Leanne Barson and Glenda Kelly, at Whispering Hills, have been enjoying ShedFest “for a few years now”.
By Mara Pattison-Sowden
CORKS were popped and bubbly flowed over the weekend as thousands of people “took the right turn” towards the wineries along the Warburton Highway.
Wineries opened up their sheds for the eighth ShedFest, where a selection of white, red and sparkling wines were sipped, tasted and enjoyed by residents from the Yarra Valley and beyond.
Ten wineries took part in the festivities, offering customers a free taste when they purchased a souvenir glass, with all proceeds going to the Upper Yarra SES.
Owner of Killara Estate in Seville East, Leo Palazzo said it was a fantastic weekend, with the patronage and weather improving considerably over the last two years. “There was not one person without a smile on their face,” he said.
Mr Palazzo said they usually held ShedFest on the house decking, but tried something new on Sunday by literally shoving everybody in the shed.
“The day before we had it on the decking but people were more interested in kicking back and relaxing,” he said.
“I believe this festival shows us as we are, it’s the bare bones as the winery is on any given day, and people see us as being all laid-back and not stuffy.”
Killara Estate had a minimum of 700 people walk through the shed doors over the weekend, and its most popular wines were its 2006 Shiraz and 2008 Rosetta Dolce (pink bubbly).
