The Best Things to Do During Aussie Wine Month in Sydney
Narrow down your options at Australia's biggest annual celebration of wine.
The Best Things to Do During Aussie Wine Month in Sydney
in partnership with
Narrow down your options at Australia's biggest annual celebration of wine.
Now in its sixth year, Aussie Wine Month returns in May to showcase the diversity of the Australian wine scene and celebrate the world class producers that our 65 wine regions have to offer. A huge range of events will take place across the country — highlighting the rich, volcanic soil of the Kangaroo Valley, the diverse varietals of the Mudgee region and the award-winning Semillion and Shiraz from the Hunter Valley among many, many other wine-related things. In partnership with Wine Australia, we're helping you narrow down your options — here are nine of the best things to do.
Top image: Sam Venn.
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In the latest trend of booze-fuelled yoga, Handpicked Wines is bringing two yoga teachers into their cellar door for a yoga and wine pairing. The event will run every Saturday of the month, with a one-hour yoga class followed by a half-hour wine tasting with a Handpicked sommelier. Teachers Nicole Lee and Emmie Rae focus on strengthening mind, body and spirit in a class mixing a healthy workout with meditation and breathing exercises. The exclusive classes are limited to ten people, so be sure to purchase tickets in advance (and don’t forget to bring your yoga mat).
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One of Sydney’s best urban cellar doors, Handpicked Wines, invites oyster lovers to come together for an afternoon of shucking and pairing. This hands-on workshop will be run in partnership with the Sydney Oyster Girls, who will teach you the art of shucking an oyster while they share knowledge of Australia’s finest oyster regions. Guests will then enjoy their freshly shucked oysters with a specially paired selection of Handpicked Wines. Tickets include a minimum of 15 oysters to accompany your wine tasting. You’ll leave the workshop having learned all about flavours from different regions, the differences between oyster varieties, and have a new appreciation for the heavenly pairing that is oyster and wine.
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The Orange wine region comes to Sydney again this May for the annual Taste Orange at Watsons Bay. The six-hour food and wine festival brings some of the best producers in Orange together — which includes locally-made goods, dips and antipasto, as well as wines from some of the best vineyards in the country. In partnership with Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel, visitors can also purchase wine masterclass tickets — each class is led by the resident sommelier and will take ticket holders through a taste test of some of the finest wines of the region. Live entertainment will be rocking all day long and entry is free, with packaged tasting tickets also available online.
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Celebrity chef Dan Hong is welcoming guests into his award-winning restaurant Mr. Wong, in collaboration with the Hunter Valley’s Little Wine Company. The afternoon will begin with bubbles on arrival, followed by a degustation lunch expertly paired to wine by Little Wine’s sommeliers. Hong will share stories of his rise to fame, and the highs and lows of his successful career. This inspirational lunch will gives guests the chance to get up close and personal with one of the premiere young chefs of Australia, while tasting some of the best wine in Australia’s popular Hunter Valley wine region.
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If you can’t make it to Chippendale’s yoga and wine on Saturdays, why not head to this free yoga for wine lovers class in Manly on Friday, May 19. It’s all about balancing life’s pleasures and truly nurturing your body and mind. On an autumn evening, this class will help you relax in a restorative, extended two-hour practice and then unwind further with a glass of wine post Savasana. Hosted by Manly’s The Yoga Space, the class focuses on the idea that everything is good for you in moderation — we certainly can’t imagine anything more relaxing than meditation followed by a cheeky glass of wine. The fact that this soul-nourishing goodness is free is just the cherry on top of a relaxing evening.
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The annual Young Gun of Wine Awards brings together Australia’s top 12 emerging winemakers. The best is then voted victorious by the attendees. Guests will have the chance to meet emerging winemakers and taste two of their wines, then vote on who should win the People’s Choice award. This year, eight of the 12 are first-time finalists, so it’s a particularly exciting year to try some of Australia’s budding winemaking talents. Tickets will include tastings, canapés by Kepos Street Kitchen and a Riedel wine glass to take home.
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Aussie Wine Month finishes off with a celebration dinner at The Winery in Surry Hills, where four of Australia’s best wines will be paired with a four-course tasting menu that showcases local produce. Hosted by their resident sommelier, well-known Aussie wine and more obscure vintages will be served, while a modern Australian menu will feature native favourites like barilla bower spinach and finger lime. The Winery will have speciality wines from the diverse Aussie regions on offer the entire month of May, but this dinner will offer the best of the best.
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Australia’s wild, native food is starting to get the attention it deserves — from high-end restaurants like NOMA Australia and Adelaide restaurant Orana among other venues. To showcase the use of Australian produce in food and wine, Indigiearth are putting on a feast of foraged ingredients at Handpicked Wines. A discussion and taste testing of wild harvesting and the sustainable food movement will be accompanied by an Aussie wine workshop. Indigiearth owner Sharon Winsor is an award-winning pioneer of native food brands in New South Wales, this is a rare opportunity to join her and better understand why these ingredients deserve their spot in the limelight.
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The 31st annual Taste of Manly is a weekend celebration of all things food, drink and culture in a delightful northern beaches suburb. The festival takes over Manly Beach along The Corso for a two-day extravaganza where patrons can enjoy the iconic surroundings while soaking in this indulgent cultural event. Local restaurants will put on special menus while the fine wine and craft beer venues — like the popular Manly Wine and 4 Pines Brewpub — will showcase their artisan booze. The festival also includes special pop-up restaurants, wine and beer stalls, live music and activities, as well as a sustainability hub.
Follow @aussiewinemonth on Instagram and post a photo of your best Aussie Wine Month moment for your chance to win a food and wine holiday in Tasmania — visits to Mona and Moorilla included.
