Carrick Winery Restaurant sits on the Carrick estate at 247 Cairnmuir Road, Bannockburn, above the Bannockburn Inlet and alongside the Lake Dunstan Trail. The restaurant, vineyard and cellar door share one story: everything begins on the estate, where the first vines were planted in 1994 and the winery and restaurant were built into the landscape in 2002.
Carrick has been certified organic since 2008, and its wines are made entirely from its own single-estate vineyard in Bannockburn, shaped by wild fermentation and a restrained, place-led approach. The restaurant's menus follow the rhythm of the seasons, drawing on Otago's beef and lamb, wild game, southern seafood, and summer stonefruit, alongside organic vegetables, olive oil and eggs sourced from the estate's own garden, trees and free-ranging hens.
The restaurant is open daily from 11am to 5pm, with the full menu available until 3pm, making it a spot for a long lunch, a pause mid-ride on the Lake Dunstan Trail, or a relaxed afternoon glass of wine. Carrick is now stewarded by owners Tony and Ali Cleland, who live on the property and continue its focus on thoughtful farming and generous hospitality.
Carrick Winery Restaurant sits at 247 Cairnmuir Road in Bannockburn, above the Bannockburn Inlet and alongside the Lake Dunstan Trail, on land the estate describes as shaped by "the light on the vines, the grit of the soils, the stillness of Bannockburn." For more than three decades the Carrick estate has made wine here, and since 2002 the restaurant has stood built into that same landscape, sharing one story with the vineyard and cellar door around it.
The first vines at Carrick were planted in 1994, with the first wines released under the Carrick label in 2000. Since 2008 the estate has farmed certified organic, and every wine on the list is crafted entirely from Carrick's own vineyard — a pure expression of Bannockburn shaped by its climate, soils and viticulture. That single-estate approach runs through named vineyard wines such as EBM Chardonnay, Magnetic, Arthur's and Josephine, alongside varietal wines including Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Riesling. The flagship among them is Excelsior Pinot Noir, crafted from a single block above the estate's old coal seam and made only in exceptional vintages.
In the kitchen, the restaurant's menus follow the rhythm of the seasons, built around Otago's renowned beef and lamb, wild game, and southern seafood, alongside summer stonefruit and organic vegetables. Much of this produce is harvested straight from Carrick's own kitchen garden, with olive oil pressed from the estate's trees and eggs gathered from hens that roam the vines. It's food designed to sit alongside the estate's wines rather than compete with them, shaped as much by what the land offers each season as by any fixed menu.
Carrick's own description of its hospitality captures the intent well: whatever the mood, from a relaxed share-plate lunch to a quick bite off the bike track, the restaurant meets guests where they are, always shaped by the wines and the season. Diners can pause mid-ride along the Lake Dunstan Trail, settle in for a long lunch, or simply linger over a glass while looking out towards the Bannockburn Inlet and the Carrick Range beyond.
The restaurant is open daily from 11am to 5pm, with the full menu available until 3pm — a schedule built around long, unhurried lunches rather than dinner service. Online bookings are accepted for groups of up to 20 guests, with larger groups asked to get in touch directly.
Carrick's vineyard sits above the remnants of Bannockburn's gold and coal mining past, a landscape the estate describes as "carved by pioneers and defined by resilience." Today the estate is stewarded by owners Tony and Ali Cleland, who have lived on the property since 2021 and continue its commitment to organic farming and generous hospitality. For visitors, that combination of single-estate wine, seasonal garden-driven food, and a dramatic Central Otago setting is what defines a visit to Carrick Winery Restaurant.