Aussie Wine Month returns in May

This May marks the return of Aussie Wine Month, the country’s biggest annual celebration of Australian wine that encourages wine drinkers to discover the diversity, quality and regionality of our local wines, and share their discoveries by including #AussieWineMonth in their social media posts.

Now in its fourth year, Aussie Wine Month events will take place around the country, making it a great time to plan a wine weekend getaway, try a new wine style or explore the wines of some of Australia’s lesser known wine regions. With 65 Australian wine regions to choose from, there’s plenty for the wine lover to discover right on our doorstep.

A full list of Aussie Wine Month events including tastings, dinners, winery walks, festivals and pop-up cellar doors can be found on www.aussiewinemonth.com. Event highlights include:

New South Wales

• City Cellar Door – Wine Australia will bring the vineyard to the city as local wines and winemakers from regions across Australia head to Sydney for a pop-up tasting. Sit back in the wine garden and enjoy this free tasting alongside great food made with local produce
• Pyrmont Festival—meet the winemakers of the Mudgee region and choose from 120 local wines to sample
• Taste Orange Festival—the Watsons Bay Hotel will feature only wines from Orange on their wine list throughout May as well as host pop-up wine stalls, a food and wine festival in nearby Robertson Park and wine masterclasses
• Hungerford Hill Epic Experience—taste limited release and museum wines perfectly matched to specially created bites prepared by award-winning restaurant Muse
• Lovedale Long Lunch—Hunter Valley progressive style long lunch where food and wine lovers can feast and dance around seven Lovedale wineries for a weekend of fine wine, gourmet food and live entertainment.

Victoria

• 21st Century Vino—for one day in May, Zinc at Federation Square will be transformed into a hub of discussion and debate as wineries, sommeliers, journalists and wine drinkers explore Australia’s ‘up and coming’ varieties
• Lee Ho Fook at Pizzini Wines—Renowned Melbourne chef Lee Ho Fook will cook up his famed Chinese-style banquet to be served alongside Pizzini wines at the winery’s cellar door
• Yes said the Seal—complimentary wine tasting at Geelong’s newest winery, launched in December 2014
• Goulburn Valley Winemakers Aussie Wine Month—a range of winery events featuring Goulburn Valley wines, food and live music.

South Australia

• Kangaroo Island FEASTival—an eight day celebration of Kangaroo Island’s wine, food, produce and culture
• Langhorne Creek Winemakers’ Luncheon—a long lunch feast matched with award-winning wines from the 2015 Langhorne Creek Wine Show
• A Taste of South Australia—the Tasting Room at the Farm Shed in Hahndorf will showcase a diverse range of wines from South Australian regions
• KISS (Knit It Stitch and Sew)—Bowen Estate will host a textile arts exhibition in their Coonawarra cellar door alongside tastings of their newly released classic 2014 Chardonnay, 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2013 Shiraz.

Western Australia

• Ultimate Chardonnay Experience—Voyager Estate will celebrate this classic grape variety with a weekend of masterclasses, vineyard tours, barrel tastings and a six-course lunch matched with rare back vintages and limited release wines
• Stella Bella loves Aussie wine—Stella Bella hosts a virtual celebration of beautiful Aussie wines from exciting and influential producers while showcasing the amazing Margaret River region
• Laurance of Margaret River wine and food pairing—Laurance produces great wines, Margaret River produces great food, our chef and winemaker will combine the two for a very indulgent month of May.

Queensland

• Elevated Taste: Grazing the Granite Belt—a food and wine event showcasing Queensland’s biggest wine region
• Opera in the Vineyard—one of Queensland’s most anticipated events, held in the vineyards of Ballandean Estate Wines
• Winemakers Dinner at Clovely Estate—it’s Autumn and it’s Aussie Wine Month. What better time to head out to the country for a dinner that celebrates the region’s finest wines and produce?

Tasmania

• Tastings at the Top—Peppers Cradle Mountain Lodge and Peter Bourne (The Wine Man) host a two day Tasmanian food and wine experience.

Share your Aussie wine experience by including #AussieWineMonth on social media.