The National Wine Festival is taking over the historic halls of the Hyatt Hotel Canberra.  

Whether you’re hoping to discover a new favourite drop or spend a cosy afternoon tasting some of Australia’s best wines in Yarralumla, here’s how to make the most of it. 

 

The Main Event: Three Hours of Pure Tasting 

The centrepiece of the weekend is the Wine Tasting & Expo, running on both Friday and Saturday afternoon, and this isn’t your average tasting room experience, where you get three lukewarm pours of generic sauvignon blanc. Every wine entered into the National Wine Show of Australia, one of the country’s most prestigious wine awards, will be open and ready for tasting, including the top trophy winners. 

To make the most of your three-hour session, we suggest starting with the sparkling and lighter whites before moving on to the heavy-hitting reds. Keep an eye out for the bottles carrying fresh 2026 trophy stickers, these are the best of the best, and this is your rare chance to taste them side-by-side without committing to a full cellar restock. 

 

Upgrade Your Knowledge And Your Glassware 

If you want to do more than just sip, there are two Saturday masterclasses worth adding to your itinerary. 

First up is the Wine & Cheese Pairing hosted by Meredith Dairy at 1pm. It’s a quick, delicious lesson in how to match rich, award-winning wines with some of the country’s best cheeses.  

Directly after, at 1:30pm, is the RIEDEL Wine Glass Experience. If you’ve ever scoffed at the idea that the shape of a glass changes how a wine tastes, this class will change your mind. It’s fun, surprisingly eye-opening, and includes a set of four RIEDEL Performance tasting glasses worth $280 – considering the ticket is $140, that’s pretty good value. 

 

A Seriously Fancy Friday Night Dinner 

For those who want to skip the casual tasting and go straight to the sit-down experience, Friday night features the Terroir Wine Pairing Dinner in the Hyatt’s Canberra Room. 

National Wine Show of Australia Chair of Judges Matt Harrop will host the evening, guiding guests through a four-course menu paired with award-winning wines. 

It starts with sparkling and canapés before moving through a menu matched with standout wines from across the show. Tickets are limited, so this is one to book quickly. 

 

Skip the Uber and Stay the Night 

If the thought of heading back out into the frosty Canberra air after an afternoon of wine tasting makes you shudder, the Hyatt is also offering a Winter Wine Festival Escape package. 

The package includes five-star accommodation, breakfast and entry to the festival tasting session, making it very easy to turn the whole thing into a winter staycation. 

 

THE ESSENTIALS: 

Location: Hyatt Hotel Canberra, Yarralumla 

Dates/Times: Friday 12 June and Saturday 13 June 2026, various session times 

Ticketing/Booking: Tasting sessions, masterclasses, and dinner tickets are sold separately. Room packages are available for Friday and Saturday nights. 

Find out more HERE