Grenache and Gourmet 2026: Your Complete Festival Guide for McLaren Vale

On September 18, the eve of International Grenache Day, McLaren Vale opens the doors on its most significant annual event. Grenache and Gourmet runs until October 5, the Labour Day long weekend, and in those 18 days the region produces some of the most interesting food and wine programming in the Australian calendar.

The timing is not accidental. Spring in McLaren Vale is the moment when the vines come back to life after winter dormancy, the days lengthen, and the estate grounds are at their most photogenic. The festival uses all of it: outdoor lunches, vineyard walks, cellar door masterclasses, and event formats that only work in this specific window of the year.

The Grenache in the title is not decorative. McLaren Vale's old-vine Grenache is now widely considered among the finest produced anywhere in the world, and the festival exists to celebrate that. The 2026 Halliday Wine Companion handed Wine of the Year to Thistledown Wines' This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2024 — a McLaren Vale Grenache, 98 points, $95 at retail. The international wine community has been paying attention for longer than the domestic conversation has reflected. Grenache and Gourmet is where that attention is made tangible.

This guide is part of our ultimate guide to McLaren Vale wine tours.

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What Is Grenache and Gourmet?

Grenache and Gourmet is an 18-day festival run by the McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association, covering the region's wineries, restaurants, and producer partners. It is structured around individual events rather than a single site — no central festival hub, no wristband access model. Visitors plan their own itinerary from the program, book specific events directly with producers, and build a festival experience across as many days as they have available.

The 2025 program ran 32 events across three categories — Sip & Savour (pairing Grenache with thoughtfully crafted food experiences), Learn & Explore (vineyard tours, blending workshops, and hands-on sessions), and Relax & Unwind (casual gatherings with food, wine, and live music). The 2026 program is live now, with 30 confirmed events across the region. Browse the full calendar at grenacheandgourmet.com.au/program and book directly through each event's own page — there is no single festival pass.

The format rewards planning. The program is live now and the best events — the blind tastings, the vertical pours, the small-group masterclasses — sell out within days, sometimes hours. If something on the calendar looks right, book it the day you see it rather than the day before you fly in.

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The Cellar Doors to Prioritise

Not every cellar door in McLaren Vale runs a specific festival event, but the ones that produce the most serious Grenache tend to invest in the programming. Here is where to focus.

Bekkers Wine, the appointment-only estate producing Grenache and Shiraz at the very top of the regional quality range, hosts the festival's centrepiece tasting: Grenache Options, an Ultimate Blind Tasting Challenge pitting Bekkers against other McLaren Vale interpretations of the variety.

d'Arenberg runs two confirmed 2026 events at its landmark cellar door — Custodians of Grenache, and The Districts Grenache Experience, which explores how the region's varied geology shapes the wine across different sites.

Beresford Estate opens the festival on 18 September with 'Now and Then', a free tasting in the Beresford Tasting Pavilion running across the full festival window — the easiest, lowest-commitment way to start a festival day.

Bondar hosts an intimate cellar-door vertical tasting through three back vintages of Bondar and Hope Grenache side by side, a rare chance to see how the wine develops with age.

Hugh Hamilton Wines runs The Grenache Disruption, a hosted look at the winery's deliberately provocative, expressive style of the variety, and Oliver's Taranga — one of the region's oldest family-owned estates — presents Four Shades of Grenache.

The Thistledown name is still worth knowing regardless of the festival program: the 2026 Halliday Wine Companion named the winery's This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2024 its Wine of the Year — 98 points, the highest honour in Australian wine criticism, and the clearest signal of how seriously the world now takes McLaren Vale Grenache.

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The Food Side of the Festival

Grenache and Gourmet takes the gourmet half seriously. The festival's food programming draws on McLaren Vale's Mediterranean produce culture — the almond and olive orchards, the market garden growers, the seafood from the adjacent Gulf St Vincent coast — and its restaurant scene, which has developed significantly in the past decade.

The paddock-to-plate long lunch format is the festival's signature food experience. These typically involve a fixed menu built around seasonal regional produce, paired with wines from the host estate, served outdoors in the vineyard or estate grounds. Numbers are limited, prices range from $120 to $200 per person for a full multi-course experience, and they fill quickly. Identify the ones you want in the first week of the program being published and book immediately.

