Did you know that Canberra’s wine region is home to 140 vineyards and more than 30 cellar doors? A lot of people don’t. In fact, a lot of people don’t know that Canberra even has a wine region. But this is quickly changing and I have a feeling that Canberra’s wine region is going to be very well known in the coming years. Most of the wineries are located within 35 minutes’ drive of Canberra, making it easily accessible for a day out or a weekend away.
I love wine, especially when it’s enjoyed with amazing food. I’m intrigued to learn more about wine, and wine and food matching, so I recently enrolled in the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines course at Pialligo Estate. I had no idea that the course would take place during Canberra Wine Week when I booked it so that’s going to make it extra special.
Canberra Wine Week is a celebration of fabulous wine and food in the Canberra region and it will take place from 5-14 April 2019. The 2019 program includes over 40 events from wine-matched dinners, wine tours, meet the makers experiences, live music, family-friendly activities and lots of opportunities for you to taste many of the great Canberra wines.
The theme for the 2019 Canberra Wine Week is ‘Expect the Unexpected’.
“Vintage 2019 has been fast and furious in the Canberra region. White and red grapes have been ripening practically together, making for an unusually intense vintage period,” said Alex McKay from Collector Wines.
So it’s time for lovers of Canberra wine and food to expect the unexpected at this year’s Canberra Wine Week!
Celebrate the launch of Canberra Wine Week with more than 50 wines on offer at the annual Wine Tasting event hosted on 30th March in the beautiful courtyard at New Acton.
Enjoy cheesemaking and cheese and wine tasting at the Holy Trinity of Cheesemaking, Cooking and Pairing at Contentious Character with Bridgette from Cheese Making Wee Jasper. Or be one of the first to try Contentious Character’s new release wines at their Wine Maker’s New Release Dinner.
Expect the Unexpected Wine Dinner at Aubergine (one of Canberra’s best restaurants) and enjoy a 6-course dinner matched with 6 different Canberra region wines.
Enjoy a fun evening of watercolours and wine at Four Winds Vineyard.
Join Lerida Estate’s wine making team for their End of Harvest Lunch with exclusive access to the winery and the wine making team.
Get your shoes off and get down and dirty while you stomp some grapes at Murrumbateman Winery. This is a free event.
Wine Machine is a festival dedicated to wine, food and live music. The festival returns to Canberra on Saturday 13th April and will be held at Lake George Winery.
Your hardest decision will be deciding what events you want to attend! Canberra Wine Week is the perfect time to celebrate and support local businesses so get it quick because tickets are likely to sell out (if they haven’t already).
You can find the full list of events on the Canberra Wines website.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.