Adelaide locals had a foretaste of the Langhorne Creek Wine Festival at the National Wine Centre last week, before the annual festival moves south to its traditional home in mid-August.
“It’s an opportunity for people to try the wines, and our program was launched on the night,” said Kate Horstmann, project co-ordinator for the Langhorne Creek Festival and the winemaker behind XO Wine Co.
She said the launch event was part of the National Wine Centre’s weekly ‘UnWined’ event.
“So, this time it was themed with Langhorne Creek wines, with five wineries pouring complimentary tastings.”
Ms Horstmann’s 5255 Prosecco was on show alongside chardonnay from Watkins family wines, Kimbolton’s Montepulciano, Lake Breeze, and Metala Wines, which owns some of the oldest cabernet vines in Australia.
The rest of the 10-day wine festival will be in Langhorne Creek, an hour’s drive from Adelaide, spanning August 11-20, and featuring more than 40 events and more than 10 different wineries.
This year’s festival also has a new look, with events catered for both the connoisseur and casual enjoyers of quality food and wine.
Kimbolton Wines is one of the participating cellar doors. Photo: Kimbolton Wines
Greg Follet, the executive chair of Langhorne Creek Grape and Wine (LCGW) and winemaker at award-winning Lake Breeze Wines, said the change to the program will allow more people to experience the region’s globally recognised wines.
“Langhorne Creek already has a global reputation for our excellence in producing great Cabernet and Malbec, but we’re doing much more,” he said.
“The ‘10 Days of Treasures’ program will open up our cellar doors to people keen to explore new tastes and new immersive wine experiences.”
As a younger face on Langhorne Creek’s wine scene, Ms Horstmann said that showcasing the variety of wines available in the region is important when reaching the next generation of drinkers.
“The region is renowned for its red wines, but it’s not all that Langhorne Creek does, and you know with this new demographic coming through who like crisp whites or lighter reds, we want to showcase this is a variety we also do really well,” she said.
For those with less expertise in wine, Ms Horstmann recommends the ‘Hangout at the Hangar’ event on Sunday, August 20.
“There will be well-known wine producers there, less well-known producers, as well as a DJ, a musician, food shops and so on,” she said.
“If you don’t know much about wine, but you want to hang out with your friends, have food, listen to cool music, that’s a cool one to come along to.”