Hunter Valley ‘rains’ down its best drops as Wine Festival attracts record crowds
1380 people and 60 exhibitors, including 54 wineries, attended the 4th Hunter Valley Wine Festival on the weekend, breaking all previous records.
The record crowd turned up at the Hunter Valley Conference & Events Centre at the Crowne Plaza despite the threat of torrential rain caused by the East Coast low, which fortunately delayed moving inland till the Festival was over, and then brought very-welcome rain to the Hunter Valley vineyards after a prolonged dry spell.
Ensuring it was a Festival for all the family, children were able to enjoy rides on a miniature train, had their faces painted and enjoyed patting animals in a miniature farmyard, while parents were entertained with music, live cooking demonstrations and superb Hunter food produce to complement the region’s renowned wines. Funds were raised for the Rural Fire Brigade during the event.
Festival Director Jenny Farrell said that the winemakers of the Hunter Valley had a ‘deluge’ of reasons to celebrate the weekend.
“While so much of NSW was experiencing heavy rain, attendees at the Hunter Valley Wine Festival had a very bright experience,” said Ms Farrell.
“Hunter wines from the 2015 and earlier vintages were received extremely well, and with rain coming down almost as soon as we packed up, winemakers said the weekend was the perfect recipe for a positive start to the 2016-17 season.
“For almost 30 years the Hunter Valley didn’t have an official wine festival, so it is great to be able to put a spotlight on some of Australia’s most renowned and innovative wineries.
“Holding the Wine Festival as part of Hunter Valley Food & Wine Month has proven a great success, so much so that we are happy to announce that we have already settled on next year’s event day – Saturday 3 June.”
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