Murrumbateman Moving Feast 2014

Canberra’s wineries do a darn good job at promoting themselves and making it easy for Canberrans and visitors alike to visit them – and to want to visit them. One such way they do this is the Murrumbateman Moving Feast held over Saturday and Sunday over the October long weekend, where wineries in the Murrumbateman region – a short drive north of Canberra – charge $20 for a home-baked main matched with a glass of wine, or $15 for a dessert (also matched, usually with a dessert wine). You don’t have to have your main and dessert at the same venue; indeed, you’re encouraged to sample different offerings at different wineries, and the tastings are – as usual – free.

Armed with my own tips from last year, at midday on Saturday we set out with a fair idea of where we want to go, having perused the online menu and map.

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Canberra Wine Harvest Festival 2014

In previous years (see 2013 here and 2012 here), we’ve done a great job fitting in as many wineries in a short timeframe as possible. This year, our approach is a little more haphazard, spreading out our visits over the afternoons of the two festival days – but no less enjoyable.

Robyn Rowe chocolates – Summerside Festival

The Summerside Festival is on until 2 March – last week I reviewed the yummy Oyster Bar at Capital Wines. That same day we take our guest (who also happens to be my bestie!) to Robyn Rowe chocolates, down Nanima Road (near Poacher’s Pantry). A day with Capital Wines followed with Robyn Rowe chocolates is always a cracker: a guaranteed good day out (I’ve done it more than once before!).

Taste and Test at Sage Dining Rooms

Clever, clever, clever is what runs through my mind during our two hour dinner at Sage Dining Rooms. Sage is one of the best restaurants in Canberra (I have been known to wax lyrical about it here, and here, and elsewhere!) and in August they announced a ‘taste and test’ month – essentially, for three nights a week over the month, the restaurant would become an experiment as they test dishes for their new menu, and the diners become reviewers. The price is marked down: five dishes for $60. I book us in immediately and look forward to it for weeks.

Capital Wines and Robyn Rowe chocolates

It’s a rainy Saturday June weekend. We could stay at home. We could watch movies on the couch in our snuggies. But, when it’s raining, I think wineries are where it’s at. There are fewer people, and the old (and new) buildings of our region’s wineries come alive – rain on a tin roof, toasty fires and stone walls. Remembering how much we enjoyed our outing to Surveyor’s Hill last year under similar conditions, we hit the road.

Canberra District Wine Harvest Festival

This past Sunday was a spectacular day, and after enjoying the beautiful cars set against the gorgeous backdrop at Auto Italia 2012, we didn’t want to miss the Canberra District Wine Harvest Festival, so we hurried onto the Barton Highway and set off towards Murrumbateman.

The Wine Harvest Festival brochure promoted 24 wineries in the region, but strangely local favourite Poachers Pantry (which T2 recently visited) was missing. Of course, with 24 wineries and with only three hours available to us before their advertised closing time (5pm), there was plenty to keep us busy. The most difficult part was choosing exactly which ones we wanted to go to!