Cuisine Wine

Gate 20 Two Vineyard

Setting
Nigel and Pauline McKinlay only planned to build a house on their land tucked away between two DOC reserves on Felton Rd. However, as it was prime vineyard land they were persuaded to plant grapes. Nigel couldn’t resist the visitors passing by to the nearby wineries so they opened a cellar door in their home as well.

Things To Know
Pauline, who established Everyday Gourmet deli and cafe in Dunedin, and Nigel, who used to run the family shoemaking firm, work the vineyard themselves, with James Dicey as consultant. The wine is made next door at Mt Difficulty Wines by Matt Dicey. The dry, textural pinot gris and pinot noir are foodfriendly, and most of the stock is sold at the cellar door or by mail order.

Our Picks
Try both the mouth-filling pinot gris and the savoury pinot noir.

Plus
Check out the remarkable Bannockburn Sluicings. Gold miners used high-pressure water to wash away land so they could extract gold, leaving behind gulches, caves, pinnacles, and piles of tailings. The DOC track starts next door to Gate 20 Two.