Brick Bay is a vineyard, sculpture park and restaurant rolled into one coastal property at Snells Beach, a short trip from the city on Auckland's Matakana coast. It was born out of a passion for the exceptional — the natural environment, contemporary art, inspirational food and wine — and that mission shapes everything on site.
The boutique vineyard was planted in 1995 and produced its first vintage in 1998. Today the sustainably accredited 4.5-hectare block, on clay loam soils once used to make bricks (hence the name), yields limited releases of just 1,000–1,500 cases a year: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Bordeaux red varieties including the rare Petit Verdot, made in partnership with West Brook Winery and winemaker James Rowan.
The Glass House Kitchen, cantilevered over a lake, serves contemporary New Zealand cuisine built on fresh, seasonal and locally inspired produce — including the Venison Carpaccio named among Auckland's Top 100 Iconic Eats for 2026. Outdoors, the renowned Sculpture Trail threads through native bush and vineyard, showcasing the largest selection of outdoor sculptures for sale in New Zealand. Self-guided wine tastings run every day, the shop sells wines and small sculptures, and the team hosts group functions, corporate days, evening hire and school visits.
Brick Bay, at 17 Arabella Lane, Snells Beach, is a short trip from the city but feels a world away: a boutique vineyard, a lakeside restaurant and one of New Zealand's most celebrated outdoor sculpture collections, all folded into a single patch of Matakana coast. The property was born out of a passion for the exceptional — the natural environment, contemporary art, inspirational food and wine — and that idea still shapes every visit, whether you come for lunch, a tasting or a slow walk beneath the trees.
The name Brick Bay is quite literal. The vineyard's north-east-facing slopes sit on clay loam soil once used to make bricks, and warm, humid sea breezes from Kawau Bay encourage steady ripening. Planted in 1995 with a first vintage in 1998, the sustainably accredited 4.5-hectare block is dry-farmed, so established vines send deep roots down in search of minerals and trace elements, and every vine is hand-tended from shoot selection to leaf plucking and bunch thinning. At harvest, a small team handpicks each perfect bunch. Only varieties suited to the terroir are grown: Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, along with the Bordeaux reds Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and the rare Petit Verdot.
That restraint carries through to the cellar. Brick Bay produces just 1,000–1,500 cases a year, made in partnership with West Brook Winery and winemaker James Rowan through minimal intervention and gentle handling, so each wine reflects the landscape and season it came from. Self-guided tastings run every day with detailed tasting notes, and if a wine expert is free they will happily take you through a personalised tasting — a welcome touch for anyone wanting to understand what makes Matakana wines distinct.
Dining here is a landscape experience in itself. The Glass House Kitchen is cantilevered over a shimmering lake, serving contemporary New Zealand cuisine: fresh, vibrant, farm-to-table dishes built around local, seasonal produce. It works as easily for a casual lunch as for a special occasion, and the menu changes with the seasons — which is exactly why you never know quite what will be on the board.
The dish to know is the Venison Carpaccio, recognised as one of Auckland's Top 100 Iconic Eats for 2026. Because the menu is seasonal, nobody can promise how long it will stay, so if it appears when you visit, order it. Keep an eye out too for the Winter Series dinner events — a colder-weather reason to plan an evening visit.
The other half of Brick Bay's reputation is the Sculpture Trail, which showcases the largest selection of outdoor sculptures for sale in New Zealand. The route threads through native bush and vineyard, pairing contemporary works with water, birdlife and lush natural beauty; each visit promises new discoveries, and the works you pass are available to purchase, from large-scale exhibition pieces to small sculptures sold through the shop.
The site's creative ambition extends to architecture through the annual Brick Bay Folly programme, which has been named a finalist in the Best Design Awards after Gold wins in 2024 and 2025 — could it be three in a row? For collectors and organisations there is also a sculpture consultancy to help place art in gardens, workplaces and public spaces.
Brick Bay is open 7 days from 10am: Monday to Friday until 4pm, Saturday until 9pm and Sunday until 5pm. Tables can be booked online, and it is worth checking the events page for tastings, dinners and exhibitions before you come. The shop covers more than wine — small sculptures, gifts and vouchers — and wines can be ordered online with New Zealand-wide shipping, while international buyers are looked after through a partner.
Groups are well catered for: group functions, corporate days, exclusive evening hire and school visits can all be arranged, with enquiries handled online or by phone on 09 425 4690. Whether you come for an hour or the whole day, give yourself time for both halves of Brick Bay — a plate in the Glass House and the trail outside — because the pairing of art, wine and landscape is precisely what makes the place worth the drive.