Clare Valley Wine Events 2027: The Calendar You Need
This guide is part of our ultimate guide to Clare Valley wine tours.
Clare Valley's wine event calendar is built around the rhythm of the seasons: harvest in autumn, dormancy in winter, awakening in spring. The region doesn't try to manufacture events throughout the year -- it celebrates what's actually happening in the vines. The result is a calendar where each event feels genuinely earned rather than manufactured.
Here are the events worth building a Clare Valley trip around in 2027.
Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend (May)
The signature event of the Clare Valley calendar. Held every May, the Gourmet Weekend transforms the region into one long, distributed celebration of food and wine, with cellar doors and regional producers hosting everything from long-table lunches to cheese tastings to winemaker dinners.
Most events run across the Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. The big ticketed lunches -- where a cellar door hosts 30-60 guests for a multi-course, matched meal -- are the highlight, and they sell out months in advance. Entry-level tasting passes are more accessible but still require booking once the program is released.
The Clare Valley Winemakers website publishes full event details and ticketing links when the program launches, typically in early March.
Key advice: If you want the long lunches, set a reminder to buy the moment tickets go on sale. Accommodation for Gourmet Weekend fills in the same window. Book both simultaneously.
Harvest Season (March to April)
Not a formal event, but genuinely the best time to visit. From late February through April, the Clare Valley is in vintage mode: machine harvesters move through the vineyards at night, the winery crush pads are running, and winemakers are focused but willing to give visitors time they wouldn't have in quieter months.
Barrel tastings, library wine open days, and impromptu cellar door events happen throughout vintage. Follow individual producers on social media for announcements -- these events are often announced with very short lead times. If you can visit on a weekday in March, you'll encounter a winery in full production and a winemaker genuinely excited to show you what's happening.
Riesling Trail Events (Year-round, Peak: September-November)
The Riesling Trail runs organised events through the cycling season, including group rides, trail walks, and family days. Several of these incorporate cellar door visits, and the autumn harvest rides (typically in April) combine trail cycling with vintage cellar door access.
Check the Riesling Trail official site for the current events calendar -- programming changes year to year.
Clare Valley Spring Tastings (October-November)
Several Clare Valley cellar doors host spring tasting events as the new vintage wines are released. These typically run across a weekend in October or November and give visitors first access to current releases. They're less formal than the Gourmet Weekend but often more intimate -- smaller crowds and more direct access to winemakers.
Look for announcements from individual producers in late August and September.
Clare Showgrounds Markets and Regional Events
Clare township runs regular community markets at the showgrounds, typically on Saturday mornings through the warmer months. These are excellent for local produce, regional olive oils and preserves, artisan food products, and direct-from-producer wine sales. If you're self-driving through the region on a Saturday morning, check whether the markets are running.
The Clare Agricultural Show (typically October) is a different but enjoyable addition to a Clare visit -- particularly for those travelling with children.
Planning Around Events: Accommodation Warning
For any major event weekend in Clare Valley -- particularly the Gourmet Weekend -- accommodation must be booked months in advance. The region doesn't have an enormous inventory of accommodation, and the better options (stone cottage retreats, vineyard guesthouses) are held by regulars year to year. If you want a specific property for Gourmet Weekend, start enquiring in January for the May dates.
For event weekends, also expect cellar door visits to require pre-booking that would be unnecessary on a normal weekend.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend in 2027? The Gourmet Weekend is typically held in late May. Exact dates for 2027 will be confirmed by the Clare Valley Winemakers in early 2027 -- check the official website for the announcement.
How do I get tickets to Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend? Tickets are released through the Clare Valley Winemakers website when the program launches in early March. Long-table lunch events sell out within hours of release. Set a calendar reminder for launch day.
What other South Australian wine events are worth combining with a Clare trip? The Barossa Vintage Festival alternates years with a smaller celebration, and generally runs in April. If timing aligns, combining a Barossa event weekend with a Clare Valley visit (the two regions are 75 kilometres apart) makes an excellent two-day itinerary.
Is vintage in Clare Valley worth visiting even without a formal event? Absolutely. March and April in Clare Valley are the best months to visit even without a ticketed event. The atmosphere of a working winery during harvest, plus the visual drama of autumn vines, makes it worthwhile with or without organised programming.