Festival at a glance
Key times at a glance, so you have everything you need for the festival with you on the day. Please note changes to this information may be made right up to the event.
2026 Masterclasses
At these beloved experiences you will gain exclusive insights from Marlborough’s finest winemakers and local food producers, delving into a discovery of wine and food that celebrates our enviable wine region and the producers that put it on the map. Tickets are limited.
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This 50-minute masterclass celebrates wild fermentation with native yeast wines, naturally fermented foods, and bold flavour exploration. Led by Kelly Stuart (Cloudy Bay Vineyards) and Fran Nolan (BOOM! Sauce, Spice & BBQ), you’ll taste six wild-fermented wines paired with sourdough, kimchi, cultured butters, aged cheeses and kombucha glazes.
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Ever wondered how wine medals are won? Discover how to taste like a professional judge and master the language of wine in this interactive blind tasting session.
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Unlock the true meaning of the phrase “age like fine wine” with an exclusive Marlborough tasting, perfectly paired with cheese.
Taste six beautifully aged wines, from beloved classics to a few surprises, each matched with artisanal cheeses that have also benefitted from time.
Led by Simon Lamb (Thorvald Cheese) and Andy Petrie (Wither Hills), this guided tasting explores how patience, craft and place create complexity and depth worth waiting for.
Music - Main Stage
We have a great line-up ready for your 2026 festival. Sit back by one of the music zones and enjoy a spectacular musical line-up to accompany a perfect summer’s day.
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Get ready for a mix of smooth harmonies, tight rhythms, and funky sax interludes with Blenheim-based band Better Late Never. They'll be performing a mix of their original songs and unique covers, bringing a touch of 90s grunge and nostalgia along with some classic hits.
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Returning to the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival for a second year, Jaydin is a proud Ngāi Tahu artist who grew up in Westport with a passion for music sparked by the influence of his mother and grandfather. In 2019 Jaydin won the Norfolk Island Trans-Tasman Entertainer of the Year, the NZ Gold Guitar Award and New Zealander Entertainer of the Year. He was a semi-finalist in The Voice Australia in 2024.
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Troy Kingi (Te Arawa, Ngāpuhi, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) is an actor and multi-award-winning, multi-genre musician originally from Rotorua and Te Kaha. A prolific songwriter and serial collaborator, with voracious capacity and freakish efficiency, Troy is nearing the endpoint of his aspirational 10 10 10 Series (to release 10 albums in 10 genres in 10 years). His eighth and most recent album, Leatherman & the Mojave Green, was released in August 2024 and explores desert rock influences.
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Kaylee Bell is an award-winning Country Pop artist from Waimate who has shared the stage with global stars such as Ed Sheeran, The Chicks, Keith Urban, and Kane Brown. In 2024, Kaylee was crowned "Best Female Artist" at Australia’s prestigious Golden Guitar Awards. Her latest album, Cowboy Up, was released in September 2025, and includes eight tracks of her confident, emotionally rich lyrics that explore resilience, identity, and growth, all through the lens of her signature country-pop sound.
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New Zealand duo Sweet Mix Kids have an electrifying array of Aotearoa’s sounds and styles and say that they bring ‘life to the nightlife’ and ‘bring the party to planet YOU’. Sweet Mix Kids are as creative with their costuming as they are with their sound; festival-goers can look forward to seeing them in masks, eyewear and mirrored attire.
Culinary Pavilion
Entry to our Culinary Pavilion is free with all tickets on festival day. We'll have some amazing local produce on show as well as incredible chefs showing you how to prepare it.
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Nicola Galloway is an award-winning food writer and author of five cookbooks, including her most recent, The Homemade Table. She writes and photographs regular recipe columns for Stuff publications and NZ Gardener magazine. As an avid sourdough baker and preserver, Nicola teaches cooking workshops on these subjects around New Zealand. She lives in Nelson with her family on a suburban quarter acre, where her abundant garden provides inspiration for the recipes she shares.
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Peter Gordon ONZM (Ngāti Kahungunu / Ngāi Tahu / Clan Gordon) has been gathering ingredients, textures and techniques from across the world's kitchens, paddocks and oceans for more than forty years, combining them in thrilling new ways to fill our bellies. He’s often referred to as the Godfather of Fusion cuisine.
With eight books and numerous tv shows to his name, a roll call of award-winning restaurants in cities including New York, Istanbul, London and Auckland, he’s been feeding and inspiring us for a long time.
Curious Cellar
Our brand new and not to be missed free wine education zone.
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From sheep paddocks to Sauvignon supremacy - the 50-year story that put us on the map.
Host - Marcus Pickens, Wine Marlborough
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Behind-the-scenes stories about a grape’s journey - pick, crush, ferment -explained in a fun, relatable way.
Hosts - Deni Hopkins and Blair Macdonald from Bladen Wines
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Short & sharp lawn lecture with a local vigneron demystifying biodynamics.
Host - Jeremy Hyland, The Wrekin Vineyard
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A young winemaker shares their funniest, most unforgettable first-vintage story, a day in the life of a winemaker's daily routine and why you should consider joining the industry.
Host - Ruby McManaway, Yealands
Young Winemaker of the Year
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Does expensive always mean better? Does chilling red really break the rules? Find out!!
Host - Alun Kilby
