A stop at the Junction

En route to Napier we wanted to do some wine tasting, but by the time we got to the town of Masterton it was too late to visit any of the wineries. Instead we ploughed on, and at the junction of the SH2 and SH50 we came across the Junction farm and vineyard.
I wasn't really sure what to expect as on the roadside it said "Open" but we couldn't really see any vines and it all looked a bit bare on the drive up to the cellar door. Also we were there pretty late- most vineyards close at around 4:30pm and here we were at gone 5pm.
Turns out the cellar door is actually a small room on the side of the house and Jo invited us straight in to take a seat at the big table on their terrace. It was just the two of us there for tasting and I felt a little bit like we were intruding, but not for long! Jo pottered in and out of the house, bringing us wines to try, and told us all about the farm, which is primarily a cattle farm on which they have gradually converted land into vines. The do everything by hand (aside from pruning the leaves - they let their sheep do that!) and their son is the winemaker. It's mad how long it takes to make a profit from it!
I actually felt really at home! We exchanged stories of travels - Jo was telling us how her husband had travelled a lot in France when he was younger, playing rugby, and we should have known from all the rugby shirts hung up in the lounge. Even when John came back to the house and showed us on the map, all then places he had been to, it didn't click. It was only when we read the label on the bottle of wine that we bought (a yummy Pinot Noir), that we realised John was actually an All Black back in the day! Pretty cool, to say that you've tasted wine with the All Black who grew the grapes! Good wine, too! Their wine isn't available outside of Hawkes Bay, but if you happen to be on the state highway 2, driving into or out of Napier, pop in and they will show you a warm welcome and some very nice wines.