Autumnal delights

The arrival of autumn each year brings with it the start of many events on our annual food and wine calendar.

The first (and for many, the most important!) is the grape crush from our local vineyards, offering a final snapshot of what an entire year’s work looks like for approximately 60 different Geelong wineries. After speaking with few vignerons from around our wine districts, vintage ’25 seems (so far) to be an evenly spaced, good – yet not exceptional – quality that should bring about good yields (volume) of pleasing results. We should take this as a win, as it’s better than some other Australian regions this vintage who have dealt with disastrous fires (Grampians/Pyrenees) worrying frosts (Barossa/Clare Valleys) and ongoing drought (much of Riverina).

 

The second welcomed autumn arrival is, of course, the return of our city’s beloved AFL team. Hitting the turf running will again be Chin Chin at GMHBA Stadium, now in its second season, to feed hungry home and away fans on game days, as well as renovated guest suites/function facilities. Don’t forget Man Bo across the road from the game along Moorabool Street, offering quick, tasty pre-match yum cha before watching the mighty blue and white hoops in action.

And as always, coming this autumn also will be our annual influx of hot cross buns in all their glorious mixed forms. I’ll spend a little longer looking into which are the best picks around town, but so far the simple apple cinnamon ones from Baker’s Delight have hit the spot: doughy, fresh and not-too-sweet, and readily affordable for anyone’s morning spread. With a six-week window ahead. though, there’ll obviously be more to report in this department before Easter dates hit.

 

Encouragingly, City of Greater Geelong has launched its expressions of interest for the Tastes of Greater Geelong festival, which is to be held over a few weeks during our cooler winter period. I, for one, thought the program may have not continued again this year, after the previous version in 2024 unfortunately had more misses than hits, largely due to lack of lead time, lack of financial support, and general lack of general interest. This year round, there’s a few months to be spent in the planning and advertising stage of the events, giving venues a much better shot at making their individual showcases a success. I strongly urge any local hospitality business considering becoming part to do so.

On a further brighter note, I’m thrilled to share with you all that the Geelong Wine Walk held a few weeks back raised well over $100,000 for the APCO Foundation, who in turn support community groups and local social activities for those families and organisations in need. The event hosted a number of Geelong’s most well-known wineries and distilleries across a string of CBD venues, where ticket goers enjoyed bites, sips and banter all while contributing to a greater cause. It was a win/win for both local punters and community.

 

Finally, something to put into your March diary if you’re an art/wine lover, as local chef lad Andy Pye (Vue de Monde, Pettavel Winery, Terindah Estate etc) returns to Geelong for a night of wine, art and chats at Geelong West bottle shop specialist, Winepress, on March 30. Andy took the chef whites off and escaped to the foothills of the Victorian Alps to pursue a (successful) career in fine arts, while raising his young family amongst picturesque surroundings of our north east. Expect an exclusive gallery viewing of Andy’s exceptional works, combined with roaming canapes and wines on tasting.

Lots to look forward to this March/autumn: make sure you get amongst some of it.