Vineyards showcase our municipality

Published on 10 April 2015

Caption: Newbridge Wines were one of the vineyards that represented the Loddon municipality at the Bendigo Winemakers Festival.

Loddon’s rich wine country was well represented at the Bendigo Winemakers Festival during the Easter long weekend.

Water Wheel Winery, Turners Crossing Wines and Newbridge Wines all participated in the event, alongside 18 other vineyards at the Castlemaine Botanical Gardens.

More than 2000 people converged on the gardens, laying down picnic rugs and enjoying a glass of wine in their deck chairs under the beautiful sun.

Water Wheel Winery proprietor Peter Cummings said all the wineries sold wine and everyone had a good time at the event.

Newbridge Wines operator Andrew Simpson agreed, saying the festival had a fantastic crowd which compared with last year’s bumper event.

“It’s a great day which gives people a unique opportunity to come and see all the wineries in the one place,” he said.

Local resident Lynne Habner made the trip to the festival for the second time.

“It was a fun day out, not only because of the wine, but also the fantastic bands and the quality foods,” she said.

“We were very impressed by the consistent high quality of wines offered by the wineries in the region.

“The festival is a great way of reminding us how many producers there are in our area.”

Council’s Manager Tourism Robyn Vella said each of Loddon’s wineries displayed the Loddon Official Visitor Guide.

“These businesses whole-heartedly want to bring people back to Loddon to explore our trails, eat in our venues and stay in our accommodation facilities,” she said.

“It’s wonderful to have the support of local businesses to help drive our tourist numbers and bed nights in the region.”