Queenstown Gin, Wine & Beer Tour: Three tastings in one afternoon

Taste three things in one afternoon, from vineyard to river

An adults-only small-group afternoon tasting tour from Queenstown that moves through three distinct stops: Gibbston Valley Wines for Pinot Noir among the vines, GT Tasting Room for New Zealand craft gin, and Canyon Brewing for locally brewed beer above the Shotover River. A local guide drives the group through wine country and alpine scenery, with wine options available at each stop if you prefer.

Step-by-step itinerary

Afternoon Gin, Wine & Beer Tour

• Depart central Queenstown
• Travel through Gibbston wine country
• Taste Pinot Noir at Gibbston Valley Wines
• Wander Home Block vineyard with wine
• Enjoy craft gin tasting at GT Tasting Room
• Travel to Arthur’s Point and Shotover River
• Taste craft beer at Canyon Brewing
• Return to central Queenstown

The experience

How do you fit Central Otago wine, craft gin and locally brewed beer into one afternoon without it feeling rushed? The answer is the route itself. You leave central Queenstown in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with a maximum of ten people and a New Zealand-born local guide, heading first into Gibbston, the "Valley of the Vines", where vineyards sit beneath rugged mountains along the Kawarau River. This is where Central Otago wine history was made, and Gibbston Valley Wines, the founding winery of the region, is your first stop.

At Gibbston Valley, you taste Pinot Noir where it matters: then you take your glass into the Home Block vineyard and wander among the vines with the mountains as your backdrop. The shift happens at GT Tasting Room at Gibbston Tavern, where a hosted tasting of premium New Zealand craft gin replaces the expected second wine stop, though wine is available if gin isn't your preference. From there, the landscape changes entirely. You leave the vineyards behind and journey toward Arthur's Point and the Shotover River, a striking shift from vines to one of Queenstown's most dramatic alpine river landscapes. Canyon Brewing sits perched high above the river, and you settle into the beer garden, hops growing around you, to taste a flight of beers brewed on-site in the microbrewery. Wine tasting is available here too if you'd rather skip the beer.

The whole experience runs about three and a half hours from pickup to return. The group stays small by design, capped at ten adults, and the guide shares local knowledge throughout the drive. This is not a wine-focused tour that happens to include other things. It's built around the contrast between three distinct tasting experiences and the scenery that connects them.

What’s included

• Three distinctive tasting experiences: Pinot Noir at Gibbston Valley Wines, premium New Zealand craft gin at GT Tasting Room, and locally brewed beer at Canyon Brewing above the Shotover River.
• a wander through the Home Block vineyard at Gibbston with your glass in hand.
• wine tasting options available at the gin and beer stops.
• travel by Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from central Queenstown.
• a New Zealand-born local guide sharing regional knowledge throughout the afternoon.

Options for this experience

2 options

Gin, Wine & Beer Tour, privateGuide in English · 15:00Upgrade to a private tour, reserved exclusively for your group. Ideal for couples, friends, birthdays, and celebrations.

Adults-only Queenstown Gin, Wine & Beer Tour with a Kiwi host, max 10 guestsGuide in English · 15:00

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 15:00

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 10

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Alpine Wine Tours

Is this one for you?The fixed three-stop route and small-group format mean you move through three distinct tasting experiences and two dramatically different landscapes, vineyard to river, without the day feeling fragmented or the group feeling crowded. Book the private option if you want the same stops and scenery with only your own party.

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Top questions

What exactly do I taste at each stop on the Queenstown gin, wine and beer tour?

Gibbston Valley Wines is your first stop, where you taste Pinot Noir (the wine that made Central Otago famous), and then wander the Home Block vineyard with your glass. At GT Tasting Room you taste premium New Zealand craft gin in a hosted tasting, with wine available as an alternative. At Canyon Brewing above the Shotover River, you taste a flight of locally brewed beers from their on-site microbrewery, and wine tasting is available instead if you prefer.

Is this tour only for wine drinkers, or can I skip the wine stops?

Wine options are available at both the gin stop (GT Tasting Room) and the beer stop (Canyon Brewing), so you can choose wine at either or both if you prefer it to gin or beer. The tour is built around three tasting experiences, and you pick what you taste at each one.

What's the drive like between the tasting stops in Gibbston and the Shotover River?

The journey from Gibbston wine country to Arthur's Point and the Shotover River is a striking change of scenery. You move from vineyards beneath rugged mountains to one of Queenstown's most dramatic alpine river landscapes, and your local guide shares knowledge about the region along the way.

How many people go on this tour, and who leads it?

The tour is adults-only and stays small by design: maximum ten guests per group. A New Zealand-born Queenstown local guide leads the tour and drives the group in a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, sharing local knowledge throughout the afternoon.

Can I book this tour privately instead of in a small group?

Yes, a private version of the Queenstown Gin, Wine & Beer Tour is available as an upgrade at checkout, so you can arrange the same three tasting stops and route for your group alone.