Escape the hustle and bustle of the city and discover the hidden wonders of the Macedon Ranges as it plays host to the Macedon Ranges Wine and Food Budburst Festival on November 9 and 10.
Over the weekend, the 30 of the region's best wineries will fling open their cellar doors and put more than 100 different wine styles up for the tasting. Most of them are small and family owned, and you'll have the the chance to chat to the winemakers as you taste their drops.
A festival pass will give you access to all of the wineries across the two days — and it's $23 (or $25 on the day). Most of the venues will have live music and some kind of food offering — Cleveland Winery in Lancefield will be slinging its woodfired pizzas, and Shadowfax will be serving up cheese platters at its Trentham winery.
Situated between 350–700 metres above sea level, the Macedon Ranges is Australia's coolest mainland wine region. The area is known for the Macedon Sparkling, which is made using only locally grown pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. But, with more than 40 vineyards located in the region, there is lots of room for variation and plenty of diverse drops for you to try.
If no one wants to be the designated driver, the festival has hop-on, hop-off buses buses departing from Woodend Station on the Saturday.