Mac Forbes is that rare winemaker whose work is as readily appreciated by the naturalista wine bar crowd as it is by lovers of more traditional winemaking. He was born and bred in the Yarra Valley, and has made wine in Portugal, France and Spain before settling down to do his own thing in Victoria in 2004. His passion is shining a light on the nuance and specificity of the different pockets of the Valley that he works with head winemaker Hannah Hodges.
But don’t take our word for it: there’s no better way to understand the idea than to taste the wines, and no better guides to them than Forbes and Hodges themselves. Which makes the return of their masterclasses all the more exciting. At Cumulus on 3 August, they’ll be pouring eight wines from 2022, three chardonnays and five pinots noir, made with grapes from Yarra Junction, Woori Yallock, Gladysdale, Coldstream and Gembro.
They also like to go beyond what’s in the glass, they say, and talk about “the essence of future-proofing, what producing wine sustainably looks like and why wine of place means so much to us”.
You’ve got the option of the detailed masterclass, sitting down at the table with team Mac Forbes, or the casual tasting, a stand-up affair at Arc One, the gallery connected to Cumulus, with finger food from the Cumulus kitchen part of both ticketing options. (If you happen to be in Sydney, the event there is a dinner at the Hotel Centennial, with the inimitable Ben Greeno writing the menu.)
Don’t miss this chance to tour the Yarra in depth through the prism of some superb wines, “each an ode to the distinct characteristics of the Yarra Valley ‘village’ that they hail from”.
Mac Forbes Villages release, Thursday 3 August; masterclass, 6pm, $95; casual tasting 7.15pm $65, Cumulus Inc, 45 Flinders La, Melbourne, tickets via Humantix, macforbes.com