Upcoming Queen’s Birthday weekend (7th – 9th June) is a great excuse for a getaway to the Mornington Peninsula, especially since both the Winter Wine Weekend and the Mornington Winter Jazz Festival are being held over this long weekend. These annual events are very popular with locals and overseas visitors, so make sure you book your Mornington Peninsula accommodation quick smart.
We’ve put together an outline about what to expect for each event, as well as links for pre-booking tickets and downloading programs, we look forward to seeing you there!
Winter Wine Weekend
Start your Queen’s Birthday weekend in style with the annual Winter Wine Weekend. Three days of outstanding wine and food with around 50 wineries involved, makes this one of THE most popular Mornington Peninsula events of 2014. Well known Mornington Peninsula wine varieties sure to make an appearance include: chardonnay, pinot noir, shiraz and pinot gris, but there will be many new ones too.
The event kicks off with the Winter Wine Festival held at Red Hill Showgrounds from 11am – 4pm, Saturday 7th June. Here you’ll get the opportunity for:
- wine tastings (over 200 wines to select from)
- meeting and greeting the winegrowers,
- sampling tasty food and;
- enjoying local music.
If you want to spend your weekend taking in the further delights of Mornington Peninsula, then the Winter Wine Fest on the Saturday is an ideal introduction to the fantastic variety of wines the region offers. Tickets cost $60 at the door or $55 pre-booked, and included in the price is:
- a Riedel wine glass
- tastings of any wines you desire
- 2 entrée size dishes to try
- a handy ‘Tasting Book’ which includes all wines exhibited.
For those who wish to participate in the rest of the Winter Wine Weekend then check out the wineries on the Mornington Peninsula offering cellar door tastings and also view a Mornington Peninsula winery map.
Closest wineries to our Mornington Peninsula accommodation are in Portsea, Arthurs Seat and Red Hill, note that some wineries do not have cellar door tastings and will only appear at the Winter Wine Festival opening.
Mornington Winter Jazz Festival
No matter where your Mornington Peninsula accommodation is located, Sorrento, Rye or St Andrew’s Beach, you’ll be within short driving distance of many of the venues involved in the Jazz Festival.
Downloading the Jazz Festival program and choosing your must-see artists is a good idea for starters, and so is pre-booking tickets so you don’t miss out on some of the big national artists such as: Katie Noonan and Elixr, Vince Jones and Paul Grabowsky.
The following are just some of the popular yearly highlights of the Jazz Festival:
- ‘Music After Dark’ – free series of performances at Mornington Library
- ‘Jazz n’ Swing’ – Royal Australian navy and swing dancers
- ‘Market Grooves’ – including face painting, kids activities & roving musicians
- ‘Jazz at the Station’ – at Mornington Historical Railway
Although some events are ticketed, there are also plenty of free performances by local artists and music students taking place in parks, on street corners and impromptu locations across the Peninsula.
Mornington Peninsula accommodation for wine & jazz lovers
Whether it’s wine, jazz, or a combination of both, you’re wanting for your Queen’s Birthday break, Ocean Blue Coastal Retreats can help by providing quality Mornington Peninsula accommodation for your stay.
We offer a range of luxury beach houses and cottages in the seaside villages of Sorrento, Blairgowrie and Rye, as well as further Mornington Peninsula holiday rentals in the lovely settings of St Andrews Beach Golf Club and Moonah Links Golf Course.
So, why not make Queen’s Birthday a long weekend to remember and book one of our private, self-contained, Mornington Peninsula accommodation options today? Then all you have to plan are your wine or jazz excursions.