The Gibbston Wine and Food Festival was relocated to the gardens this year after nine years in Gibbston, and organiser Julie Hughes, of Arrowtown, estimated 1800 people passed through the gates.
The number was ''definitely more than in previous years''.
''It [the crowd number] makes it sustainable,'' Mrs Hughes said, and it is likely the festival will be held in the gardens again next year.
This year's event had nearly 30 food and wine stalls and Mrs Hughes said the festival committee had learnt that more space would be needed between the stalls next year.
''That was something that we couldn't have foreseen because we couldn't anticipate how many people there would be.
''Otherwise, I think that the committee is really, really happy with how it went.''
Drawcards to the event were food master classes presented by New Zealand's first MasterChef winner Brett McGregor and current Queenstown hopefuls Jaimie Stodler and Becs Stanley, a children's activity zone and tasting tokens with a commemorative wine glass.
The food and wine master classes were popular, Mrs Hughes said, and ''that's the sort of thing that we want, for people to learn something new''.
