The loud slurping noise does not fit the situation: a schist-laid room; contemporary, minimalist furniture; elegant hostess and, from her mouth, this distinct slurping sound.

"It's not very elegant," explains Mari Schuster on finishing her slurp, "but it allows the flavour of the wine to distribute evenly to each part of your mouth." And so begins my introduction to wine tasting.

So far, I've learnt to pick up the glass by its stem, so as not to warm the cool Daniel Schuster Riesling with my clammy hand. I've then been taught how to swirl the drink around my glass (this took a bit of practice) before placing my nose deep, deep inside the vessel and taking a hearty sniff of the releasing aromas. Now comes the slurp: "Just sip it through your front teeth, across your tongue, like this," explains Mari, exemplifying another long slurp, lips lightly pursed, eyes thoughtful as she searches out the gentle flavours that she knows to be there. Then, she discreetly spits her mouthful into the spittoon.

Swirling, sniffing then slurping my own wine, I glance out the French doors of the Omihi Hills Vineyard tasting room. The mist-shrouded Waipara Valley creates a spectacularly moody backdrop to the carpet of spring-green vines, spread out row upon row across the valley floor. With the cool wine bubbling over my tongue, I start to taste things: soft fruity flavours, maybe peach? And something else... something citrus-like? In my head, I'm analysing this wine like a professional. After years of scorning the wine-tasters with their 'tropical fruits on the nose, and delicate herbaceous notes', I suddenly envisage myself joining them, becoming a fully-fledged wine connoisseur, travelling the world to award medals to bottles, and baffling people with my uncanny knack for picking up scents and tastes... in my excitement I forget about the spittoon and swallow the wine. Not very connoisseur-like at all.

Anyway, two minutes with Mari Schuster shows me there is a whole lot more I'd need to learn to become part of the wine world. Wife of Daniel Schuster Wines' namesake, Mari clearly has her finger on the pulse of this thriving industry. She explains the complexity of the wine-making process; the importance of temperature and different soil types; she talks irrigation (or lack thereof in the case of this vineyard) and micro-climates; seasonal influence and ripening times. Within half an hour, I've become a proficient wine taster (in my own mind, at least) and am armed with enough information to intelligently tackle the rest of my Waipara Valley wineries tour.

Like Mari, each winemaker in this area knows their stuff. The passion they each exude for their trade, their lifestyle and their location is awe-inspiring. Visitors to the region's 11 cellar door operations may even be served by the ardent winemakers themselves, adding a special flavour to the experience.

When I arrive at Torlesse Wines (beautifully constructed from an old rail carriage), husband and wife team Kym and Maggie Rayner are in the process of bottling. They deftly manoeuvre around the machinery, swiftly producing bottle after bottle, which will be hand labelled. The whole process exemplifies their company's self sufficiency. From hand-harvesting to crushing and bottling, Torlesse is proudly self-sufficient, and Kym Rayner certainly has the marketing side of things covered too.

Kym has a knack for easily explaining the complexities of wine making, down to details like each wine's residual sugar content. As he pours a selection of his Omihi Road and Torlesse wines, he gives an in-depth narrative about each wine's individual process and character, emphasising his points by pointing outside towards the vines or the sky, or to the barrels on display in the tasting area-cum-gift shop. As he talks me through the sweet, smooth Gewurztraminer to the Omihi Rd and Torlesse Rieslings - so surprisingly different from one another - and on to his rich Reserve Port, Kym's 25-year "relationship with the land" is distinctly etched out.

Lunch at nearby Waipara Springs is another educational event. In the relaxing cafe - one of three eateries in the area - I learn that Waipara Springs was the first winery to open in this region. Originally focused on the railway, the Waipara area eventually turned to sheep farming as its primary means. The beginning of viticulture in the region can be attributed to John McCaskey - a visionary farmer who planted a few trial vines on his property in 1965. Although these were flooded, McCaskey persevered and by 1983 was winning national wine awards. Waipara Springs was planted in the early 1980s.

Full of Akaroa salmon and local history, I wander out to the carpark where another little bit of history rolls by; the winery's Clydesdale horse team, drawing their chuck wagon behind - an exciting twist on the traditional winery tours.

Whilst Waipara Springs is a relaxing breath of fresh air with a hint of history, Pegasus Bay Winery is an invigorating inhalation, with a hand in the here and now. Although the Donaldson family has been involved in wine production since the early '70s, their premises, events and sustainable practices are indicators of their contemporary approach to business. From the funky wine bottle chandeliers and award-winning wine-matched restaurant menu, to the music events and farmers' market held in the natural grass amphitheatre - Pegasus Bay is a bustling festivity for the senses.

Amongst the cool quiet of the Pegasus Bay fermentation barrels, many of which are taller than me, I learn about the impact of oak contact on the final flavour of a wine. The older barrels, easy to pick out with their blushed edges and weary appearance, give minimal oak contact to the wine inside, whilst the new barrels - rotund and clean - create a stronger oak flavour.

Nearby, the winery's tasting counter is a flurry of activity. The bar tender deftly moves between tasting guests, firing out his impressive knowledge of each product, like a living dictionary of tasting notes. As the area fills with visitors, undoubtedly drawn by the host's enticing style, I sneak out: destination Mount Cass.

The history of Riesling (the white, usually sweet wine) can be traced back to the 1400s in Germany. German wine makers have long had a strong-hold on this varietal, so when Carol Parker - half of the husband and wife team at the helm of Mount Cass Vineyards - tells me a number of Waipara wineries are now producing Riesling so fine that they are exporting it to Germany, I'm suitably impressed. "The valley is able to make a variety of styles of Riesling, from dry to sweet," she explains, pouring a Mount Cass Riesling into my glass. "The Riesling from this region is not as sweet as most people expect." She pauses, allowing me to taste for myself. Employing my now well-practised tasting skills, I find the cool Riesling dry and fruity - and utterly delicious.

After hiding behind a shroud of misty rain all day, the sun has decided to show itself - in time for me to see it heading quickly towards the vine-covered hills. I realise that I have committed the sin of many travellers to New Zealand - underestimating my time:experience ratio. One day is simply not long enough to experience the treasures of the Waipara Valley. I've only visited a handful of the 80 vineyards operating here, and haven't even touched on the area's other offerings - olive oil, lavender, heritage and even a classic steam train. Luckily, Waipara's ideal location means I can be here in less than an hour from Christchurch, whether for another round of tasting, a gourmet meal, or perhaps to lend my expert nose and tasting skills at a wine competition...

Amelia visited the Waipara Valley courtesy of Waipara Valley Winegrowers.