Chardonnay Affair: Elegant Gisborne Weekend
- May 28
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Date: To be formally announced. Expected to return in late May 2027.
Location: Various venues throughout Gisborne, including wineries, vineyards, coastal venues and curated event locations across the city and surrounding region.
Official Website: www.thechardonnayaffair.co.nz
There are some events in Gisborne that feel distinctly local.
The Chardonnay Affair somehow manages to feel both deeply Gisborne and quietly world-class at the same time.
Each year, winemakers, food lovers and visitors drift into the city for a long weekend built around one thing Gisborne does exceptionally well: Chardonnay.
And not just any Chardonnay.
Gisborne has long been regarded as one of New Zealand’s great Chardonnay regions, producing rich, expressive wines with tropical fruit, texture and warmth that reflect the sunshine and fertile soils of the East Coast. The Chardonnay Affair transforms that reputation into an entire weekend of tastings, long lunches, vineyard experiences and beautifully curated events spread across some of the region’s best locations.
But what makes the event memorable is not just the wine.
It is the atmosphere.
One event might involve seafood and Chardonnay overlooking the ocean at sunset.
Another might take place among vines beneath ancient trees. Elsewhere, guests board a heritage train, settle into a long lunch, or spend the afternoon casually talking with Gisborne winemakers who seem refreshingly unconcerned with wine-industry pretension.
The weekend feels less like a formal wine festival and more like being invited into Gisborne’s social life for a few days.
There is also something fitting about Chardonnay being the centrepiece here.
Gisborne itself has a slightly underrated quality to it. Relaxed, sunny, coastal and often overlooked by people rushing between larger tourism destinations. Chardonnay occupies a similar space in the wine world. Quietly respected. Deeply enjoyable. Occasionally underestimated.
The Chardonnay Affair leans into that identity beautifully.
Visitors quickly discover the event is not aimed exclusively at serious wine collectors or industry insiders. Some experiences are premium and intimate. Others are deliberately relaxed and social, designed for people who simply enjoy good food, good wine and long conversations that stretch into the evening.
And because this is Gisborne, the backdrop matters.
Expect coastal sunsets, warm autumn afternoons, vineyard landscapes, sea air and the kind of hospitality that still feels personal rather than corporate.
By the end of the weekend, most visitors leave understanding something locals already know:
Gisborne and Chardonnay make perfect sense together.