Two confirmed 2026 events lead the food program. Hither & Yon runs a Linguine & Grenache Lunch, pairing housemade pasta with the estate's Grenache range. Ekhidna Kitchen hosts Ragu and Red, a slow-cooked ragu paired against the winery's reds. For something further from a standard tasting, Nick Haselgrove Wines pairs Grenache against Sri Lankan street food — hoppers included.

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The Winemaker Masterclasses

The festival's masterclass program is the highest-density learning experience available in McLaren Vale across the year. Sessions typically run 60 to 90 minutes and cover subjects ranging from old-vine viticulture and Grenache clonal selection to vertical tastings of a single wine across multiple vintages.

These sessions sell out first. If education is a priority, check the masterclass program as soon as it is published — typically several weeks before the festival opens — and book before general experiences.

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Planning Your Grenache and Gourmet Trip

When to book accommodation: Immediately. The Labour Day long weekend (October 3-5) fills McLaren Vale's accommodation options months in advance. Midweek visits in the final week of September offer more availability and often a more relaxed pace at events. If the long weekend is essential, book accommodation as soon as this article convinces you.

How many days to allow: One day gives you a strong single experience — one cellar door event and one restaurant meal. Two to three days allows you to move across the region's different estates and food experiences without rushing. The full 18 days is for serious Grenache devotees and local visitors who can chip in and out across the festival period.

Getting there: McLaren Vale is 45 minutes south of Adelaide by car. Festival visitors coming from interstate or internationally typically fly into Adelaide and hire a car or arrange a guided tour. Several wine tour operators in the region run specific Grenache and Gourmet itineraries during the festival period.

Tickets: Available through grenacheandgourmet.com.au and directly with individual estates. No single pass covers all events — each experience is ticketed separately. Budget for the program across multiple events if you plan to attend more than one.

Read why McLaren Vale Grenache is world-class
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Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Grenache and Gourmet festival in McLaren Vale in 2026? Grenache and Gourmet 2026 runs from September 18 to October 5. It opens on the eve of International Grenache Day (the third Friday of September) and closes on the Labour Day public holiday long weekend (October 3-5).

How do I get tickets to Grenache and Gourmet? Tickets are available through the official festival website at grenacheandgourmet.com.au and directly through participating wineries and restaurants. Each event is ticketed separately — there is no single festival pass. The most sought-after events sell out quickly, so booking as soon as the program is published is strongly recommended.

What is the best event at Grenache and Gourmet? The best events vary by year and program. As a general guide: winemaker masterclasses and small-group tastings at appointment-only estates sell out first and offer the most concentrated experience. Paddock-to-plate vineyard lunches are the signature experience for food-focused visitors. Browse the confirmed 2026 program at grenacheandgourmet.com.au/program.

Is McLaren Vale Grenache really world-class? Yes. The 2026 Halliday Wine Companion named Thistledown Wines' This Charming Man Single Vineyard Clarendon Grenache 2024 as its Wine of the Year — 98 points, and the highest honour in Australian wine criticism. Producers like Bekkers, Yangarra Estate, and SC Pannell produce Grenache that draws comparison to the best from France's southern Rhone and Spain's Priorat.

What is International Grenache Day? International Grenache Day is an annual celebration of the Grenache grape variety, observed on the third Friday of September each year. In 2026 it falls on September 18, which is why McLaren Vale's Grenache and Gourmet festival opens on that date. McLaren Vale's participation reflects the region's position as Australia's leading Grenache-producing region.

Do I need a car to attend Grenache and Gourmet? A car or organised transport is strongly recommended. The festival events are spread across the region's wineries and restaurants, which are not walkable from one another. Several wine tour operators in McLaren Vale run specific festival itineraries — booking with an operator who knows the program is the most efficient way to cover multiple events across a single day.

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Plan Your Grenache and Gourmet Visit

Browse wine tour operators running specific Grenache and Gourmet itineraries in McLaren Vale.

View McLaren Vale Wine Tours

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