wineinsights, Martinborough

Wineinsights delivers premium, expert led wine experiences across Martinborough and the wider Wairarapa, designed for people who want depth, authenticity, and a genuine connection to the region’s wines. My tours and services are built around one core idea: wine becomes far more meaningful when it is explained, contextualised, and shared by someone who truly understands it. As a wine professional, educator, writer, and experienced wine traveller, I bring a level of insight and personal knowledge that sets wineinsights apart from standard tour operators.
⭐ Private Wine Tours
My private wine tours are intentionally small (2–4 guests, maximum 6) to ensure a relaxed, personal, and highly informative experience. Every tour is expert led and personally hosted. I curate each itinerary based on the season, the wineries, and your interests, drawing on deep relationships with boutique producers and years of studying and teaching wine. You’ll enjoy unhurried tastings, vineyard stories, and meaningful conversations with the people behind the wines — experiences that simply don’t happen on large group tours.
The Greater Wairarapa Wine Tour is my signature offering. It showcases the full diversity of the region, from Martinborough’s iconic Pinot Noir producers to the emerging wineries across the wider Wairarapa. This tour is ideal for guests who want to understand not just what they’re tasting, but why the region produces such distinctive wines. I connect the dots between vineyard sites, winemaking choices, regional history, and global wine styles, giving you a richer, more complete understanding of Wairarapa wine.
A major part of what shapes my approach is my extensive international wine travel. Over many years I have explored wine regions across Europe, Australia, and North America, visiting producers, tasting widely, and learning directly from winemakers and growers. These experiences allow me to place Martinborough and the Wairarapa in a global context — offering comparisons, insights, and perspectives that deepen your appreciation of the region.
I am also an active wine writer, creating articles that blend education, storytelling, and travel. My writing informs my tours and educational work, helping guests understand the people, places, and decisions behind the wines they enjoy. This combination of travel, writing, and teaching gives wineinsights a distinctive voice and a level of expertise rarely found in small tour operations.
⭐ Wine Education
This is where the journey to enhance your wine knowledge and experience begins. Learn with someone who shares your enthusiasm for wine and join one of two workshops: Sensory Evaluation of Wine (Essentials) or Advanced Sensory Evaluation of Wine. Both workshops provide a systematic approach to wine tasting and a deeper practical understanding of how the components of wine — and key winemaking decisions — shape what you experience in the glass.
These workshops are ideal for wine enthusiasts, hospitality staff, and especially those new to working in a cellar door who want confidence, structure, and practical tasting skills.
⭐ Additional Specialist Services
• Wine cellaring advice With an extensive personal cellar and years of experience selecting and ageing wines, I help clients build, refine, or reorganise their own collections. Whether you’re starting a cellar, expanding one, or wanting guidance on what to drink now versus what to hold, I offer practical, personalised advice.
• Curated wine tasting events I design and host engaging tasting events for private groups, celebrations, and corporate gatherings. These can be themed tastings, blind tastings, regional explorations, or team building sessions for businesses wanting something memorable and interactive. Every event is tailored to the group, the occasion, and the level of wine knowledge.
Across all my services, the common thread is expertise delivered with warmth, clarity, and genuine enthusiasm. My goal is always to make wine more enjoyable, more understandable, and more meaningful — whether you’re joining me for a day in the vineyards, learning the structure of wine tasting, or exploring wines with friends or colleagues.
If you’re looking for a premium, expert led wine experience in Martinborough or the Wairarapa — one that is personal, educational, and thoughtfully curated — wineinsights offers something truly distinctive!

• Wairarapa
• Wellington
• Hawkes Bay
• Marlborough

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