Involving more than 20 winemakers across 15 locations, BudBurst festival returned for another year of celebrating Macedon Ranges as a unique wine region.
Hosted by the Macedon Ranges Vigneron Association, the festival aims to immerse attendees in the wineries and vineyards of the Macedon Ranges, offering an insight into the growing process and qualities of cool climate wines.
Running from 10am–5pm across Saturday, November 16 and Sunday, November 17, attendees were able to board a festival bus and visit up to five separate wineries across one of two routes, where they met growers and enjoyed wine tastings, local produce, art exhibits, live music and more.
Additionally, several Macedon Ranges hospitality providers partnered with the festival to offer special deals and discounts throughout the weekend.
Vigneron Association president and Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery co-owner Andrew Wood said the festival is about promoting local wineries and processes.
“Budburst is about putting that wine in context, an opportunity to meet the winemakers … it’s the coldest wine growing region in mainland Australia,” Mr Wood said.
“It’s about getting people into the wineries, to experience the context and environment in which this high-quality cool-climate wine is made.”
He said as a cool-climate region, the majority of the grapes that are grown across the region are pinot or chardonnay, making up 70 per cent of the wines produced locally.
Mr Wood said winemaking is a unique craft, with the festival providing an insight into the production of a “primary product.”
“It’s a combination of caring for the land, caring for the plants, making sure we translate the characters of the site into the product we produce is what makes wine different,” he said.
“The Budburst offering has always been about bringing people together … having a glass of wine and a bite to eat with their friends to create a memorable experience in their time in the Macedon Ranges.”
Oscar Parry
