Popup stop for food and wine fest

ORGANISERS behind an annual festival aimed at celebrating the Pyrenees Region’s wine and gin makers are taking their event on the road for the first time.

Next weekend, a smaller-scale version of the Pyrenees Unearthed Wine and Food Festival will be held at Daylesford Town Hall for a one-day showcase.

Event manager Gary Daly said the day will offer a taster for people in the region of what the main festival, held in Avoca each April, is like.

“Normally we hold this along the riverbank in Avoca with 23 wineries, 10 international food vans and six hours of live music,” he said.

“This particular show in Daylesford is called the Pyrenees Unearthed in Daylesford, and we’ll have 15 wineries, a gin distillery, and cheeses.”

Product from festival regulars like Bigibila, Dalwhinnie, DogRock, and Summerfield wineries will feature in the Daylesford event, with about four beverages from each business available for attendees to taste.

The day will entail three sessions with the first, for traders only, from 10am to 12pm, followed by two public sessions between 1pm and 4pm, and 5pm to 8pm.

Live music will be provided by The Brothers Bishop during the latter two openings.

Mr Daly said he hopes the Daylesford event will make for a stronger home festival next year.

“We all believe we’ve got a great drop in the Pyrenees so it’s just taking it outside the area,” he said. “A lot of the people might know the bigger names here but maybe don’t know the smaller ones.

“We’re creating a real different element to what we normally have with the ambience of the hall. People can talk directly to the winemakers and ask all the questions they like too.”

Pyrenees Unearthed in Daylesford will take place on Saturday 30 September.

Tickets are $25 for each session while accompanied children under 18 enter free, and can be booked at bit.ly/3ELl9ru.