The Gibbston Valley Wine and Food Festival celebrates the extraordinary wines of Central Otago's Gibbston sub-region — known as the Valley of the Vines — in one of the most dramatically beautiful wine festival settings in the world. Held among the vineyards of the Kawarau Gorge, with the schist rock walls rising above and the Kawarau River below, it brings together the region's finest winemakers with great food and live music for a day that captures the essence of Central Otago's wine culture.

Gibbston is one of the world's most southerly wine-growing regions and produces Pinot Noir of international distinction alongside Riesling, Pinot Gris and other cool-climate varietals. The festival places these wines in their full geographic and cultural context — visitors can taste not just the wines but understand the landscape, the soils and the conditions that make Central Otago one of the world's most exciting wine regions. The combination of wine, food, music and scenery is hard to match anywhere in New Zealand.

For visitors to the Queenstown region in autumn, the Gibbston Valley Wine and Food Festival is one of the finest ways to experience Central Otago's wine culture. The drive through the Kawarau Gorge, the vineyard setting and the quality of what is poured and served make it a festival that rewards the journey with experiences that stay long in the memory.