Long weekends were made for exactly this: packing a bag, pointing the car north-east and ending up in Rutherglen with 200-plus wines and very few responsibilities.
Australia’s longest-running wine festival is back on 6 & 7 June, taking over 17 wineries across Rutherglen in North East Victoria for a weekend of live music, lawn games, DJs, costumes and, obviously, a whole lot of very good wine.
Rutherglen has been making wine for generations; fifth, sixth and seventh generation winemakers are still running family businesses in the region, internationally renowned for its muscats and fortified reds.
Roam celebrates all of it: vintage museum wines straight from the barrel sit alongside wine slushies, spritzes and cocktails, because the new generation of makers is having a bit of fun with tradition.
Roam Rutherglen
- 6 & 7 June 2026
- Rutherglen, North East Victoria
- Tickets here
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
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There’s also a hidden centuries-old winery tour, a King’s High Tea with a string quartet at De Bortoli Rutherglen Estate, a Great Royal Regalia costume competition at All Saints Estate, trivia in the vines, a warehouse sale, a brunch and wine pairing, a catwalk competition and a hop-on, hop-off festival bus connecting it all.
The weekend’s special events lean into a royal court theme, think princesses, knights and jesters, though costumes of any kind have been part of the festival’s DNA for roughly 40 years, and the more unhinged the better.
Between the cellar doors, food trucks, dancefloors and sweeping vistas of the Murray River region, the weekend has a way of just melting into itself; in the best possible way.
Whether you’re a wine tragic or just keen for a road trip with excellent snacks, Roam Rutherglen is a proper long weekend done right.
For more information, head here.
This article was made in partnership with Roam Rutherglen.
