Into The Vines: Iberia

Overview

Melbourne's much-loved pop-up wine festival Into The Vines is heading back to The Rochester Hotel (The Rochey) for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival with a special Iberian-themed edition. 

Head over to the Johnston Street pub on Thursday, March 27, where you'll get to meet winemakers and try an excellent selection of wines. There will be locally-grown Iberian varieties alongside wines from some of Victoria's top wine importers that are often only found in restaurants, providing a unique opportunity to compare old world and new. 

Whether you're new to the world of wine or a seasoned connoisseur, there'll be the chance to upskill your wine knowledge with a glossary of wine terms and a card to rank and score wines you sample over the course of the evening. To give you an idea, expect drops from local wineries like Sutherland Estate, Steels Gate Wines and Muto Wines, alongside Tasty Things Wines and Soul Wines, imported from Portugal and Spain, respectively. 

Tickets cost $38 a pop, and they include a heap of tastings and a $10 voucher that you can use to purchase bottles of your favourite vinos. This is the perfect excuse to fill your fridge, cellar or bar cart with special drops to last you through the year. You've also got the option to preorder an Iberian-inspired dinner on the night; Chicken ragu canelones with squid ink, corn butter sauce, and fermented chilli.

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 masterclass (an additional $20) 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 bites from the region prepared by chef Ian Ho. Bessel will be on hand to explain why the pairing elevates both the food and the drink, the terroir the wine is best produced in, and how to compare locally made to its native origin.

Into The Vines' regular inner-city wine festivals are always hugely popular and sell out, so make sure you lock in your tickets ASAP for this special Iberian-edition evening.