Do you need to book to visit Brennan Wines?

Booking is recommended — their own words are “We strongly encourage you to book.” Reserve a table through their booking page, or ring 03 442 4315.

How much is a wine tasting at Brennan Wines?

Self-guided flights start at $45 for three wines of your choice. A host-guided tasting of five wines with appetisers is $65 and takes about an hour.

Is there food at Brennan Wines?

Platters to share and lighter dishes. The $65 host-guided tasting includes kiwi-inspired appetisers.

What wines does Brennan Wines make?

Muscat, tempranillo and zinfandel, grown here in Gibbston — varieties you will not find at the bigger cellar doors up the valley — alongside the pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling and gewürztraminer.

How far is Brennan Wines from the bike trail?

About 870 metres along Gibbston Back Road, or four minutes' riding. It is the same turn-off as Mt Rosa and Waitiri Creek.

Brennan Wines by Bike

Estate-grown muscat, tempranillo and zinfandel alongside the pinot noir — varieties you will not taste at the big names up the valley — poured over a garden and the Nevis Bluff.

The low iron-roofed tasting room seen across the lawn, with umbrellas and picnic tables in front of it and bare brown hills behind

Festoon lights strung above picnic tables on the garden lawn, roses along the vine rows and a steep scree face rising behind

Looking out of the open tasting room doors across a gravel court and vine rows to the rock face beyond

The Details

Address: 86 Gibbston Back Road, Gibbston 9371
Phone: 03 442 4315
Email: cellardoor@brennanwines.com
Website: www.brennanwines.com
Social: Instagram · Facebook

Open

Monday	11am – 5pm
Tuesday	11am – 5pm
Wednesday	11am – 5pm
Thursday	11am – 5pm
Friday	11am – 5pm
Saturday	11am – 5pm
Sunday	11am – 5pm

Tastings: From $45 per person
Bookings: Recommended Book a table

Food: Platters to share, and lighter dishes.

Getting There by Bike

About 870 metres off the Winery Bike Trail, along Gibbston Back Road — four minutes' riding, and one of the longer runs to a door out here. The red dotted line on the map below is that stretch.

It is the same turn-off as Mt Rosa at number 47 and Waitiri Creek at 91, so the three come off one detour rather than three. The address is 86 Gibbston Back Road, and tapping it in The Details opens it in Maps.

The red dotted line is the distance from the Winery Bike Trail to the winery's front door. Tap the map and zoom out to see where you turn off.

The Wines

Thirteen wines, every one from estate-grown fruit off some of the oldest vines in Gibbston — the pinot noirs and chardonnay you would expect, and the tempranillo, zinfandel, muscat and gewürztraminer you would not.

These wines taste better in person

BOOK YOUR RIDE — FROM $149

✓ No booking fees ✓ Free 48hr cancellation ✓ Free bad weather refund

What to Expect

Two ways to taste. The self-guided flight is from $45 for three wines of your own choosing — including a vertical of the flagship pinot noirs — at your own pace, with light dishes available alongside. The host-guided tasting is $65 for five wines and kiwi-inspired appetisers, and takes about an hour. Or you can simply have a glass.

The range is the reason to make the detour. Brennan grow muscat, tempranillo and zinfandel here, which is unusual for Gibbston and unusual for Central Otago; their own framing is that the vineyard “pioneers varieties like Muscat, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel in Gibbston's higher elevation climate”. Everything is estate grown.

The tasting room looks out over a large garden and the Nevis Bluff, which is where you would want to be on a good day.

Worth knowing

Book. Their own words: “We strongly encourage you to book.” At nearly a kilometre off the trail this is not a stop to gamble on, and the same turn-off gives you Mt Rosa and Waitiri Creek if plans change.

The Brennan Story

The Brennan family came from Ireland and settled in New Zealand in 1877. Dr Sir Murray Brennan, born in Auckland, later acquired land in Gibbston — the family bought in the 1970s — and planted vines in 1994. In 2006, after studying and making wine abroad, Sean Brennan moved to Gibbston permanently and started producing the family's own wines. Emma Bennet joined him in 2019.

The vineyards run along the eastern end of Gibbston Back Road, from lower alluvial flats up to steep, lean, stony ground. The altitude here pushes harvest back a few weeks on the rest of Central Otago. Brennan are registered with New Zealand's sustainable winegrowers, and their awards include Best Red Wine at the International Wine Challenge in London and a silver for pinot noir at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Told from Brennan's own history.

Common Questions

Do you need to book?: Booking is recommended — their own words are “We strongly encourage you to book.” Reserve a table through their booking page, or ring 03 442 4315.
How much is a tasting?: Self-guided flights start at $45 for three wines of your choice. A host-guided tasting of five wines with appetisers is $65 and takes about an hour.
What time is it open?: Daily, 11am to 5pm.
Is there food?: Platters to share and lighter dishes. The $65 host-guided tasting includes kiwi-inspired appetisers.
What is unusual about the wines?: Muscat, tempranillo and zinfandel, grown here in Gibbston — varieties you will not find at the bigger cellar doors up the valley — alongside the pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling and gewürztraminer.
How far off the trail is it?: About 870 metres along Gibbston Back Road, or four minutes' riding. It is the same turn-off as Mt Rosa and Waitiri Creek.

Nearest Stops on the Trail

Waitiri CreekSame road, a little further — hot pies and cheap tastings
Mt RosaSame turn-off, closest to the trail of the three
The ChurchBack west — a full kitchen in an 1894 church