HUNTER VALLEY WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL 2017
There’s no better time to take in the delights of Australia’s premium wine-growing region than the 2017 Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival. Spanning May and June, the Festival showcases the epicurean pleasures of this iconic food and wine destination, and offers the perfect journey of discovery through the stunning region.
From incredible gourmet dinners at award-winning restaurants to vineyard tours, winemaking masterclasses, hands-on cooking classes and cosy evenings beside an open fire with friends, the Festival has something for everyone.
Experience the incredible hospitality of the Hunter Valley at some of the ever-popular signature events, like the Whispering Brook Olive Long Table Luncheon, the Glandore Burning of the Barrel evening, the Cheese Lovers Festival, the Lovedale Long Lunch and the Meet the Farmer Dinner.
There’s also a host of vertical tastings, vineyard tours and set-price lunches and dinners on offer during the Festival. Visitors can enjoy a range of cooking experiences from the Garden To Plate Cooking School at Margan Estate, the Semillon, Shiraz and Cheese Matching Experience at De Iullis Wines to the By The Fireside Winemakers Series at Hunter Valley Resort.
Just a two-hour drive north of Sydney, the Hunter Valley is home to more than 150 wineries and is bursting with all the delights of its highly-acclaimed food and wine culture. With accommodation and experience packages for every budget, the Hunter Valley Wine and Food Festival is the perfect opportunity for a sumptuous winter getaway.
Here’s a taste of just some of the Festival’s offerings
BROKE FORDWICH MEET THE GROWERS
Learn about the cycle of the vineyard and olive grove as you wander with local growers, who share their knowledge and stories, while you taste wines and sample produce.
FIRESIDE WINEMAKER SERIES
Enjoy an intimate fireside four-course meal matched with each winemaker’s best at one of Hunter Valley Resort’s lunches and dinners. Participating wineries include Margan, Piggs Peake, Tintilla, Mistletoe, Tyrrell’s and Lisa McGuigan.
HUNTER VALLEY WINE & FILM FESTIVAL
Enjoy the ambience of the vineyards watching fun and engaging films while enjoying local wines and gourmet food from surrounding restaurants and providores.
WHISPERING BROOK’S OLIVE LONG TABLE LUNCHEON
The annual olive long table luncheon starts off with a walking tour of the olive groves and vineyard, followed by a four-course, olive-inspired lunch by leading local chef Andy Wright with matching Whispering Brook wines. Guests will also enjoy live music.
BURNING OF THE BARREL
Sip hunter valley Shiraz and snack on tasty treats while you warm up beside the enormous blazing bonfire at Glandore Estate.
CHEESE LOVERS FESTIVAL @ SEBEL KIRKTON PARK
Following last year’s success, this festival will span two days this year and will boast double the cheese stalls and food trucks, with workshops, kids zone and celebrity chef Nick Haddow from Bruny Island Cheese.
RIDGEVIEW OCEAN TO PADDOCK WINEMAKERS DINNER
Boasting the produce from the onsite kitchen garden and other local delights, diners will take a gourmet tour up the Valley from the ocean to the paddock with this seven-course degustation matched with Ridgeview vines.
MEET THE FARMER DINNER
Margan Restaurant joins forces with five local food producers to present a delicious four-course dinner featuring the best of Hunter Valley produce and the people behind it.
HUNTER VALLEY WINE FESTIVAL
The fifth annual festival takes place within the picturesque grounds of Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley with more than 60 exhibitors, including wine, food, beer and cider producers.
DE IULIIS SHIRAZ MASTERCLASSES
This Shiraz masterclass will take you on a journey of the origin of Shiraz, its past and present, and you will also get to try a bracket tasting of De Iuliis Shiraz.
HEROES OF THE HUNTER
Celebrate local produce and wines with this five-course degustation dinner with matching wines at Redsalt Restaurant in Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley every day throughout the festival.
PIE & WINE PAIRING EXPERIENCE
A gourmet pie is the perfect remedy for the winter blues so head to one of the participating Lovedale restaurants and wineries, and tuck into a special gourmet pie (savoury or sweet) matched to a specific Lovedale wine.
LOVEDALE LONG LUNCH
Seven wineries team up with local Hunter Valley restaurants for a weekend of fine wine, gourmet food and live entertainment.
TULLOCH WINES MYSTERY WINE TOUR
Have some fun while you work through the wines at your own pace with assistance from your dedicated wine professional and a tasting mat with all the information you’ll need to solve the mystery.
This selection of world-class experiences positions the Hunter Valley as a leading destination in the Wine & Food space, and this year Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association is proud to announce that Wine Selectors are once again, this year’s official partner of the Hunter Valley Wine & Food Festival. Wine Selectors has been exploring Australian wine for over 40 years. From small beginnings in the Hunter Valley in 1975, Wine Selectors now proudly delivers the very best in Australian wine to over 200,000 customers throughout the country. Today they continue to share our passion for the Hunter Valley by uncovering new styles, sharing regional favourites and telling the story behind every bottle of wine so that their members are inspired to keep discovering everything the Hunter Valley has to offer.
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