Tasting event direct from the barrel

THE region’s winemakers are preparing for another tasting event to showcase their prime drops.

Bendigo Winegrowers Association will hold a barrel tasting weekend on 2 and 3 July and president Wes Vine said it would give people a behind the scenes look at how the drink is made.

“In many instances, they haven’t got any idea about how much work is involved in producing the product, it’s very labour intensive so it helps us to explain that,” he said.

“People generally don’t get much of a look at that when they come to a winery because they come to the cellar door which is usually separate to the actual winemaking facility.

“It allows people to move into the winemaking facility and have a look at the nuts and bolts of what goes on, but more particularly tasting wines directly from the barrel.”

Mr Vine said the wines on offer would range from two to three months old, offering a different taste to what people are used to from a bottle.

“Whilst it’s in the barrel, it’s got very slow contact with air or oxygen. The wine over a period of 12 months does change quite a lot,” he said.

Mr Vine said the event had grown in popularity since launching about five years ago.

“When we started we didn’t have too many people, we might’ve had groups of four or five people whereas now they’re more like groups of 15 or 16 people, so it has built up a reputation and a following.”

The tasting weekend will involve three sessions per day, with the number of wineries involved yet to be finalised.