The Runholder is a winery restaurant on the edge of the Martinborough Terrace, at 89 Martins Rd in South Wairarapa, and it houses a cellar door, a barrel hall and a gin distillery under one roof. Te Kairanga and Martinborough Vineyard make their wines here, and Lighthouse Gin is distilled on the site. The cellar door is open seven days a week for a wine tasting flight, a gin tasting or a bottle to take home, and guests can share an aged bottle from the cellar. The restaurant serves a seasonal à la carte menu of charcoal-grilled seafood, prime cuts and shared plates for a winery lunch or dinner, and it takes enquiries for festive functions at the end of the year.
Martinborough is a small wine region northeast of Wellington, and the site describes its Burgundy-like climate, dry riverbeds and rocky soils as the reason its wines stand out. The Runholder sits on land that Te Kairanga has farmed for vines since 1984, and Martinborough Vineyard planted the region's first Pinot Noir vines on the same land in 1980. From the restaurant there are views across the vineyards and hills toward the Terrace. Martinborough Square is a five-minute drive or a ten-minute pedal away. Our pick in Martinborough for a winery lunch with a view.