Wine and Music. For many, it’s a magical combination. And now a growing body of scientific evidence shows that what people taste when evaluating a wine, and how much they enjoy the experience, can be influenced by the music that happens to be playing at the same time. Which means the wine served at Musica Viva Australia events can have a subtle impact on your overall concert experience, and the music you hear can influence what you taste.
Musica Viva Australia is privileged to partner with three leading wineries: Huntington Estate, Chalk Hill Wines and Driftwood Estate. All three are made up of craftspeople and artisans who share a passion for the arts.
Huntington Estate was established in 1969 and is a top-rated 5 Red Star Winery, winner of 150+ trophies, plus countless gold and silver medals. Driven by the belief that quality is everything, Huntington Estate invests in grape growing and winemaking, creating great wine that evolves as it ages. Striving for perfection at every step, the staff at Huntington Estate tirelessly nurture the soil and vines in the pursuit of creating something extraordinary that everyone can enjoy, just like us.
For 30 years, up until 2019, the Mudgee-based winery hosted the Huntington Estate Music Festival, described by ABC Classic FM as ‘one of the best chamber music festivals in the world’. Now Huntington Estate is our principal wine partner for events across the Eastern States.
Founder and Wine Maker, Tim Stevens says “Our longstanding relationship with Musica Viva Australia is one of our most important. We have been involved in wine and music for decades. I believe Musica Viva is the most important music organisation in Australia; it has fostered countless artists and inspired so many generations of audiences. Its influence is like our wines – just keeps getting better with age.”
New to the fold in 2024, are two award-winning wine makers: Chalk Hill Wines from South Australia’s McLaren Vale, and Driftwood Estate in the renowned Margaret River region of Western Australia.
Chalk Hill Wines is a family-owned winery dedicated to producing small batch, hand crafted wines of distinction since 1964. They have six unique vineyards throughout McLaren Vale, which are purposefully planted with varieties that best reflect varietal and regional character.
Tom Harvey carries on the family tradition and continues to champion the McLaren Vale legacy through award-winning wines and critical acclaim including extraordinary reviews from Australian wine icon, James Halliday.
Tom Harvey has long enjoyed chamber music stating that he “always found music is a medium that takes people to a different place. There is such a strong synergy between wine and music and I truly believe that one becomes better with the other. Partnering with Musica Viva Australia gives us an opportunity to take people on a journey where they experience our wine in a new and invigorating way”.
Further westward, Driftwood Estate is located in the Wilyabrup region of Margaret River, Western Australia. With multiple awards and a 5-Star Winery rating, Driftwood Estate are known for their complexity and maturity. Winemaker Kane Gove strives to capture the personality and individual expression from each batch of fruit – curating the wines and styles he believes will continue Driftwood’s reputation as one of Margaret River’s premium wine producers.
We sincerely thank Huntington Estate, Chalk Hill Wines, and Driftwood Wines for their support and encourage you to visit our benefits page for information on how you can both support Australian wine makers and test out that magical combination of wine and music.
