Drop in for wine

By Kath Gannaway
THE Yarra Valley’s premier wine festival turned 21 on the weekend and there were plenty of party-goers to help celebrate.
Sixteen wineries participated in the traditional weekend festivities of wine, food and entertainment along the Warburton, Melba and Maroondah highways with many more taking part in the 10-day program of special events. Hundreds of buses poured into the valley and while final attendance figures are yet to be collated, Yarra Valley Grape Grazing Festival executive chairman Michael Matthews said they expected numbers to be up on last year.
“Pre-booked tickets were up on previous years, we had wineries ringing after the first day asking for more glasses, more water and more support, and had terrific feedback as we went around the wineries over the weekend,” he said.
He said smaller wineries such as Acacia Ridge, which was booked out, and Shelmerdine at Woori Yallock, the smallest of the new entry wineries, were very happy with the numbers. “In a nutshell, we believe it’s been an amazingly successful event.”
Mr Matthews said the extended program which provided the public and the wineries with more diverse options including events such as On the Palate family day at Healesville Racecourse, the Young Guns Dinner at Healesville Hotel, a comedy night at Miller’s Dixons Creek Estate, and Secrets From Sicily at Killara Estate in Seville, was a great success.