1. Where is Esses Wine Company located?
Esses Estate is at 280 Postmans Road, Kaikōura located 6km north of Kaikoura township, the driveway after Lavender Farm
2. What are your opening hours?
We welcome visitors by appointment, between 11am and 5pm, seven days a week.
Book: https://esseswine.com/pages/visit
We cannot guarantee that someone will be available for a walk-in visit and hence kindly request booking in advance.
3. Do I need to book a tasting?
Yes. Bookings are recommended so we can prepare for your visit and provide a personal tasting experience.
We cannot guarantee that we will be able to host walk-ins.
Book: https://esseswine.com/pages/visit
For same-day availability, please text or call 021 256 4383.
Masterclass experiences must be booked a minimum 24 hours in advance.
4. How long does a tasting take?
Allow approximately:
- Classic tasting: 30 minutes.
- Premium tasting: 45 minutes.
- Ultra-Premium tasting: 50 minutes.
- Masterclass: 1 hour. However we recommend allowing 1.5 hours.
Times are indicative and may vary with the wines available and the questions you would like to explore.
If you are on a tight time schedule, please let as know at the beginning of the tasting and we can tailor the tasting time to your needs.
5. How much do tastings cost?
Our published tasting prices are:
- Classic Tasting: NZ$30 per person.
- Premium Tasting: NZ$40 per person.
- Ultra-Premium Tasting: NZ$50 per person.
- Masterclass Tasting: NZ$100 per person.
Prices and wine selections may change, so please check our Visit Us page when booking.
6. What is included in each tasting?
Our guided tastings introduce you to Esses Estate, our vineyard and our approach to Méthode Traditionnelle. The wines tasted vary by experience and current availability.
The Classic tasting is an introduction to our sparkling wines. Premium and Ultra-Premium tastings explore vintage and aged wines, while the Masterclass offers a more in-depth experience.
Please check the booking description for the current wine selection and inclusions.
7. Can I change or cancel my booking?
Yes, if your plans change you can change or cancel your booking. If you have booked online, your booking confirmation email will have a
link available to reschedule or cancel.
If you have booked via email or phone, please contact us by phone, as early as possible so we can discuss changing or cancelling your
booking.
Cancellations are accepted to 1 hour in advance, however we do ask that you provide as much notice as possible.
8. Do you accommodate groups?
Yes, we welcome enquiries from groups.
Online bookings are available for up to six people; for larger groups, please contact us directly so we can discuss availability and the most suitable experience.
We also work with local operators to create tailored experiences, including private tastings and food-pairing experiences.
9. Are children welcome?
Yes, children are welcome to accompany adults.
We ask that you select the number of children attending when booking, so we can plan seating accordingly.
Alcohol tastings and supply are restricted to people aged 18 and over, and minors will not be served alcohol.
Please note that we do not have food and beverage availabe for children, however they are welcome to bring their own snacks.
10. Are dogs allowed?
Yes, dogs are welcome on the property.
Where the tasting is a shared tasting, they will be required to be on a lead and will not be allowed within that tasting room itself.
For private tastings, dogs are welcome into the tasting room, as the tasting hosts discretion and based on the dogs behaviour.
Please note that Esses do have their own vineyard dog, and any dog coming on the vineyard will be required to have been socialised.
Any dogs brought on site are at the owners risk and responsibility.
11. Is the cellar door accessible?
We host our accessible tastings in our Press Gallery area, used to host larger groups and events.
When making a booking, please let us know your accessibility needs, to ensure that we have this space set up in advance and provide a tailored service to your needs.
12. Is there parking onsite?
Parking is available at the estate.
For large campervans and buses, Esses Estate recommends parking outside the front gate when the site is busy.
13. Do you serve food or lunch?
Esses Estate is a tasting room rather than a restaurant, and we do not have facilities to provide lunch.
Our tasting experiences focus on the wines themselves and taking clients through the vineyard, winemaking process and the tasting profiles of the
wines.
14. Can I buy wine after my tasting?
Yes, all our wines included new release, limited release and some sold out wines are available for purchase at the cellar door, after your
tasting.
Our tasting room as a separate allocation, which means that you can access rare and limited release wines following your tasting.
