If you’ve driven through North Canterbury wine country in winter, you’ve probably spotted something a little unexpected among the rows of bare vines: sheep! Not just a few - sometimes whole flocks, happily munching their way through the vineyard like they own the place. It’s a charming sight, but it’s also part of a clever, increasingly sophisticated approach to sustainable viticulture. Why Sheep are in the Vineyards at All During winter, vines are dormant. With no leaves or

North Canterbury has quietly earned a place among New Zealand's top wine regions, but what keeps people coming back isn't just what's in the glass, it's the warm welcome waiting on the other side of the cellar door. Ask anyone who's spent a lazy afternoon exploring North Canterbury wine country and they'll probably tell you the same thing – it's not somewhere you rush. Just a short drive north of Christchurch, the scenery begins to open up. Vineyards stretch across rolling co

The Waipara Valley Vineyard Trail is currently 7km long starting at the Glenmark Domain, near Waipara township, winding through vineyards and farmland, under SH1 and up over the north facing vineyards of Blacks Avenue to Black Estate. The trail allows access to private vineyards and farms offering a beautiful experience of North Canterbury’s wine and food, including four cellar doors and two restaurants. Most of the trail is Grade 2, and two short sections are Grade 3 at Grey