Wine, Dine & Unwind | The Iconic Lovedale Long Lunch Celebrates 31 Years
- Liane Morris
- Apr 15
- 6 min read
When you think of iconic events in the Hunter region, few match the Lovedale Long Lunch – the largest and longest running wine, food and music line-up that has become a prominent annual event and a Hunter Valley institution in itself.
Designed as a progressive dining experience in a boutique corner of the valley, aptly named Lovedale, it’s an opportunity to experience wineries and restaurants that you may otherwise miss in your visit to the more well-known Pokolbin area. Immerse yourself in the flavours, wines and entertainment at six of the area’s best wineries for an unforgettable weekend of foodie fun delivered by some of the Hunter’s top chefs from 17 to 18 May.
Lovedale Long Lunchers select two from the six participating venues to visit. Do a day visit or stay the weekend. Take advantage of the shuttle buses. Nothing could be more enjoyable and relaxing than spending a weekend dining alfresco with friends and family in the picturesque surroundings of the Lovedale wineries, savouring wine and unwinding to the sounds of live music.
The six host wineries and restaurants/caterers for the Lovedale Long Lunch 2025 are Allandale Winery and Twine Restaurant; Emma's Cottage Vineyard and Esca Bimbadgen Restaurant; Gartelmann Wines and The Deck Café Lovedale; Saltire Estate and Hunter Valley Catering; Sandalyn Estate and Peterson House Restaurant Cuvée; and Tatler Wines and Tatler Tapas.
Matt Dillow, owner and chef of Gartelmann Wines and The Deck Café, President of the Lovedale Business Chamber and member of the Lovedale Long Lunch Committee, has been involved with the festival since 2010 and sees it as a critical driver of repeat business for the boutique wineries, restaurants and providores in this corner of the valley.
“I’m deeply committed to supporting other business owners in our region,” said Matt.
“We love this event; it’s a wonderful opportunity for my staff to showcase what they have to offer visitors. We’ve fine-tuned the event and logistics, so guests don’t have to worry about a thing except having a great time among the vineyards. We attract approximately 10,000 people each year.”
In recent years a younger committee with a fresh take on the event rebranded and refined the way it is both marketed and run. Riley Hodgetts, a committee member and Marketing and Events Coordinator at Allandale Winery, one of the original wineries that founded the event, discusses how the event supports the local community and small businesses.
“The original intent of the event was to build awareness and a brand around Lovedale, to promote the fabulous boutique wineries that we have here as well as the incredible restauranteurs,” said Riley.
“In addition, the event also supports local accommodation providers, small businesses that provide our local produce, and community groups that volunteer to help with logistics, such as parking.” We donate to the RFS and the Hunter River Dragons each year for their assistance, for example.
Kurt Nilon, a committee member and Sales and Marketing Manager at Petersons, agrees that the event drives a significant amount of local business, and he’s proud that, unlike many other festivals, it remains thriving.
“There used to be a lot more food and wine events in our region, but we’re now one of the few remaining and the longest running. People can trust they will have a fabulous time at the Lovedale Long Lunch,” said Kurt.
Tickets are available for either Saturday, Sunday, or both, and you can choose to visit two of the six participating wineries. A continuous shuttle bus runs between venues, or you can organise your own, as well as many other local activities, from horse-riding to hot air ballooning, day spa or golf.
Tickets are $149 for Saturday and include two main meals, one dessert or cheese plate and one souvenir wine-tasting glass; $79 for Sunday, including one main meal, one dessert or cheese plate and one souvenir wine-tasting glass; and $190 for both days including three main meals, two desserts or cheese plates and one souvenir wine tasting glass. When booking your tickets, you will have a choice of three start times: 9:30am, 10am, or 10:30am. You can then proceed to your next venue between 12pm and 2pm.
The hardest part about attending the Lovedale Long Lunch is choosing which wineries you’re going to visit.
At Allandale Winery with food by Twine Restaurant’s Daniel and Meagan Teggins, the mains are Pan-fried Goldband snapper fillet, Italian fregola, torn basil, sun-dried tomatoes and Twine labna matched with Allandale Aged Semillon or slow cooked beef brisket, smokey BBQ sauce, warm potato salad, crispy bacon, tangy dressing, charred corn salsa
and toasted pita bread served with Allandale Dry Rosé. The vegan and gluten-free option is Panang Curry, featuring a rich sauce, silken tofu, garden-fresh vegetables, and fragrant Jasmine rice paired with Allandale Lombardo. Dessert consists
of triple-layered mousse pots - Belgian milk chocolate, salted caramel, and white chocolate mousse, topped with Jaffa espresso crumb and a recommended wine match of Allandale Sparkling Gewürztraminer. Or perhaps you fancy the cheese platter from Binnorie Dairy, featuring brie and smoked cheddar, accompanied by house-made pickles and crackers
(GF Option), paired with Allandale Chardonnay. Entertainment is Kaleidoscope Dream and Birds of a Feather.
