A new wine festival will shine a light throughout the North East in the depths of winter.
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Winemakers of Rutherglen will host a Dark Side of Wine, an immersive festival from August 2 to 11.
From the organisation behind Roam Rutherglen Winery Walkabout, it will feature bonfires, stargazing, degustations and a grand masquerade ball.
Festival-goers will be able to try their hand at blending aged stocks, experiment with new vintages, stargaze on Sunday Creek, solve mysteries among century-old barrels, witness the rituals of the burning of the cane, savour degustation dinners and explore the secrets of family winemaking at a series of day and night-time events.
Among highlights would be Behind The Curtains - A secret taste with the Chambers family at Chambers Rosewood Vineyards where sixth-generation winemakers would share exclusive tastes from ancient casks; Chiaroscuro - Light and Dark, a wine-themed dinner at Grace Eatery hosted by Scion Wine; and Vino and Art After Dark at De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate.
Muscat and durif varieties would make up the heart of the program covering myriad events.
The Dark Side of Wine series of muscat events would unlock the dark mystery of this alluring wine, with deep durif wines featured throughout the broader program.
The 10-day festival would launch on Friday, August 2, with a public Muscat of Rutherglen Classification tasting.
The Winemakers of Rutherglen would uncover and immerse you into the history and exclusive Rutherglen classification tasting in a grid tasting of more than 20 Rutherglen muscats.
Festival-goers would learn about the house style of each Rutherglen producer and the classifications of Rutherglen, Classic, Rare and Grand, a classification that marked a progression in richness,complexity, age and intensity of flavour.
The Winemakers of Rutherglen would host a Masquerade Ball that night under a star-lit sky from 7pm to 10pm.
Tickets to events hosted between August 2 and 11 were sold separately and ranged in price between free and $200.
Bookings: explorerutherglen.com.au
