Into The Vines: Gulp Fiction

Overview

Melbourne's much-loved pop-up wine festival Into The Vines is heading to The Rochester Hotel (The Rochey) before silly season officially kicks off, filling the Johnston Street pub with top independent winemakers (and a great French wine importer), DJs and the sweet smells of barbecued grub. 

On Thursday, November 28, you'll get to meet the makers from Beyond the Glass, Fin Wines, Jones Winery & Vineyard and Wilimee, and learn about the French makers behind Brix Wines' incredible imports. Of course, you'll also be sampling a huge range of their drops. 

Tickets cost $30 a pop, which includes a heap of tastings and a $10 voucher that you can use when purchasing bottles of your favoruite vinos. This is the perfect excuse to fill your fridge with pet nats and chilled reds — alongside classic wines — in the leadup to summer. It's also a great excuse to get some early Christmas shopping sorted for workplace Kris Kringles, family, mates and dates.

You'll be buying these drops directly from the winemakers, so expect great prices and that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with supporting a small local business. Moreover, some of these wines are only available on-premise at Melbourne's wine bars and restaurants, so it's a great way to shop them at a more affordable price. You're also guaranteed to love what you get because you'll have tried it already.

But if you're after more , you can get around the special barbecue and wine masterclass (an additional $25) run by wine expert Jay Bessel — who's highly regarded and sought after for curating wine lists in many of Melbourne's top dining establishments. Sample and talk through one wine from each of the producers paired with The Rochey Head Chef Bonggyo Seo's specially crafted barbecue bites — teaching you how to pair barbecue and wine just in time for summer.

If you want to make a night of it, there's a even $22 steak or pumpkin dinner special available to pre-order.

Into The Vines' regular inner-city wine festivals are always hugely popular and sell out (masterclasses are already over 60% sold out), so make sure you score tickets ASAP.