The Runholder: Vineyards, gin, and Wairarapa scenery

Home to wineries Te Kairanga, Martinborough Vineyard, and Lighthouse Gin, The Runholder provides a one-stop shop for great Martinborough fare. The three brands offer a quality hospitality experience with three unique dining areas. Outside, a sun-soaked terrace overlooks Martinborough’s rolling hills and vineyards.

The Runholder’s head chef Tim Smith is the former executive chef at luxury lodge Wharekauhau. His menus celebrate the Wairarapa region’s abundant produce and Kiwi generosity. Tim says his cooking philosophy is “rooted in using local ingredients made by hand from the land.” Both casual and à la carte dining options are available.

Lunches and long afternoons are perfect for shared plates and charcuterie, or wood-fired pizzas. Evenings offer elevated main courses, showcasing local ingredients.

Four people hold out their wine glasses for a toast at The Runholder, a restaurant, tasting room, cellar door, and distillery in Martinborough.

A large copper vat at The Runholder, a restaurant, tasting room, cellar door, distillery, and barrel hall space in Martinborough.

A pair of hands pick up a slice of Marguerita pizza at The Runholder's restaurant and tasting room in Martinborough.

A server wearing a striped shirt and green apron walks across the empty, set dining room at The Runholder, an upscale restaurant in Martinborough.

The drinks list features an extensive catalogue of Te Kairanga and Martinborough Vineyard wines by the glass and bottle. It includes cellar and rare wines such as Te Kairanga’s very limited WPF Pinot Noir. There are also limited-edition barrel-aged editions from resident distillery Lighthouse Gin. You can view the distillery and its 700-litre still through floor-length windows in the tasting room.

The Runholder celebrates the land and the bounty of the wider region in both design and name. Its name is an ode to the richly historied run of land the building sits on. Once home to sheep, it’s now covered in vines. The region’s iconic woolsheds inspired the interior, with aged linear timber and open ceilings. A subterranean barrel hall cuts into the Martinborough Terrace.