Grampians Grape Escape is one of the longest running food and wine festivals in Australia and a hallmark event for Victoria. It was launched in 1992. Held in the

Grampians National Park The Grampians National Park commonly referred to as The Grampians, is a national park located in the Grampians region of Victoria, Australia. The Jardwadjali name for the mountain range itself is Gariwerd. The national park is situated betwee ...

Halls Gap Halls Gap is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on Grampians Road, adjacent to the Grampians National Park, in the Shire of Northern Grampians local government area. The town is set in the Fyans Valley at the foot of the Wonderland an ...

during the first weekend of May every year, the Grampians Grape Escape provides food and wine offerings by more than 100 local artisan producers, live music and family entertainment.

Grampians Wine

The festival features Grampians_(wine) produced by some of the oldest vines in the world; the area was first vinified in 1862 with plantings at Concongella Creek and Great Western by French winemaker Charles Pierlot. Each year participating wineries select a parcel of wine from the year's vintage for inclusion in the special release Grampians Reserve Shiraz, which is auctioned exclusively at the Festival.

Grape Stomping

Up to a tonne of grapes are donated to the Festival each year by local vineyards and picked by school students for a traditional grape stomping competition.

History

The Festival began in 1992 as the Halls Gap Gourmet Weekend and was rebranded as Grampians Grape Escape in 2002. It celebrated its 21st year over 5–6 May 2012 and has grown to attract a crowd of up to 10,000 foodies from across the world. Previous Festival identities have included: Manu Feildel,

Poh Ling Yeow Poh Ling Yeow (; born 1973) is a Malaysian-born Australian cook, artist, actress, author and television presenter. Early life and history Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, into a fifth-generation Malaysian Chinese family, and her mother is of ...

Tobie Puttock Tobie Puttock (born 1974) is an Australian celebrity chef, best known for his association with British chef Jamie Oliver. Cooking career Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Puttock trained at Box Hill Institute of TAFE, and first worked at Caffe e Cu ...

Ed Halmagyi Ed Halmagyi (born February 1975), also known as "Fast Ed," is an Australian TV presenter, chef, author, photographer and radio host. Early life Ed Halmagyi was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in February 1975 to neurologist Dr Gabor M ...

Rachel Berger Rachel Berger is an Australian comedian, actress, and writer. Berger was born in Israel to Polish Jewish parents and emigrated to Melbourne at the age of five.Wilmoth, Peter, "Sticking to the script", The Weekly Review, 2 June 2010, She is a ...

Rebecca Barnard Rebecca Chirnside Barnard (born 26 December 1960) is an Australian singer, songwriter, producer and musician. She was the lead singer of the band Rebecca's Empire from 1993 to 2000, and has forged a solo career since her debut album, ''Fortifie ...

Monique Brumby Monique Brumby (born 16 September 1974, in Devonport) is an Australian Indie pop/rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. Her debut single, " Fool for You", peaked into the top 40 in the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) ...

, Adrian Richardson and Stefano de Pieri. No festival was held in 2020-21, and upon resumption in 2022, it celebrates its 29th year.

Recognition

The Festival is recommended by Australian Traveller as one of Australia’s top 30 wine and beer festivals.

References

{{reflist

External links

Grampians Grape Escape website
Wine-related events Food and drink festivals in Australia Wine festivals in Australia Grampians (region)