Emma’s Cottage and Esca Bimbadgen Restaurant’s Head Chef, Raphael Martinez, is serving up Sticky BBQ Pork, slaw, coriander, and crispy shallots paired with a wine match of Alter Wines Chardonnay. Alternatively, enjoy braised lamb shoulder, orecchiette, peas, mint, and chilli, matched with Alter Wines Shiraz Pinot. The vegan option is pumpkin orecchiette, featuring peas, mint, chilli, and crispy shallots, paired with Alter Wines Semillon. Dessert is a Belgian chocolate pecan brownie with caramel, served with toffee popcorn and Alter Wines Sparkling Blanc. If cheese is your thing, don’t miss the triple-cream Brie, cheddar, quince, candied walnuts, lavosh, and strawberries paired with the wine match of Alter Wines Late Harvest Semillon. Live music is by Anna Weatherup and Band.
Gartelmann Wines and Matt Dillow of The Deck Cafe have seafood on offer with prawn, calamari, mussel penne, rich tomato Napolitana sauce (GF Option) and recommended wine match of Gartlemann Semillon or the slow braised lamb cromesque, rosemary roasted potato, minted pea puree, fire seared capsicum and almond salsa matched with Gartelmann Shiraz. The vegan option is penne, rich Napolitana sauce, and zucchini flowers (GF Option). Dessert is a classic Tiramisu, and the cheese platter features Brie, cheddar, blue cheese, lavosh, crackers, rhubarb compote, and a fig date and walnut roll. The Tre Soul Band and Kazzie Trio will bring the musical vibes all day.
At Saltire Estate, Hunter Valley Catering Head Chef Nick Vivian plates up buttermilk southern fried chicken, jalapeno cheesy chats and grilled corn ribs matched with Saltire Vermentino or Saltire Sauvignon Blanc or you could choose the Bao bun trio of pulled pork, sriracha slaw and caramelised peanuts; spiced fish cake, sweet chilli aioli, cucumber, crispy shallots, coriander and teriyaki mushrooms, pickled cucumber, shallots, crispy garlic, sesame seed with suggested match of Saltire Organic Shiraz. The vegan GF option is also a trio of bao buns that swap out the fish for Southern fried halloumi and pulled pork for sticky hoisinglazed tofu, all with a wine match of Saltire Organic Rosé. Dessertis chocolate, raspberry truffle cake, fudge sauce, and honeycomb sprinkles matched with Saltire Moscato. The cheese is Binnorie Triple Cream Brie, smoked cheddar, homemade fig, balsamic jam and water crackers with Saltire Prosecco. Live music will have you grooving to the sounds of Soundabout, who play covers from Abba through to Amy Winehouse, or perhaps you prefer the techno beats of DJ Whispa.
Over at Sandalyn, Head Chef of Peterson House Restaurant Cuvée Chad Pridue, is keeping it simple with a Beef Brisket pie with buttery mashed potato served with Savannah Estate Cabernet Sauvignon or Barramundi fillet on a fine cut ratatouille and baby rocket salad served with Petersons Cuvee Chardonnay. The vegan option is a mushroom and sage arancini with aioli washed down with Peterson House Sparkling Prosecco Rosé. For dessert you can’t go past house-made doughnuts, Nutella, and strawberries accompanied by Peterson House Sparkling Pink Blush. The cheese platter contains warm Brie with Balsamic roasted tomatoes, house-made dukkah and crackers with Petersons Wines Botrytis Semillon or Shiraz—music by Phonic.
Katy Carruthers is the chef at Tatler Tapas at Tatler Wines and she’ll be dishing up slow braised Beef Bourguignon, Tatler red wine sauce, mashed potato with wine match of Tatler Shiraz, or you could try the Tatler’s Classic Mexican style Nachos with garlic & chilli prawns, rich tomato and mixed bean salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheddar, corn chips and wine match of Tatler Semillon. The vegetarian option is a corn, carrot and spinach rich tomato & mixed bean salsa, guacamole, vegan cheddar, and corn chips with Tatler Pinot Gris. Dessert is a good old fashioned sticky date pudding in butterscotch sauce with double cream washed down with the Tatler Frizzante Semillon, and the cheese plate contains brie and cheddar with apricots, almonds, crackers and relish with wine match of Tatler Shiraz—live music by Hornet and The Years.
Don’t miss the Hunter Valley Wine Country’s biggest food and wine festival. Discover why the Lovedale Long Lunch attracts so many visitors each year to this historic and boutique little corner of the valley. All the details can be found at www.lovedalelonglunch.com.au. Follow the links for accommodation options and to book your tickets.
