Hawke's Bay Tourism has launched a new touring route called the Classic New Zealand wine trail, according to a Hawke's Bay independent newspaper news item last week. The route starts in Hawke's Bay, heads to Martinborough, crosses Cook Strait to Marlborough in the South Island and ends in Kaikoura.

While the venture might be a good idea for Hawke's Bay tourism, there is nothing 'classic' about the route and with a route being promoted to international travellers, the potential customers are missing out on some of the most classic winemaking sites in New Zealand.

Any wine route should start in Auckland, the most neglected 'wine tourism' region in the country but a region that was at one time the heart of the New Zealand wine industry. It still is the home of the country's biggest producers, for Montana, the Nobilo Group and the Villa Maria group can be found here. In fact, Villa Maria is the closest winery to Auckland's International Airport and should be an essential stop to sample the Villa Maria, Vidal and Esk Valley wines, sourced from most regions of New Zealand.

After a day to recover from the jet lag, a traveller should head north, to visit the Bay of Islands, Ninety Mile Beach and Cape Reinga, taking advantage of the north-west Auckland region of Kumeu, then the Matakana and Northland wineries on route.

Returning to Auckland, a trip to the rugged West Coast and Piha and KariKari beaches, (where Xena, Hercules and The Piano were filmed), will take the tourist through the vineyards of the Henderson district. The following day an outing on the beautiful Waitemata Harbour will take the tourist to Waiheke Island, one of the country's premium red wine producing regions.

Heading south, take in the up and coming vineyards of South Auckland before ascending over the Bombay Hills to the rolling Waikato countryside. Go via State Highway One to Hamilton or head down State Highway Two. Either way will lead the tourist to Katikati and Tauranga before cutting across the East Cape to end up in Chardonnay country at Gisborne.

Now it's just a couple of hours further to drive to Hawkes Bay, where the so-called Classic Trail starts.

Following the Hawke's Bay Tourism's trail will have the tourist end up at Kaikoura, whale watching no doubt. But then where to? If heading to an airport, it is only a little further to Christchurch, passing the Waipara wine region on the way. A stop over in Christchurch will allow the tourist to explore the Canterbury wine region including a drive to Akaroa Harbour and one of the country's oldest vineyard sites, established by the French.

Any wine tourist will be aching to see the beautiful scenery and lakes of Central Otago as well as tasting some of the most southern wines in the world. A route to Queenstown via the South Canterbury Coast would see the tourist take in the South Canterbury and North Otago vineyards by turning inland at the Waitaki Valley toward the Central Otago wineland. From the airport at Queenstown, the tourist can fly back to an International airport for departure.

While the Hawke's Bay Tourism's wine trail is a good idea, I object to their proposed name of the Classic New Zealand wine trail. The Tourism Departments should work together in promoting the wine trails of the whole country, and more suitable names would be the Northern Wine Trail, the Central Wine Trail and the Southern Wine Trail. Sub-routes would need to be considerd to include Neslon and developing areas such as Taupo and Te Horo.

Comments would be appreciated. Please send to winetaster@clear.net.nz.