The event recognised as 'the largest pinot noir festival in Australasia' is heading back to our shores after a 12-month hiatus. Pinot Palooza 2021 lands this August courtesy of Revel, the folks that brought us Game of Thrones-themed wine tasting event 'Game of Rhones' and something called "wine edutainment". Rather than confuse punters with umpteen varietals of plonk, the event focuses purely on the best pinot noir from across New Zealand and Australia.

For its fifth year, Pinot Palooza is bringing back the popular feature of unlimited wine tastings. The last edition saw over 60 wineries take part, including Waipara's Black Estate, Queenstown's Gibbston Valley, Cromwell's Mt Difficulty and Central Otago's Akarua. Over 30 (out of 100) producers have already been announced to appear at Auckland's Shed 10 on Friday, August 6 and Saturday, August 7.

Across three four-hour sessions you'll have the opportunity to swirl, sniff and gargle the goods from the likes of Amisfield, Cloudy Bay, Dog Point, Fromm and Loveblock, as well as unleash your inner wine geek at a series of free chats. The best part is that unlimited wine tastes are included in the $65 ticket price. A selection of food vendors will be on hand to soak up all that vino.

Image: Pinot Palooza.