Last year’s UnWined Subiaco was a pretty cool affair.

The guys at CMS Events who organise UnWined - as well as City Wine and Sunset Wine in the metropolitan area, and Taste Great Southern down south - have these events running pretty smoothly.

But they are always looking for new and different ways to do things.

Last year they introduced a Club Lounge to UnWined and I, for one, loved it.

Admittedly, as part of the PR team looking after the event, our entry came as part of the gig – and this year the Club Lounge sounds even better.

The Club Lounge ticket includes event admission, a premium Plumm souvenir glass, complementary wine from the Club Lounge Bar and a gourmet barbecue during the afternoon.

That’s value hard to beat at a cost of $115 (pre-purchase only), to spend an afternoon sipping away at complementary, beautiful West Australian boutique wines and enjoying a gourmet barbecue.

Get a bunch of mates together and for groups of 10 or more the cost comes down to $99 per person.

There’s even a VIP restroom!

Fingers crossed the weather will be as good this year as it was last, but with undercover and garden courtyard areas available  to host up to 100 guests each day, with tables and seating for comfort and convenience, the Lounge does provide some weather insurance.

And then there’s the main event to enjoy with 67 exhibitors, including more than 40 of WA’s best boutique wine producers.

It will be the seventh annual two-day UnWined Subiaco celebration of fine West Australian wines and provides a great opportunity to wander, with glass-in-hand, to sip samples and chat to the wine producers.

Last year, it was perfect spring weather for the event, but in spite of solid crowds it was still easy enough to sidle up to stalls and chat about the wines in front of you.

Hopefully, the weather will be just as nice this year for the event, on Saturday October 28 and Sunday the 29th.

It will be held again at Market Square Park on Roberts Road and is supported by the City of Subiaco.

This year there will be nine new exhibitors, including: 10 Chains Winery from Pemberton; Below & Above from Pemberton; Miss Chow’s scrumptious dumplings; Poacher’s Ridge wines from the Great Southern; Rice Baby with its modern Asian cuisine; SuperSake with its premium Japanese sake, plum wine and shochu; The Fish Boss in its new look stand with its famous fish burgers; Margaret River’s Voyager Estate; and Wild Freight Train with its chillies, jams and preserves; along with many returning favourites.

As well as the wineries, a range of spirits and other beverages including gin, pisco, sake, beer and cider will be available.

Harmans Estate’s Margaret River Pisco, which has caused a bit of a furore in the media with its battle over naming rights with the Peruvian government, will be there with a new ginger flavor which it will be showing off in a slushy, along with the more traditional Pisco sour.

Last year the vibe of the event was fabulous, enhanced by fabulous live music that floated over the crowd and created a focus for fans who wanted to get close up to the music.

This year the live music will come from indi artists, The Prefix and Arthur King.

For those who don’t want to waste any time tasting as many of the wines on offer as possible, but who fancy the posh glass, it might be worth considering the Plumm Tasting Ticket, which comes with a premium souvenir Plumm wine glass. The Plumm Tasting Ticket is available for pre-purchase for $36 and at the gate for $40.

If you are happy tasting your wines from a standard wine glass, then general admission costs $26 for pre-purchase or $30 at the gate.

All the tickets include entry, access to wine sessions and cooking theatres, live music and complementary wine tasting.

Wines will also be available to buy by the glass to drink at the event or by the bottle to take home.

A wine locker will be available to store bottles until visitors are ready to go home.

UnWined Subiaco will be open from 11.30am to 5.30pm on both days.

Tapas-styled food will be available for purchase.

More details and tickets are available at www.wineandfood.com.au/unwinedsubiaco

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