Cool-climate wines, local eats and live music: the Macedon Ranges’ Budburst Wine Festival is back for a big weekend in November

With the warmer weather finally reaching Victoria, now is the perfect time to explore some of the state's incredible wine regions. And with the massive Budburst Wine Festival returning to Macedon Ranges on Saturday November 15 and Sunday November 16, this should be on the top of your list – especially as it is just an hour away from Melbourne.

For the festival, over 20 Macedon Ranges wineries will showcase their finest drops across 15 distinctive wineries – inviting guests to sample their wines, meet the makers, try locally sourced culinary pairings, and enjoy plenty of entertainment and live music. The diversity of this cool-climate wine region is captured across each of the distinct venues, ranging from sweeping vineyard vistas, rustic resplendence, pastoral heritage and those of architectural brilliance.

Even hard to nab, small batch producers will be joining the celebration, popping up at host wineries in settings as unique as the wines themselves.

But it is not just wineries taking part in the festival. Plenty of local haunts are also welcoming travellers, including The Mount Macedon Trading Post, The Albion Hotel, The Kyneton Hotel, and the Woodend Cellar and Bar. 

Those who can travel to the Macedon Ranges on the eve of the festival on November 14th, can also drop by the special Budburst Winemaker’s four-course Degustation Dinner hosted by Victoria Hotel Woodend. You can chat with the winemakers and learn directly from them about a craft that's so close to their hearts.

You’ll certainly leave this weekend with a greater appreciation for the Macedon Ranges’ beloved cool-climate wines – beyond the classic pinot noirs, reislings and chardonnays the region is best known for – as well as the region as a whole.

You can head to the Budburst Wine Festival website to find more details as well as book tickets.