Top wines to flow at Toast to the Coast

HUNDREDS of people will whet their palates with the best cool climate wines our region has to offer at Saturday’s (October 19) Toast to the Coast event.

The event will be held where it all begun 21 years ago at Deakin University’s Geelong Waterfront Campus and feature more than 60 wines on pour, along with guest distilleries and breweries.

For the first time, the event will take place across a just-announced “super session”, which will take place from 1pm to 6pm.

In the past, the event has been held across two sessions, but organisers say the single “super session” will allow more time to connect, extended access to live music, and more flexibility and freedom to explore all the stalls at a leisurely pace.

A highlight of the event is set to be the wine exploration masterclass from Dip WESET educator Nicola Reid.

The Wine 101 session will arm ticketholders with all the tools to walk the talk when it comes to wine tasting.

Limited spots are available for $40.

A masterclass session will also be held by Tom Brushfield and focus on Old vs New Wines of Geelong.

Is older always better? Does all wine age well and what does ageing a wine achieve? The vertical tasting of wines taken from some of Geelong’s local winery museums and private collections will answer these questions and more.

Local winemaker Ben Mullen of Mulline Vintners said he looked forward to showcasing his wines at the event.

“Geelong wines are unique in that all wineries in our region are family-owned and operated. Toast to the Coast is a great way to meet 14 great wine producers, 3 distillers and a local brewery all in the one hub.

“We’re a big region, and not all producers have a cellar door, so come along, meet the makers, try (and buy) some wonderful local wines.”

For last-minute tickets, head to toasttothecoast.com.au