• Winter Wine Festival is an annual music event held at Crooked River Estate, Gerringong, over the June long weekend
• This year’s headliners are ICEHOUSE, The Rubens, Pacific Avenue, Alex Lloyd, Ash Grunwald and Jack River
• Five of 13 acts featured are from Gerringong and South Coast region

Gerringong, NSW. It is only a couple of weeks to go now until the 2024 edition of Crooked River Estate’s ‘Winter Wine Festival’ brings the fun to the June long weekend 8-9 June. And if the sell-outs of the last couple of years are anything to go by, it will be one not to miss.

“It’s great to bring brilliant acts to the people of the South Coast, mixing local and national acts in this beautiful scene … It’s unreal to see people sitting on the hill in front of the vines with a glass of red, enjoying top class bands,” says co-owner of the winery, Roger Lloyd, a huge music fan himself. 

“Only a few years ago, we saw The Rubens playing in the winery’s production shed. Now they’re headlining with other big acts and up-and-comers who will be headlining themselves in a few years.”

Thirteen bands will perform over the weekend. Those bands are a mixture of up-and-coming local acts (such as James Burton, Daisy Pring and Olivia Coggan) with more established acts, including Pacific Avenue and The Rubens, some of whom call the South Coast home, plus Pallas Haze, Marvell, Rolling Holy, Darling Street, Jack River, Alex Lloyd, Ash Grunwald and the world-conquering ICEHOUSE.

Big names, but it’s not a big, wild festival. “It’s pleasantly intimate because ticket numbers are capped each day to just 2500 people,” explains Lloyd. “To get to watch acts of this calibre up close and personal is a rare thing. And it’s a thrill for local musos to share the stage with big stars here and hopefully go to the next level themselves, like The Rubens.”

Apart from supporting local musos, the Winter Wine Festival also attracts some of the region’s favourite food trucks, who offer an array of quality food from paella to kebabs to complement locally brewed beers and the Estate’s own popular and award-winning Crooked River Wines. Then there’s the merch area, where fans can buy souvenirs (and maybe get an autograph) from their favourite bands. 

And with the weather forecast looking good for the long weekend, Lloyd offers some advice: “Come experience the passion, the wine, the food, the music, the views. But get in quick, because it will sell out. The VIP packages, the best on the South Coast catered for by Crooked River Estate’s wonderful restaurant, are already exhausted for Saturday and heading that way quickly for Sunday.”

One-day and two-day weekend passes are available from just $99. Tickets and further information: crookedriverwines.com .