Mudgee Food and Wine Fair, Balmoral

Yesterday I had two choices.  I could run 14kms in the City to Surf with 85,000 others or I could take a picnic rug down to Balmoral Beach and sip wines from the Mudgee Region of New South Wales.

It wasn’t a difficult decision.

Balmoral's famous rotunda

Balmoral’s famous rotunda


I attended the Mudgee Food and Wine Fair last year and it was probably the coldest day of the year and although the wines were good it was just too cold to be a pleasant experience.  Well fast forward 12 months and we are having an extremely mild winter and yesterday was a very Spring-like 22C (72F) with clear blue skies, no wind and plenty of sunshine.

The amenities block is the building you can see near the sandstone wall.  It has complimentary hot showers.

The amenities block is the building you can see near the sandstone wall. It has complimentary hot showers.

We walked down to the event with Alfie, taking my shopping trolley for our purchases and bringing the tasting glasses we bought last year so we didn’t have to buy new ones.  If you have your own glasses you can buy five tasting tickets for $15.00.  The grassy esplanade is dotted with little tent structures of Mudgee Wineries and there are food vendors as well.

If you don't have a picnic rug you can sit at one of the provided tables

If you don’t have a picnic rug you can sit at one of the provided tables

Very pleasant live folk music was playing and we thought we’d best start the day by fortifying our stomachs.  This is not a very good picture of the $15.00 wagyu beef burgers we bought that were substantial and the perfect fare for heading into an afternoon of wine tasting.  It didn’t take long before we bumped into friends who ended up inviting us home for dinner.

Enjoying a wagyu beef burger and warm enough to be wearing a T-shirt

Enjoying a wagyu beef burger and warm enough to be wearing a T-shirt

If you didn’t want a wagyu burger there were plenty of other options including a few things to give Alfie a very wide smile.  Don’t be alarmed – he was given peas, potatoes and steak for dinner.

Special treats for a special boy.

Special treats for a special boy.

I couldn’t think of a better place to be on a warm and sunny winter’s day.  We enjoyed around four hours of wandering around in the warmth of the sun enjoying great music, eating spiced nuts and sampling everything from sparkling wine, riesling, rose, shiraz, merlot and cabernet sauvignon.  We came home with a few bottles in my shopping trolley.

I love live music at a fair

I love live music at a fair

If you haven’t experienced the Mudgee Food and Wine Fair you should make an effort to be there next year.  And hopefully the weather will be just as superb as it was this year.

Somebody brought their very special toy but look - there's a fine under the windscreen!

Somebody brought their very special toy but look – there’s a fine under the windscreen!

If it was a couple of degrees warmer, I would have been swimming (water's a bit cold at this time of the year).

If it was a couple of degrees warmer, I would have been swimming (water’s a bit cold at this time of the year).

I wish I'd bought some of these products.

I wish I’d bought some of these products.

Hot spiced nuts

Hot spiced nuts

So pretty at sunset

So pretty at sunset

Balmoral Beach

Balmoral Beach

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Comments

  1. What a gorgeous day! I wish I could be there next year, it looks like a lot of fun 🙂

  2. On a lovely day like that what could be better than tasting some great wines and wagyu beef burgers to go with them while enjoying the fresh air?

  3. The council Rangers never cease to go ballistic when their is a local event on. So Un Australian of them. It looks like a fabulous event and wasn’t the weather superb.
    Carolyn

  4. What a beautiful setting. I’m wondering why they hold this event at a cold time of year. But you struck lucky.

  5. That fig and cardamom dessert syrup sounds yummy. The wagyu burger I’d like to have right now. Such a pretty spot!

  6. Hehe you definitely made the right choice Charlie! Hubby always jokes that I forgot to sign up to the C2S every year 😛

  7. I’m glad you decided to go to the food festival and not go on a 14km run!!! I love food festivals especially on such a beautiful day 🙂 And it’s by the beach too! I haven’t gone to beach for at least 6 months and starting to miss it ~

  8. Sounds like a very fine outing. Lovely setting. I’m glad you enjoyed it and very relieved to read of Alfie’s sensible supper 😉

