At the end of a drive lined with poplars to the right and vines to your left, you’ll find this friendly, no-frills cellar door. You can taste inside at the bar or relax on the patio outside.

This is a family business. Carey and Liz Weaver are the owners, daughter Jess is the winemaker, and son Mark helps with viticulture and marketing.

Weaver Estate is a new addition to the Alexandra wine scene, with the first vines planted in 2005. However, there were Weaver ancestors in the area as far back as 1864, working gold dredges in the nearby Clutha River.

Our picks Jess Weaver makes four wines under the family label: pinot noir, pinot gris, a pinot rosé and a recent addition – a pinot blanc.

Plus Weaver Estate is the closest cellar door to the western head of the Otago Rail Trail.