Mould X Pinot Palooza returns to The Hordern Pavilion, 12–14 June 2026, pairing artisan cheese and pinot noir.
On a cool evening in Moore Park, the curve of The Hordern Pavilion holds its own quiet drama. Outside, the fig trees cast long shadows across Driver Avenue. Inside, the vast hall — more accustomed to amplifiers and applause — prepares for a different kind of crescendo. This June, Mould X Pinot Palooza will return after an 18-month hiatus, filling the old showground space not with guitar riffs, but with the scent of washed rind and the soft clink of stemless glasses.
The pairing is deliberate. Cheese and pinot noir share an affinity for nuance: both shaped by region, weather and patient hands. Mould X Pinot Palooza gathers these two traditions under one roof, inviting Sydneysiders to taste broadly and linger longer.
The Return of Mould X Pinot Palooza
First established as separate events — Mould in 2017 and Pinot Palooza in 2012 — the collaboration has grown into one of Australia’s most expansive food and wine tours. In 2026, it travels to five cities, with Sydney’s chapter unfolding from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 June at The Hordern Pavilion.
For Sydney, the return of Mould X Pinot Palooza carries a certain anticipation. The city has always embraced tasting festivals, yet the scale here feels distinct. More than 50 varieties of Australian artisan cheese will sit alongside 50-plus expressions of pinot noir from Australia, New Zealand and further afield. Over three days and four sessions, the pavilion will become a temporary landscape of pasture and vineyard.
Jess Audas, Head of Revel — the team presenting the event — describes the format as relaxed and flavour-forward. The intention is not to rush but to roam: to move between tables at your own pace, to speak directly with producers, to taste without ceremony.
Inside Mould X Pinot Palooza
Step through the doors during the Friday evening session (5–9pm), and the light will already have softened. The high ceilings of The Hordern Pavilion catch the hum of conversation as attendees circulate with small plates and tasting glasses in hand. A wedge of clothbound cheddar might be followed by a sip of cool-climate pinot; a creamy brie paired with something brighter, more acid-driven.
Mould X Pinot Palooza is structured around abundance, yet it resists excess. Unlimited tastings are included with entry, but the pleasure lies in discernment — noticing the difference between a fresh goat’s curd and a long-aged alpine style, tracing the subtle shift in tannin from one vineyard to the next.
Producers stand ready to explain the origins of their work. Milawa Cheese returns with its generous wheels; Rub-a-Dub brings bold, flavour-packed varieties; low-intervention innovators such as Ohkela Wine pour expressions that lean into texture and minimal intervention; Adelaide Hills’ Vinteloper joins the tour with sustainable intent. Each table offers a conversation as much as a sample.
Beyond cheese and pinot, bars around the perimeter will pour additional wines, along with spirits, beer and cocktails. Food producers offer ready-to-eat bites and pantry staples — a jar of olives here, a loaf of crusty bread there — provisions for the present and the next gathering at home.
A National Tour, A Sydney Moment
Although Mould X Pinot Palooza is one stop on a national circuit — Brisbane in May, Melbourne in July, Perth and Adelaide in August — each city shapes the event differently. , the Hordern’s history lends the weekend a sense of theatre. The same floor that has held music legends now supports rows of trestle tables draped in linen, stacked with rounds and bottles.
Session times are spaced to allow the city’s rhythms to filter in. Saturday offers two sittings — 11am–3pm and 4–8pm — catching both early tasters and those who prefer the twilight hour. Sunday’s 11am–3pm session unfolds at a gentler pace, suited to long conversations and a final circuit of favourite stalls.
There is something distinctly Sydney in the way the crowd moves: a blend of hospitality professionals comparing notes, couples mapping out future cellar-door trips, friends debating the merits of Tasmanian versus Central Otago pinot. Mould X Pinot Palooza becomes less an event than a shared tasting room for the city.
Slow Discovery at Mould X Pinot Palooza
Part of the appeal lies in the freedom to explore without over-programming. There are no rigid masterclasses demanding attention, no single stage drawing the eye. Instead, Mould X Pinot Palooza encourages a meandering approach.
You might begin with a delicate, bloomy rind cheese and a light, red-fruited pinot, only to circle back later for a firmer, nuttier style matched with something darker and more structured. Between tastings, there is time to rest — to stand back and watch as a cheesemaker slices through a wheel, revealing its pale interior; to notice the way a winemaker’s hands move when describing soil and slope.
By the end of a session, tote bag a little heavier with purchases, palate gently fatigued but satisfied, the experience feels less like consumption and more like immersion. Over one million samples will be poured and plated across the national tour in 2026, yet , the scale resolves into individual encounters — one wedge, one glass, one exchange at a time.
As attendees spill back onto Driver Avenue, evening air cool against flushed cheeks, the memory that lingers is sensory: the salt of a blue cheese softened by fruit; the faint spice on a finish; the echo of conversation beneath the pavilion’s roof. Mould X Pinot Palooza will close its doors on Sunday afternoon, but its flavours tend to follow — into dinner parties, into cellar collections, into quiet recollections of a weekend spent tasting carefully.
Event Details – Sydney
What: MOULD x PINOT PALOOZA
Where: The Hordern Pavilion, 1 Driver Ave, Moore Park NSW 2021
Dates: Friday 12 June – Sunday 14 June 2026
Session Times:
- Friday 5pm–9pm
- Saturday 11am–3pm & 4pm–8pm
- Sunday 11am–3pm
Tickets: $59 + booking fee (includes unlimited tastings, stemless wine glass, cooler bag & wine tote)
Official Website: https://mouldxpalooza.com