Sip, Savour, & Celebrate at the Lovedale Long Lunch
- Liane Morris
- May 1
- 8 min read
The Hunter Valley's signature event returns in 2025. The Lovedale Long Lunch invites you to experience the region's finest food, wine, and music in a weekend celebration that has become synonymous with excellence in the heart of wine country.
Now in its fourth decade, this iconic event brings together the Hunter's top chefs, winemakers, and musicians across multiple vineyards for an unforgettable culinary journey. More than just a meal, the Lovedale Long Lunch represents what makes the Hunter Valley exceptional—quality, craftsmanship and warm hospitality in Australia's oldest wine region –
and it’s right on our doorstep!
For many Novocastrians it’s an annual tradition to attend, enjoying some of the best food and wine that the region is known for, soaking up the atmosphere, making memories with friends and family, while for others, it’s something on their to-do list – an event with great appeal but life seems to get in the way. If you’ve never been to the Lovedale Long Lunch, it’s time you let yourself join in the fun.
Designed as a progressive dining experience in a boutique corner of the valley, aptly named Lovedale, it’s a short 40-minute drive from Newcastle and is an opportunity to 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. It’s easy to make a day visit from Newy, especially if you have a designated driver. And if not, take the opportunity to enjoy a short stay over the weekend and make use of the well-organised, regular shuttle buses. Nothing could be more fun and relaxing than a weekend dining alfresco with friends and family in the picturesque surrounds of the Lovedale wineries, sipping wine and chilling out to the tunes 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. He 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 can offer visitors. We’ve fine-tuned the
event and the logistics, so guests don’t have to worry about a thing except having a great time amongst the vineyards.”
The event has evolved from a few trestle tables on the lawn in 1994 to a highlight on the region’s food and wine calendar, attracting over 10,000 people annually. It has put the area of Lovedale on the map, creating an identity and building awareness of it as a sub-region of the Hunter. In recent years, a younger committee with a fresh take on the event has rebranded and refined how it is marketed and run.
Riley Hodgetts, committee member and Marketing and Events Coordinator at Allandale Winery, one of the original wineries that founded the event, sees its importance to the local community.
“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 restaurateurs,” said Riley.
“In addition, the event also supports local accommodation providers, the small businesses that provide our local produce, and even the community groups that volunteer to help with logistics like parking. For example, we donate to
the RFS and the Hunter River Dragons for their assistance each year.”
Matt explains the knock-on effect to local businesses using Binnorie Dairy as an example. “Most of the long-lunch chefs try to use local produce,” said Matt.
“Binnorie Dairy is literally down the road, and we use at least 120 kilograms of their award winning cheeses. Multiply that by a likelihood of six for each of our venues, and that’s an enormous impact on just one local business.”
The committee has been conscientious about improving the event to ensure its longevity and continued relevance to the
community.
“We’ve listened to our visitors over the years and have made changes that have vastly improved the overall visitor experience. So, if you haven’t been to the event for a few years, it may well be time to come and check us out again!”
The changes that Riley refers to include the shift to a more bespoke, high-quality food and wine experience, with limited tickets and a reduction in the choice of wineries to two out of the six per visit rather than three, cutting travel time and the number of people on the roads trying to get from one place to another.
“We’ve refined the existing concept without losing its heart,” said Riley.
Matt Dillow agrees, saying, “We don’t want the event to be so big that people can’t enjoy it. Our setup improves every year. We look at the speed of service, the smooth running and the overall visitor experience. It’s much more relaxed and inviting than it previously was.”
It's a fact that most of the visitors to the Hunter Valley cellar doors and restaurants are primarily from Sydney and further afield, but this festival bucks that trend quite significantly.
“About 75% of our festival-goers are local, from the Greater Newcastle, Hunter Valley and Central Coast areas,” said Riley.
“It’s an anomaly that we think stems from the fact that it falls into the events and festivals category. Even though we’re only 40 minutes from Newcastle and Lovedale is literally the gateway to the Hunter, locals generally don’t think to pop up for the day and enjoy a cellar door visit or lunch at a restaurant. Because it’s close enough for a day trip, people tend to put it off, but an event like this draws them in.”
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. There are also many other local activities to enjoy, from horse-riding to hot air ballooning, day spas 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 can choose three start times, either 9.30am, 10am or 10.30am, and then you can move on to your next venue between 12 noon and 2pm.
