Participants of the harvest festival
AUSTRALIA
In Australia and neighboring New Zealand, wine festivals during the harvest are interpreted differently. At some, everything goes traditionally, with the announcement of the new vintage and a ceremony for receiving young grape must; at others, the harvest has only a nominal connection to what is happening.
Riverland is one of the largest wine regions in Australia. The Riverland Harvest Festival and Great Grape Stomp is held here annually. The most fun part of the festival is team competitions where they have to crush grapes with their feet. The overall festival program is designed for guests of all ages. Special features this year will be a sports and wine auction. The Riverland Harvest Festival and Great Grape Stomp takes place on March 30; details can be found at visitvineyards.com.
In Queensland, the grape and apple harvests have been combined into a single festival, aptly named Apple & Grape Harvest Festival. It lasts three days, this year from March 3 to 5. On Saturday March 4, immediately after the big parade, the Grape Crush event begins, where local and national stars compete for the title of Queensland champion at grape stomping. On Sunday, you can attend a wine fiesta, and if the wine theme gets boring, visitors to the Apple & Grape Harvest Festival can switch to apples or music, poetry, and art, which are also widely represented at the festival. Details at appleandgrape.org.
This coming weekend, two major cities – Sydney and Adelaide – are holding large wine events both named Cellar Door. In Sydney on February 25-26, in an open-air park, wines from all 14 wine regions of New South Wales, including the famous Hunter Valley, will be poured. Nearby, tables with farm products and delicacies will be set up. Details at nswwinefestival.com.au.
In Adelaide, Cellar Door will take place February 24-26. Participation of over 150 South Australian wineries is expected, and master classes will also be held. Details at www.cellardoorwinefestivaladelaide.com.au.
NEW ZEALAND
The largest New Zealand festival, gathering 60 wineries and about 8,000 people, takes place in the country's famous wine region – Marlborough. The Marlborough Wine & Food Festival is held on the second Saturday of February. Visitors are offered activities for every taste: for wine lovers - masterclasses with winemakers and viticulturists, for gourmets - delicacies and haute cuisine, for fashionistas - a best-dressed participant contest, for everyone - live music and entertainment programs. Details at marlboroughwinefestival.co.nz.
This year's Marlborough Festival has already passed, but there is still time to attend two other well-established festivals.
On the North Island, on March 10, the Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival 2012 will take place, honoring white Sauvignon Blanc, red Pinot Noir, and other wines. In fact, the organizers call this festival a "family day in nature," and in addition to regular tastings, there is a competition for the best wine and food pairing, art exhibitions, and live music. Details at wairarapawines.co.nz.
A week later, on March 17, a harvest festival will be held on the South Island. Unlike many others, the Gibbston Harvest Festival is non-commercial: proceeds from ticket sales go to charity or to sports and cultural organizations. At the festival, winemakers and farmers stand behind the tables, and throughout the day there are wine and food seminars. Details at gibbstonharvestfestival.co.nz.
SOUTH AFRICA
Harvest celebrations in South Africa begin in January, but the main events occur in late February and March. This weekend, February 24-26, many wineries across different parts of South Africa open their doors, including famous ones like Spier and Nederburg. Everywhere you can take part in the harvest, and in the Robertson Valley, a large-scale Hands-On Harvest is organized, where besides working in the vineyards, guests are offered to learn how to sort bunches, press the harvest, taste young must, create their own blends, and much more. These are accompanied by gastronomic and entertainment programs. Details at www.handsonharvest.com.
On the banks of the Breede River, on March 3, the Harvest of Joy will be celebrated by the wine estates of Worcester. The traditional part includes wine and olive oil tastings in the cellars of the farms, but guests can also participate in canoe races and mountain bike competitions. Details at www.worcesterwineroute.co.za.
The end of the harvest is the occasion for the Franschhoek Oesfees. In gratitude to the farmers working in the vineyards and in honor of the new harvest, a music festival is held in Franschhoek, which has become one of the iconic cultural events in the vicinity of Cape Town. It's unknown whether more wine lovers or music lovers gather at Franschhoek Oesfees, but fans of South African folk and jazz should not miss it. Details at www.solms-delta.co.za.
CHILE
In winemaking countries of South America, grape harvest festivals are celebrated almost at the national level. Moreover, in Chile, each wine region offers something different – be it the election of a harvest queen, rodeo races, or competitions for the best performance of the folk dance cueca. The largest Chilean vineyards are in the valleys south of Santiago, and the main wine festivities are concentrated there as well.
The city of Santa Cruz in the Colchagua Valley will become the center of the Fiesta de la Vendimia 2012 festival on March 2-4, with public festivities, wine tastings, and street food. Details at municipalidadsantacruz.cl. Following it, on March 9-10, the Festival Folclórico de la Vendimia will take place in Molina, which has been organized annually for almost 30 years. It is equally well known for wine and folk music. Alongside winemakers and singers, local farmers and artisans of decorative and applied arts participate. Details at www.festivaldelavendimia.cl.
The main Chilean harvest festival can be called the Fiesta de la Vendimia in Curicó. This year it will take place on March 21-25, with the main events on Saturday and Sunday. One of the brightest spectacles of the Fiesta de la Vendimia is the grape-stomping tournament, and one of the most beautiful is the coronation of the harvest queen, chosen from dozens of candidates. By the way, this beauty contest differs from others in that the queen's weight is publicly measured. Only instead of weights, they use bottles of wine. Details at www.vendimiachile.cl.
ARGENTINA
If from all the harvest festivals in the Southern Hemisphere you decide to choose the very best one, then most likely it will be the Argentine Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia. For almost 70 years, it has been held annually in Mendoza, the center of the prestigious wine-growing region of the same name, and its organization is handled by the Ministry of Culture. In terms of spectacle and mass participation, the Argentine wine fiesta can be compared only to the Brazilian carnival: it involves more than 40 thousand actors, not to mention countless guests.
This year, the festival will open on February 26 with a theatrical blessing of the harvest, followed by a dance of the queens. The main program is scheduled for March 2-5. On Friday evening, carriages with candidates for the harvest queen title will ride through the streets of Mendoza. On Saturday morning, parades and processions of the Carrusel de las Reinas will take place, and the highlight will be a large-scale evening performance 'Te miro… Vendimia de Colores.' Performances are also planned for the following two evenings. Details at vendimia.mendoza.gov.ar.
Such are the most interesting festivals related to the harvest in the wine-growing regions of the Southern Hemisphere. If in the coming weeks you are traveling through Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, or Argentina, do not hesitate to visit one of them – and you will return home with a wealth of new impressions or even bring a bottle of your own wine as a trophy.
Eleonora SCOULZ.
