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Monte Christo Winery has launched educational winery tours designed to give visitors an in-depth look at the winemaking process at its Clyde estate.
The tours, held onsite at the historic winery, take guests behind the scenes to explore how Central Otago wines are produced — from grape to bottle — before concluding with a guided tasting.
Monte Christo Winery was originally established in 1864 and is recognised as the birthplace of Central Otago wine. It was revived in 2023 by Dunedin-born entrepreneur Dr Stanley Paris and his son Nicholas Paris.
Dr Stanley Paris says the educational concept has long been part of the vision for the property.
“Established in 1864, Monte Christo Winery was once a thriving vineyard. However, it fell into a period of inactivity in the 1880s and it wasn’t until almost 140 years later, when we rediscovered it, that we saw the opportunity to revive it.
“It was always my dream to build an educational winery. The experience begins as we take people behind the scenes to demonstrate the process of winemaking from grape to bottle, before finishing with a guided wine tasting. To my knowledge, there are very few winery tours like this anywhere in New Zealand,” says Stanley.
Monte Christo Winery managing director Nicholas Paris, a Master of Wine and Advanced Sommelier, says the interactive experience is designed to appeal to a broad audience, including wine enthusiasts, corporate groups and students exploring careers in the sector.
Guests are guided through the full production process, including grape reception, de-stemming, fermentation, pressing and ageing in the underground barrel cellar. When available, barrel samples are offered. The tour also covers fining, filtration and bottling, all undertaken onsite.
Monte Christo’s vineyards span 22 hectares across the Alexandra Basin, Bannockburn and Pisa subregions, with harvest typically taking place between late March and early April.
“We take a minimal intervention approach to our winemaking, with a deep respect for both our heritage and the expressions of our Central Otago landscape,” says Nicholas.
From April, visitors can also book the winery’s Aroma Room experience, where participants explore key aromas associated with Central Otago grape varieties and take part in an interactive tasting exercise.
Two tour options are available: the Educational Winery Tour and Cellar Door Tasting, or the Educational Winery Tour and Underground Cellar Tasting, which includes a charcuterie platter.
