The annual Grampians Grape Escape festival celebrated its 30th year with gusto over the weekend, welcoming 7500 visitors to the region to enjoy its celebrated food and wine, meet the producers, learn from the experts and dance to some of the best local acts.
Kicking off on Friday 5th May with the festival’s second-ever Feel-Good Friday, those keen to start celebrations early danced to vintage tunes from Shell Yeah, crowd favourite 19-Twenty and fellow rockers Madhouse.
With a village of 100 stalls, the weekend was spent sampling, sipping and swaying to the sounds of live music as visitors indulged their senses, tasting everything from peppery Shiraz to small batch cider, artisan chocolate to freshly fried calamari. Keeping them warm were wool blankets from Grampians Goods Co and scented candles from Willaura Candle Company.
MasterChef alumni and much-loved personality Khanh Ong was the first to take to the cooking demonstration stage on Saturday morning, taking enthusiastic viewers step by step through his garlic noodles with duck breast and homemade chili oil. Next up was Miguel Maestre who brought energy by the bucket load while demonstrating three paellas, as well as his famous porchetta, pumpketta and turketta using local ingredients.
The highly anticipated Barrique Auction was another huge success, raising a record amount for The Grampians Winemakers and giving wine lovers a rare chance to take home a unique taste of the Grampians.
A diverse line up of masterclasses saw the experts at Seppelt Wines demonstrate four cocktails using sparkling wine, Pomonal Estate and Kerrie’s Kreations teaming up to chat all things wine and chocolate, and a special wine and cheese tasting experience with two experts in the field who paired three types of cheese with three local wines.
Wine lover and comedian Merrick Watts was a highlight on the festival’s final day as he presented his hit show An Idiot’s Guide to Wine, delivering barrels of laughs as he took the audience on an insightful journey into the world of wine while tasting six drops from the
Grampians and Pyrenees regions.
Grampians CEO Marc Sleeman said, “What a spectacular weekend it was marking 30 years of Grampians Grape Escape, one of Victoria’s best food and wine festivals. It is always fantastic to experience the energy this festival brings to the region and this year was no different, with people coming from near and far to taste some of the best produce from Western Victoria.”
“We’d like to thank the Victorian Government’s Regional Events Fund for their continued support of Grampians Grape Escape and the local tourism and events industry.”
The Little Adventurers Precinct also offered countless activities for the little ones, putting smiles on their faces as they explored the rock-climbing wall, played endless rounds of table tennis and discovered their creative selves with playdoh and party hat making.
Grampians Grape Escape is regarded as one of Victoria’s premier food and wine festivals, with a bright future ahead following another successful year. Those keen to return for the festival next year are encouraged to book accommodation well in advance for the first weekend in May. More information on accommodation options can be found here: www.visitgrampians.com.au
For further information on Grampians Grape Escape, please visit www.grampiansgrapeescape.com.au
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