Eighteen Hawke’s Bay wineries, one riverside paddock, one Saturday in November – Harvest Hawke’s Bay Food & Wine Festival is on Saturday 21 November 2026 in the Tuki Tuki Valley.
There are plenty of ways to taste your way through Hawke’s Bay. Only one of them happens in a single afternoon, in an olive grove beneath Te Mata Peak, with a river at your back and live music playing.
Harvest Hawke’s Bay returns for its fourth year on Saturday 21 November, and the pour list is the reason to book early.
Eighteen of the region’s wineries will be side by side: Alchemy Wines, Askerne Estate, Ash Ridge Wines, Black Barn Winery, Brookfields Vineyards, Chateau Garage, Collaboration Wines, Decibel Wines, Easthope Wines, Maison Noire, Oak Estate Wines, Paritua Wines, Radburnd Cellars, Shed 530, Smith & Sheth, Swift Wines, Trinity Hill Winery and Village Vineyards.
That mix is the point. Established names pouring alongside boutique and emerging labels, in one place, on one day. You can work through the region’s Syrah, Chardonnay and Cabernet blends back to back and actually compare them, without a designated driver and a four-cellar-door itinerary.
Master of Wine Mike Henley, who owns Hastings wine bar Cellar 495, will be there with his team. “It’s the type of premium wine and food event that helps reinforce Hawke’s Bay’s standing as New Zealand’s premium wine destination,” he says.
The Food Is Not An Afterthought
Alongside the wineries ten of the region’s restaurants and eateries are serving signature dishes built on local produce: Black Barn Bistro, Casa Ahuriri, Cellar 495, Long Island Deli, Malo, Mister D’s, Rasoi, Restaurant Ari, Roam and Tu Meke Don. Local brewers Giant and Brave Brewing return with their award-winning lineup for anyone who wants a palate cleanser between wineries.
Three bands play through the afternoon. The format is picnic style, which means grass, shade, a rug and no queuing for a table.
Wine, Food and Non Alcohol Beverage Exhibitors are here: https://www.harvesthawkesbay.com/exhibitors
Book Before It Goes
Tickets are capped at just over 2,000 to keep the day intimate and stress-free. Last year’s festival sold out well ahead of time, and with over half of this year’s ticket holders travelling from outside the region, and in some cases outside the country, to experience the best of Harvest Hawke’s Bay, ticket sales are on track to do the same this year.
Event manager Liz Pollock’s advice to anyone still thinking about it is not to leave the decision until the last minute.
Getting There, And Staying
A regional shuttle service to and from the festival, runs from Havelock North, Hastings and Napier. There is also free parking next to the site, and for the keen, the site sits just off one of Hawke’s Bay’s cycle-ways. Self-contained motor-home and caravan sites are also available for a two-night riverside stay, booked through the festival website.
Most visitors make a weekend of it, which is the sensible approach when visiting New Zealand’s very own Great Wine Capital.
