The weather behaved itself, the grapes are (almost) all in, so now it's time for the good stuff. Canberra Wine Week is on April 7-15 with events from wine stomping and an opportunity to blend your own, to live music at the vines, long lunches, dinners, and plenty of opportunities to taste the local drops. Here's our pick of where to make the most of the week:
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1. TASTE THE REGION - RIGHT IN TOWN
Canberra Wine Week will kick off with a mass tasting on Saturday April 7, where you can taste more than 60 wines from 14 wineries from the region without even leaving town. The wineries will take over the New Acton courtyard from noon-4pm, with wines from Kerralee Vineyard, Sapling Yard, Brindabella Hills, Murrumbateman Winery, Shaw Vineyard Estate, Mount Majura Vineyard, Capital Wines, Lerida Estate, Summerhill Road Vineyard, Contentious Character, Gundog Estate, McKellar Ridge, Eden Road and chocolates from Robyn Rowe. Entry is $25 at the door (or $20 pre-sale) which gets you a tasting glass and tastings. Food will also be available for purchase.
2. LIQUID GEOGRAPHY DINNER
If you want to go all out this wine week, this is the event to go to. The two-hatted Aubergine restaurant in Griffith will host the Liquid Geography Dinner on Tuesday April 10. Chef Ben Willis has created a six-course menu, matched to wines from Clonakilla, Collector Wines, Gundog Estate, Lark Hill Winery, Mallaluka Wines and The Vintner's Daughter. Tickets are $140 per person. There are also special dinners, long lunches and a garden party on all throughout the week at venues in Canberra and the surrounds, each matched specially to local wines. See the full program at canberrawines.com.au.
3. GRAPE STOMPING
Get down and dirty and help get harvest started at Murrumbateman Winery with grape stomping on the terrace. It's on from 10am-5pm April 14 and 15 and is free to get involved. Just take off your shoes, roll up your pants and get squishing.
4. BLEND YOUR OWN WINE
Here's your chance to release your inner winemaker. Dog Trap Winery in Yass is hosting 'blend your own' sessions for small groups. Tickets are $295 per person which includes a custom labelled dozen of your chosen blend. For details, contact the winery on 6226 5898.
5. TASTE SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Taste some of the more alternative varieties from the region alongside a five course degustation dinner at A. Baker on Friday April 6. Wines on the night include Tallagandra Hill's vermentino, The Vintner's Daughter's gewurztraminer, Dionysus' gamay, Sholto Wines' barbera, and Mount Majura Vineyard's monteuse - and all of the winemakers will be on hand to chat more about the varieties. Tickets $120 each.
6. TEST YOUR WINE KNOWLEDGE
Consider yourself a serious wine buff? You can test your knowledge at two wine trivia nights: Yazzbar in Yass is hosting an afternoon trivia on Saturday April 7 (register in groups of four), and The Wine House in Dickson has trivia to test what you know about both wine and beer on Thursday April 12.
7. TOUR THE VINES
Discover hidden cellar doors, stomp grapes and taste from the barrel on secret wine tours hosted by Vines and Wines on April 14. Tickets $165 including transport, wine tastings and a two course lunch with wine. Book at vineswines.com.au.
Stephanie Helm will also be running special tours of The Vintner's Daughter in Murrumbateman followed by a private tasting in the winery (including a wine Stephanie made as a teenager at Helm Wines) accompanied by a cheese platter. Tours are on April 6, 7 and 14 and tickets are $20.
8. SOMETHING A BIT DIFFERENT
For those handy behind the lens, Lark Hill Winery in Bungendore is hosting photo-walks through the vineyard for small groups to capture sunrise over the vines and the native wildlife while the mist rises from the valley floor. A way to see a very different side of life on the vineyard. The walks are on April 9, 11, 13 and 14 from 5.30am. Places are limited - call 6238 1393 to book.
For the full program and to buy tickets to the events, see canberrawines.com.au.