  9. I love these kinds of events… looks like a great day!

  10. They have festivals like that here, but they’re always bbq.

  11. I love any and all events that are centered around food! Sounds like fun!

  12. This is just the sort of event I’d love, looks like Alfie thinks so too. I’d be hard pressed not to have one of those cones myself.. after the wine of course:) I’m glad you had such a lovely warm day for it. I always somehow forget we have opposite seasons. xx

  13. When I read your opening line, I said “there’s no decision there”! What a great day out.

  14. Gorgeous setting and it looks like the absolute most perfect day. That’s coming from a Minnesotan.

  15. MMMM I dont know how you decided….. wasn’t it a beautiful day. ? I havent been to the Mudgee food and wine day for years. I do love Balmoral and your pictures are so gorgeous

  16. Here I was thinking you’d run the 14km 😉 I like your choice much better!

  17. What a dilemma Charlie, did it take you more than two seconds to decide? I’m actually surprised Alfie didn’t ask to do the C2S after his last success, I’m glad to see he could be bought with icecream instead 🙂 The weather looks so much better than last year for you, and how lovely to meet up with some friends too. A perfect weekend! Xox

  18. What a wonderful event, a perfect day and beautiful scenery. Alfie sure is one happy kid.

  19. What a beautiful day and fun outing. I always love seeing photos of Alfie–so cute, is that kid.

  20. So lucky with the weather this year. Looks like a nice day out. Beef burgers, wine and icecream and lots of take home treats, what could be better – not a run that’s for sure.

  21. What a spectacular day at the beach…and a gorgeous winter day! I think Alfie is darned pleased with his lunch 🙂 Such a cutie.

  22. G’day! Looks like a fun-filled festival day Charlie, true!
    Always happy when the weather is nice and is only brekkie, but could go for that wagyu burger now too! Glad you and Alfie enjoyed together! Cheers! Joanne

  23. Looks like a perfect way to spend a Sunday 🙂

  24. I remember your post of last year, Charlie. What a difference a year makes! Your Winter is mild and our Summer is cool, though the pattern is supposed to change by week end. How nice for you, though, to be able to go this event in Spring-like weather. Sure looks like Alfie enjoyed himself. Before moving here, I lived for 7 years on Balmoral Ave. It was about 1.5 miles from The Lake and I can assure you it was nothing like the Balmoral you visited, no matter the season. 🙂

  25. Lovely day! I always forget how tall Carl actually is, and then I see a photo and go wow.. 🙂 MUCH nicer option that the city to surf, IMO!

  26. hmmmmm let me think….14 k’s of huffing and sweating or wine tasting whilst listening to live music and enjoying the scenery…….I’m with you! 🙂

  27. Looks wonderful, but you are now going to send me to look up “wagyu burger”.

  28. Uhuh! I would have picked the Mudgee Wines also: how does that song go: ‘Well, maybe next year’ 🙂 ! Yes, my mid-winter electricity bill did like the warmer winter [over $A600 is stiil a hell of a lot for 3/12 when one basically lives alone!] but the winds have arrived up here and I cannot wait it to be about the 3rd week in September!!! Was hitting a good 80-100 about 3am this morning!!! Balmoral: lovely as always . . . glad you enjoyed even if there was that sticker under the windshield . . .

  29. I’d have found the choice harder, but your photos are swaying me towards the non-running option too 😉 Looks like a great day Charlie!

  30. Wow, difficult to think a whole year has come and gone! I remember reading last years post like it was just last week!
    Fab day out.
    🙂 Mandy xo

  31. This is the perfect combo …. an event I would enjoy + a wonderful setting = WOW!!!!

  32. THAT’S your winter?! For crying out loud.

  33. wow this looks like the perfect afternoon

  34. To me, that would be the ONLY choice, hahahaha!! Beautiful day for a picnic…imagine that in winter. So much difference from year to year!! I wish for such a winter this year…..it was so cold last winter that I still feel like we haven’t been out of it. Craving for some wine now…….

  35. I can see by Alfie’s face that you all had a wonderful time! I particularly love that sunset photo! This kind of event is high on my list of enjoyments! 🙂

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  1. […] went to the butcher and bought beef cheeks but as I was stocked up on red wine (after visiting the Mudgee Food and Wine Fair), I thought instead of going Balinese-style, I’d go more Italian-cuisine and so I cooked mine […]

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