Last week my husband was reading his way through the March issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine which had just arrived when he called my attention to one article he was sure I’d want to see. The subject? “10 Great Undiscovered Wine Regions,” with No. 7 being a place I’ve told Harry he and I must someday explore together: Waiheke Island in New Zealand. I had the great pleasure of spending a day on the island last April during my trip to Auckland. We visited several wineries, beaches and an olive oil company on the lovely island set in the Hauraki Gulf just a 40-minute ferry ride from Auckland. The article’s author, Risa Hyatt, points out that the regions she discusses aren’t “literally undiscovered, but certainly overlooked.” Kiwis are certainly well aware of the quality of wines produced by their “Island of Wines,” and anyone who’s once had the chance to sample some of the output of the two dozen wineries there won’t soon forget them. Hyatt favorably highlights two of the wineries we visited on that delightful fall day, and I was pleased to see them get this positive publicity in a well-regarded wine publication. Our first visit was to Te Whau Vineyard on a steep promontory overlooking vineyards in a range of fall colors and rocky points of land jutting into bays. Owner and winemaker Tony Forsyth (a retired psychologist) enjoyed sharing stories of his labor of love and his opinions on topics ranging from wine critics to his former profession. We sampled several vintages of his Cab/Merlot blend that were full of fruit and lingered long in the mouth.  Hyatt also mentions another winery we visited, Stonyridge Vineyard. Acres of grapes shared land with producing olive orchards from which workers were harvesting the shiny black fruit as we watched. Stonyridge also makes some stunning, full-bodied red wines — not what one usually thinks of in relation to New Zealand wines. Winemaker Summer, exhausted from finishing crush just the night before, nevertheless warmly welcomed us, as did everyone we met that day. You might not get many chances to try Waiheke Island wines outside of New Zealand, as most wineries there are small producers with limited distribution in the States. But if you do stumble across one here at home or come across one on your travels, be sure to give it a try. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor