Yes, it's coming! Pinot Palooza - the tasting festival for people who think pinot noir rocks!

Oct. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- In less than three weeks on Sunday 21ST October 2012, Melbourne’s pinotphiles will unite in celebration as more than 70 pinot noir wine producers from Australia and New Zealand will be exhibiting over 130 pinot noirs at the exciting new tasting festival, PINOT PALOOZA!

The Wine Guide and Dig Marketing Group have joined forces to create an opportunity for those folks who are so crazy about pinot noir, that spending an entire three and a half hours hours basking in pinot noir glory just isn’t enough!

Pinot noir producers are coming from regions far and wide including Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Macedon Ranges, Gippsland, Ballarat, Marlborough, Central Otago, Waipara Valley, Nelson, Tasmania and Martinborough to name a few. Each producer will have up to three of their finest pinot noirs on tasting, many of which will be presented by the winemakers.

For those who want to turn their pinot noir dial to 11, they can come into the ‘inner sanctum’ of the Green Room where to spend 45 minutes tasting and learning about the finer points of this awesome wine from Pinot professors. Green Room sessions are limited to 30 people per session.

GREEN ROOM Morning sessions

•   Session One: Morning Sunshine 11am– Burgundy 2010  - Discover the characteristics of 2010 red Burgundy and the renaissance of the Cote de Beaune hosted by Australia’s most highly regarded wine critic, James Halliday and Philip Rich from the Prince Wine Store.

•   Session Two: Midday Melody 12.30pm – Elegant, Ethereal and Graceful – Learn about pinots from Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand hosted by the Pinot Unearthed Team – wine educator Dan Sims, James Halliday’s Wine Companion contributor Ben Edwards and former sommelier Chris Crawford.

GREEN ROOM Afternoon sessions

•   Session Three: Afternoon Delight 3.30pm – Oregon and California  - Hosted by Michael McNamara from the Prince Wine Store and Ben Edwards. This is the one opportunity at Pinot Palooza to sample wines from the U.S. Discover the characteristics of these wonderful wines and see why America is part of the pinot noir movement.

•   Green Room Session Four: Sweet Sunset 5.00pm – Pushing Pinots Boundaries – A journey of discovery to challenge and discuss what some winemakers are doing in some fairly interesting locations, and find out why they are doing it. A session where philosophy is sure to get a thorough workout. Hosted by wine writer Mike Bennie and Lisa Jenkins of the City Wine Store.

The Food

PINOT PALOOZA will also offer some rockin’ good music and a selection of fine food such as ISOLA CHIANINA BEEF serving their salami and char-grilled beef skewers carefully selected to match the high notes of these sexy pinot noirs. And if that wasn’t enough, ST KATHERINES restaurant will be providing a medley of modern Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern dishes from acclaimed chefs GEORGE CALOMBARIS and SHANE DELIA.


WHAT:         Pinot Palooza

WHERE:        Ormond Hall, 557 St Kilda Road (corner of Moubray St), Melbourne

WHEN:         Sunday October 21, 2012

Tasting Times: 11.30 – 15.00
16.00 – 19.30

Green Room Masterclasses:
11.00 & 12.30
15.30 & 17.45

TICKETS:      General admission: $60 and admission includes a Riedel Extreme Pinot Noir Glass worth $30, a copy of the James Halliday Wine Companion Magazine, a bottle of San Pellegrino or Acqua Panna mineral water.

Green Room Masterclass: The Green Room Masterclass can be booked individually at a cost of $50 per session additional to general admission ticket.

Food from Isola Chiania Beef and St Katherines will be available for purchase.

MORE:                                   pinotpalooza.com.au

Twitter: @Pinot_Palooza              
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PinotPalooza                          

For media enquiries please contact:

Victoria Wild 03 8606 3700 or Victoria@digmarketing.com.au