Setting Inspiration: Vineyards

For today's Setting Inspirations I have some stunning pictures of New Zealand vineyards. Not only are the rows of crops gorgeous, the buildings themselves are big, breathtaking, and enchanting. They often have courtyards, fountains, gardens, and historical decorations for the tasting rooms. Every winery was unique, between the "feel" of the grounds and the taste of their wines. I also learned that many of these places have free wine tastings at their cellar door, and while organized wine tours are lots of fun, you can create your own "wine tour" very easily and cheaply.

The majority of these photos are from Marlborough or Canterbury.

Many of the entrances are covered in arches and vines.

The buildings themselves have unique designs or an old, historical feel.
 

  

The best part, of course, is the vineyards around the grounds or out back. Usually the tasting room has a good view, with a deck or courtyard so you can sit outside.

They make it a nice place to sit and drink lots of wine! Then hopefully buy even more wine. 

This one was one of the first few wineries we visited: 

We were there on Boxing Day, so most places were closed, but there were so many in the area (Blenheim), that even though only a fraction of the wineries were open, it was still more than ten! More than enough to keep us occupied all day. And in New Zealand, Christmas time is summer...

Some places have really nice interiors. (The husband makes an appearance:)

And the wine is as pretty as it is tasty.

For how beautiful these places are in the summertime, they're strangely horrible the rest of the year. Barren, desolate rows of gnarled sticks.

So my thoughts on this as a setting. Vineyards can be big. They could be fantastic for an outdoor, private scene. Or a character could be a vineyard worker, pruning the branches while another speaks to them. I often saw flocks of sheep let loose to graze the weeds (I don't have pictures of them, sorry). The wineries themselves are interesting buildings, with a wide variety of "suggestions" for settings, from the crisp and modern to the aged and wooden. The courtyards are plain eye-candy, and great for any garden.

As far as the other senses go, the smells and sounds varied greatly. There are the quiet, hidden-away cellar doors with a single cashier to greet you, and then there are the bustling tourist traps with flocks of wine-tasters and servers. Many wineries have busy restaurants and host events. There's the smells of wine, barrels, and the fresh summery outdoors.

Also, in a non-setting sense, touring wineries taught me a lot about wine. I learned the names and features of the most common grapes, including what foods they go with, how they're grown, and how they're processed. The other wine-tasters made for good character fodder, because there were plenty of wine snobs, as well as people from every country with every accent. And everyone has their own particular tastes! I find this knowledge useful for character traits and for adding a bit of class to classy scenes.

This post is part of a series focused around gorgeous or fascinating places that I think would make great settings for sci-fi and fantasy (or anything else!). It includes places I have used in writing, will use, or simply admire. 

I welcome submissions of your own photos or location suggestions. Anything breathtaking, haunting, unearthly, or otherwise memorable! Comment or tweet me and I'll try to make a post out of it.