OPEN 9AM-6PM DAILY (ALSO OPEN FRIDAY NIGHTS), CELLAR DOOR 10AM-5PM DAILY BOOK NOW OR PHONE 03 442 1090
CELLAR DOOR
Open 10am – 5pm Daily
Welcome to Akarua Wines & Kitchen by Artisan’s Cellar Door. In 2016 we joined forces with the amazing Akarua Winery located in Bannockburn to open an alfresco dining and tasting experience.
Here on Arrowtown-Lake Hayes Road, our tasting room offers a hands on tasting experience guided by one of our knowledgeable cellar door staff members. Choose up to five wines to curate your own tasting experience – don’t worry, we always have our Pinot Noirs for sampling!
Enjoy tasting the full range of Akarua wines from their renown pinot noirs to award winning sparklings. All wines are available to purchase from our cellar door.
If you enjoy beautiful Central Otago wine, the Akarua Wine Club is a perfect club to join! Our winemaker Andrew Keenleyside carefully selects each shipment, and delivery is straight to your door. Sign up in the cellar door, or head to the Akarua Winery website for more details!
If you have any questions relating to our wines you can email us: cellardoor@akarua-artisan.nz or phone: +64 3 442 1090
Allie Davis – Akarua Wines & Kitchen by Artisan Cellar Door Manager
Originally from wine country in California, Allie brought the love of wine with her to New Zealand. Two years ago, Allie stepped through the Akarua-Artisan Cellar Door and fell in love with the place. With that, she became our Cellar Door Manager. Shortly after taking on this position, she enrolled herself into the WSET programme and quickly gained her WSET levels 1, 2 and 3 certificates.
Allie’s love for Pinot Noir stems from her parents; growing up near San Francisco, she was able to taste spectacular Pinot Noirs from the Sonoma Coast and Central Coast of California. This gave Allie her foundation in wine. Allie’s father always had a fascination for Central Otago Pinot Noir and actually used to purchase cases of RUA Pinot Noir, when it was distributed in the United States, for the family to enjoy. It is today, still a staple in her home in California.
Allie loves hanging out and being around people, talking about wine, and occasionally ‘nerding out’ over viticulture and winemaking. She loves being in the industry and is so grateful to be working in a place so close to her heart!
“Come for a taste and let’s talk wine!” – Allie
Hannah Nandorfy-Fischlin – Akarua Wines & Kitchen by Artisan Cellar Door Host
Meet Hannah! Originally from Ontario, Canada, Hannah has now been working in hospitality around the globe for over ten years. Having worked with some outstanding sommeliers from Toronto to Sydney, Hannah has always had a passion and admiration for wine. It wasn’t until a year ago when she arrived in Queenstown and decided to explore Central Otago on a wine tour, that she saw a real opportunity to take a step in working in the wine industry. Hannah has now been with Akarua-Artisan for nearly a year and has completed both her WSET Level 1 and 2 certificates.
Hannah’s love for the Cellar Door has stemmed from her passion for pairing wines with people. Everyday is a new opportunity to meet an abundance of personalities and characters, and she takes great pleasure in finding the right wine suited to each person that visits our Cellar Door. Her favourite wines are the Rosé Brut and our flagship wine- Bannockburn Pinot Noir! She has grown a great appreciation for Pinot Noir ever since living in Central Otago.
Hannah loves educating people on the Central Otago wine region, the story behind Akarua, and most importantly the wide range of wines we have to offer. Coming from the Great White North, you will often find her talking highly about our Alchemy Ice Wine that is one of Akarua’s most unique wines. She is excited about this new step in her journey within the wine industry and is looking forward to seeing what the future holds.