Bring Queenstown to the table

2 minutes read
Posted 2 September, 2026
IMG 20251022 WA0000

Bring Queenstown to the table.
1,000s of metres up, not 1,000s of km away.

People come here for our environment. When they sit down at your table, what's one of the first things you offer? Is it tap water, or a taste of the terroir? Can you point out the window to where it came from?

What else on the table can claim to be 100% of this place? It’s quite bizarre to think of our culinary delights being from somewhere else but most are to some extent. For instance, our celebrated wine? Beautiful versions of French grape varieties. Our lamb? Such a New Zealand icon but our sheep originally came from Europe. Even our wild game and salmon are introduced species. Our delicious Seafood is typically sourced nearby, but rarely from Central Otago itself. Even the best of our region's food and wine carries an origin story that at least starts somewhere else.

Fleck is different. Our water falls as snow and rain on high country with an average recharge elevation of 1,700 metres, then takes approximately 50 years to filter down through schist to the aquifer we draw from in Gibbston. Oxygen isotope analysis pins that altitude with real precision: it's water we can trace to a measured elevation, decades in the making.

We bottle Fleck mineral water just down the road in Gibbston. Since 2020, we've supplied our award-winning water to a small number of loyal local restaurants and hotels. In 2025, we commissioned a new facility at the Gibbston spring source, increasing our ability to supply local establishments. We have no interest in mass-market or export. We're focused on making a boutique product for the local market.

Fleck is also a genuine rarity: a true mineral water (>250ppm TDS), while most New Zealand’s bottled water is soft spring water. That mineral density gives Fleck its structure and finish — and it's been recognised for it, winning Gold for sparkling water at the 2021 Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting, one of the world's leading water competitions.

It also happens to be the perfect partner for Central Otago's own elegant wines. Our Pinots are known for their bright acidity, a product of the region's extreme diurnal swings during ripening. Fleck's high bicarbonate content has a natural affinity for that acidity — making it as much a companion to the wine list as it is to the water jug.

We're currently onboarding a small number of new venues for the coming season. Get in touch to bring Fleck to your table.

gold medal trans

Advert
Advert
SHARE ON

Related articles

Latest issue

Issue 1066 Read Now

Last week’s issue

Issue 1065 Read Now

DISCOVER THE QUEENSTOWN APP

Download or update to the new Queenstown App today

image

WHY ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH US

The Lakes Weekly is part of Queenstown Media Group (QMG).

QMG is Queenstown’s leading locally owned and operated media company with print, online and social platforms that engage locals with what they care about — everything local!

The Lakes Weekly delivers stories and news that connects with local so they come away each week better connected to their community. Advertising sits within this curated content environment, and it’s a trusted relationship between readers and the Lakes Weekly. Advertisers benefit from the association with the LWB brand values.

The Lakes Weekly is hand delivered to every business in Queenstown, Arrowtown, Frankton, Five Mile Remarkables Park and Glenda Drive on Tuesday. Copies are available in service stations, libraries and drop boxes throughout the region and every supermarket throughout the Queenstown basin and Wanaka.

Online the issue is available Monday afternoon, on lwb.co.nz and the Qtn App.

3,500

Printed copies
each week

13,250

Estimated weekly
readership
Read the
Latest issue