The Lovedale Long Lunch presents just one delightful dilemma: deciding which wineries will make your itinerary.
What's On The Menu?
At Allandale Winery with food by Twine Restaurant’s Daniel and Meagan Teggins, the mains are Pan-fried Goldband Snapper Fillet with Italian fregola, torn basil, sun dried tomatoes and Twine labna matched with Allandale Aged Semillon or Slow-cooked Beef Brisket with 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 with a rich sauce, silken tofu, fresh garden vegetables, and fragrant jasmine rice matched with Allandale Lombardo. The dessert consists of Triple-layered Mousse Pots - Belgian milk chocolate, salted caramel, white chocolate mousse topped with jaffa espresso crumb, and a recommended wine match of Allandale Sparkling Gewürztraminer. Or perhaps you fancy the Cheese Platter of Binnorie Dairy brie and smoked cheddar with house-made pickle and crackers (GFO) matched with Allandale Chardonnay. Entertainment is Kaleidoscope Dream and Birds of a Feather.
Emma’s Cottage and Esca Bimbadgen Restaurant’s Head Chef, Raphael Martinez, are serving up Sticky BBQ Pork with slaw, coriander, crispy shallots, with a wine match of Alter Wines Chardonnay or Braised Lamb Shoulder with orecchiette, peas, mint and chilli matched with Alter Wines Shiraz Pinot. The vegan option is Pumpkin Orecchiette with peas, mint, chilli and crispy shallots, washed down with Alter Wines Semillon. Dessert is a Belgian Chocolate Pecan Brownie with caramel and toffee popcorn, matched with the Alter Wines Sparkling Blanc. If cheese is your thing, don’t miss the Triple-cream Brie with cheddar, quince, candied walnuts, lavosh, and strawberries and a wine match of Alter Wines Late Harvest Semillon. Live music is by Anna Weatherup and Band.
Gartelmann Wines and Matt Dillow of The Deck Café have seafood on offer with a Prawn, Calamari and Mussel Penne in a rich tomato Napolitana sauce (GF Option) and recommended wine match of Gartelmann Semillon or the Slow Braised Lamb Cromesque with rosemary roasted potato, minted pea puree, fire seared capsicum and almond salsa matched with Gartelmann Shiraz. The vegan option is Penne in a rich Napolitana sauce with zucchini flowers (GF Option). Dessert is a classic Tiramisu, and the Cheese Platter contains Brie, cheddar, blue cheese, lavosh, crackers, rhubarb compote, 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 with 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 caramalised peanuts plus spiced fish cake, sweet chili aioli, cucumber, crispy shallots and coriander and teriyaki mushrooms, pickled cucumber, shallots, crispy garlic and sesame seeds. The suggested Bao-Trio match is Saltire’s Organic Shiraz. The Vegan/GF option is also a trio of bao buns that swaps out the fish for Southern fried haloumi and pulled pork for sticky hoisin-glazed tofu, all with a wine match of Saltire Organic Rosé. Dessert is Chocolate and Raspberry Truffle Cake served with fudge sauce and honeycomb sprinkles, matched with Saltire Moscato. The cheese is Binnorie Triple Cream Brie and Smoked Cheddar with home-made 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’ll 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 Peterson's Cuvee Chardonnay. The vegan option is a mushroom and sage arancini with aioli washed down with Peterson House Sparkling Prosecco Rosé. You can’t go past House-made Doughnuts (Nutella and strawberry), accompanied by the Peterson House Sparkling Pink Blush for dessert. 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 and mashed potato with a wine match of Tatler Shiraz or you could try the Tatler’s Classic Mexican-style Nachos with garlic and chilli prawns, rich tomato and mixed bean salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheddar, corn chips and a wine match of Tatler Semillon. The vegetarian option is a corn, carrot and spinach rich tomato and mixed bean salsa, guacamole, vegan cheddar, 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 a match of Tatler Shiraz. Live music is by Hornet and The Years.
Don’t miss Hunter Valley Wine Country’s biggest food and wine festival – it’s right on your doorstep, and with so many other festivals closing down, now’s the time to get behind our own.
Celebrate and champion local wineries, restaurateurs, providores, and musicians by enjoying this world-class event with your family and friends, less than an hour from home. You’ll find all the details at www.lovedalelonglunch.com.au, which
includes links to accommodation and ticket bookings.
