THE Heathcote Wine and Food Festival is back this weekend after a two-year hiatus.<\/p>\n
One of the 41 vineyards taking part is Heathcote Red Edge Wine, and assistant winemaker Will Dredge said he is looking forward to the festival\u2019s return.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people will have a sense of freedom and happiness, it will be good to have it back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe event has been happening for a while now, there\u2019s a lot of regular customers that come along, it will be nice to see them in person.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be good to see the local producers and have the chance to see them again, say \u2018g\u2019day\u2019, see how they have been over the last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Dredge said the Wine and Food Festival is a great day out for wine lovers and there\u2019s a lot on offer of the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree things you shouldn\u2019t miss on the day are the masterclasses, they\u2019re a good way to get a handle on what the class is about,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Meg and Mel podcast will be there I would go and see that. I\u2019ve listened to her podcast a few times and she is really good.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely the music, listen to the blues and roots music, grab a glass of wine and listen to some good Bendigo blues and roots music.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last thing is to just try as many wines as you can and find a few hidden gems that suit your pallet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Dredge said Heathcote wines are not as well-known as they could be and the festival helps to bring attention to the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Heathcote is one of the hidden gems of Victoria in terms of our wine offering,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe festival is a representation of discovering the good wine being made.<\/p>\n
Along with the food and wine, the festival has kids entertained, lawn games, a scavenger hunt, live music and a producer\u2019s market.<\/p>\n
The Heathcote Wine and Food Festival goes this Saturday 1 and 2 Sunday 1-2 October at the Heathcote Showgrounds.<\/p>\n