For visitors to the Central Otago winegrowing region, a visit to Northburn Station may cover all their needs. Situated around 8 km out of Cromwell on the eastern side of Lake Dunstan on the Tarras Road, the station offers a complete wine experience. Once part of a massive station that measured well over 100,000 ha, it still remains a large landholding at around 13,500 ha. Owned by Tom and Jan Pinckney since 1993, the station has around 11,000 Merino sheep and 200 cattle. The station is a destination due to the excellent fare served at ‘The Shed’ restaurant, where the food is based on the produce of the land around the restaurant, which acts as a function and conference venue. It is combined with the Northburn Wines cellar door-farmgate shop complex, and with the gardens, it’s a beautiful and picturesque location worth visiting for the view alone.

Table set for a fine dinner at The Shed, Northburn Station

Paul Tudgay and Shane Livingstone