Southern Highlands Food & Wine Festival is one of the wine festivals that anchors the New South Wales calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year.
Southern Highlands Food & Wine Festival is one of the wine festivals that anchors the New South Wales calendar, drawing both local visitors and international wine travellers each year. It is held at Corbett Gardens in Bong Bong Street, in the heart of one of Australia's most distinctive wine areas. It is an annual event with an established local audience and a consistent place in the regional calendar.
Multi-day festival celebrating regional produce, wineries, breweries and distilleries of the Southern Highlands; held at Corbett Gardens. Wine festivals across Europe typically combine producer tastings with food pairings, live music, and a strong sense of place. Visitors can expect access to wines from a range of producers in the appellation, alongside food stalls offering regional specialities, masterclasses or vineyard walks for those who want to learn more, and an opportunity to buy directly from producers at cellar prices. Many events run across multiple days or weekends, allowing visitors to sample different parts of the programme according to interest, and combine well with the area's wider tourism offer. The event is organised by Southern Highlands Food & Wine Festival committee, which sets the tone and direction of the programme each year.
New South Wales is home to the Hunter Valley — Australia's oldest wine region (planted from 1825 by Scotsman James Busby) and the home of Hunter Valley Semillon, a wholly distinctive Australian wine style with the capacity to age for decades into honeyed, toasty complexity. The region also produces medium-bodied Shiraz of remarkable elegance. Other important NSW wine zones include Mudgee (full-bodied reds), the Southern Highlands (cool-climate sparkling and Pinot Noir), Orange (high-altitude cool-climate wines), Canberra District (premium cool-climate Shiraz and Riesling), and Tumbarumba (sparkling-wine base).
The 2026 edition is scheduled for TBC 2026 (typically December). Cost details are best confirmed directly with the organiser ahead of travel. Full programme, ticketing and updated information are published on the official site at https://southernhighlandsfestival.com.au/. Visitors are advised to check directly with the organiser for the latest schedule, as festival programmes are sometimes updated close to the event date.
New South Wales is reached via Sydney airport (SYD). The Hunter Valley sits 2 hours north of Sydney by car (or 1 hour by train), with Pokolbin and Cessnock the wine-tourism bases. Other NSW wine zones include the Southern Highlands (Bowral/Mittagong, 90 minutes south of Sydney), Mudgee (3.5 hours northwest), Orange (3.5 hours west), Canberra District (3 hours southwest including Murrumbateman) and Hilltops (3.5 hours southwest). Sydney itself, with its harbour, beaches and Asian-influenced food culture, makes a natural travel base.
