Melbourne is again host city to Australia’s largest and most important wine event, Wine Australia, which from November 23-26 should see tens of thousands of visitors sampling the 8,000 wines on tasting, meeting the hundreds of winemakers present and attending the dozens of different educational functions scheduled in and around the show itself. The wineries are grouped by state and region, so it’s possible to taste your way through your favourite themes and areas, or simply just to work around the floor at random. One of the best features of Wine Australia is the ever-increasing list of educational activities designed to enthuse and inform all sorts of visitors, no matter what their level of wine knowledge. L-plate wine drinkers will find the Cellarmasters Wine Tunnel a really useful experience, while the Taste Theatre conducted by the Australian Society of Wine Education is a must for beginners with an hour to spare. Several of the regional and state exhibits like the NSW display will conduct their own classes, opened in this instance by the redoutable Len Evans in full flight at the steering end of an Options Game. Visit Wine Australia’s website at www.wineaustralia2000.com for further information, booking and timing details.
