gardens” or wild-foraged.

Following nature’s lead is paramount, with gins that celebrate the ingredients and flavour profiles they’re distilled with, whether they’re herbal or citrus, spicy or smoky. Visitors can try their gins and aperitifs via a tasting flight, or sample the cocktail menu.

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We left with a bottle of their newest creation a barrel-aged negroni, one of a batch of only 500; a combination of the East Block 200 Gin, L’Opera and red Rubis sweet vermouth, aged for 18 months in French oak.

Tasting room by day, wine bar at night at Cellar 495

During a hectic opening weekend for new wine bar Cellar 495, owner Michael Henley offers a warm welcome, despite juggling a full bar and a stream of visitors.

Mike, who named the bar after his master of wine number - he is the world’s 495th - has designed the bar as a wine shop and tasting room by day, and a wine bar by night, housed in the newly reopened Municipal Building.

The focal point of the space is the bar, which wraps around the room, enveloped in sage green tiles, and the wine-filled timber shelves. Tables spill out into the courtyard outside where there’s a laneway connecting it to the Municipal Building’s other venues.

The precinct has undergone several years of earthquake restrengthening and renovations and has finally opened its doors, with some of the city's key venues housed inside, including the Toitoi opera house, Akina Gallery, Hastings I-site and Craft & Social.

With events picking up, Mike’s bar is set to become the perfect spot for pre- and post-drinks. We opt for the Trust the Chef menu, which is a series of six dishes accompanied by wines hand-chosen by Mike from Hawke’s Bay and further afield.

We try Yabon sourdough with bone marrow butter and roasted garlic; little brioche toasts topped with Ortiz anchovies, salted yolk and chermoula; crispy maple-glazed pork belly on kūmara puree with puffed amaranth and apple; and a rich salted caramel fondant with vanilla icecream and nut brittle.

Its sophisticated food and Mike’s wine selections are the perfect match, from an Arini Rosé 2021 from Bostock Wines, an Alchemy 2019 Chardonnay and an Easthorpe Gamay 2020 all from Hawke’s Bay.

Prestige Wines at Church Road Winery

Church Road Winery in Napier is celebrating 125 years on the weekend we visit, and the team is fresh from hosting a gala at the winery inviting winemakers, past and present staff and special guests to toast the momentous occasion.

The event is also a chance to unveil Church Road’s new top-shelf Prestige Collection, including the Church Road 1 and Church Road TOM (priced at $220 a bottle), named after Tom McDonald, whose presence looms large at the winery having worked his way from bottle washer in 1921 to one of the “founding fathers” of New Zealand winemaking, growing some of the country’s first commercial plantings of cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay in Hawke’s Bay in 1949.

The Church Road Winery and restaurant is a popular stop for lunch and dinner, with its grand wine barrel-filled dining room and expansive grounds that are ideal for enjoying a wine in the sun.

*Black Barn bistro is closed for renovations after a fire, but is set to reopen early 2023