Each year on a weekend in April, the Canberra District Wineries celebrate the harvest with a festival – the Wine Harvest Festival. This year the festival is on the weekend of Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April.
And the wineries have lots to celebrate this year. Wineries from all the sub-regions are reporting record quantities of grapes harvested, and what is even more exciting, many are claiming it to be one of the best vintages on record. Certainly on a par with the great vintages of 2009 and 2013. According to Jim Lumbers from Lerida Estate, after rain and hail in December which was quite alarming, the Lerida vineyard then enjoyed a long period of warm sunny days and cool nights – perfect for ripening Pinot Noir and the other varieties of grapes that grow in the vineyard.
This year 20 of the wineries from across the district are participating in the festival. For participants click here. Each year the wineries offer a range of activities including wine tasting, winemaking activities, live music, art displays, and delicious fare to accompany the wines.
Lerida Estate at Lake George is always a great place to visit on festival weekends. Anne, Jim’s wife, firmly believes in offering some different activities to the ones that are normally on offer at the estate. There will be live music as usual – this year As Famous as the Moon (a well-established and popular jazz band) – to enjoy with the gourmet lunch at Café Lerida. As well, Jim and Anne have designed a new walk for those wanting to get a bit of exercise and enjoy some great views of the Federal Highway and over Lake George. On both Saturday and Sunday, Jim will take a group from the vineyard up the range to the highest point on the range.
On Saturday, Lerida Estate is offering helicopter rides over Lake George for a couple of hours in the middle of the day (weather permitting!). Lake George is pretty interesting from the road; it is spectacular from the air. On Sunday from 12.00pm-3.00pm, one of Lerida Estate Wine Club members from Sydney is bringing his stocks of jewellery to Lerida Estate for people to view and purchase.
At Mount Majura Vineyard, winery tours will take place every 20-30 minutes on both days, and you can learn also about the winemaking process. Visitors can taste wines from barrel/tank as well as the current range of wines. On the food front you can enjoy regional produce platters while listening to the live music 12:30pm-3:30pm each day.
Shaw Vineyard Estate also has live music both days and wine tasting at the cellar door. There will be an a la carte menu at the restaurant, casual dining on the terrace, 12.00pm-3.00pm, and picnic rugs for relaxing on the grass. Also enjoy the art exhibition by Lyne Dingwall, Julie Hawkins and Tim McMullen.
It is always wise to contact the wineries before heading out. Some activities (e.g. helicopter rides) are only available if a booking has been made.
