Lamb on the plate, wool on the runway, and wine in the glass at Clare Valley’s spring festival
Spring is just around the corner, and lamb’s on everyone’s lips as the 6th Clare Valley Festival of the Lamb takes over from September 17 to 21, packing everything from Cambodian-inspired dinners and woolly sheep art to Greek-style feasts and flame-filled long lunches. Here’s the good stuff that’s got us counting down the days.
Five days of food, wine, and wool
It all kicks off on Wednesday with the Opening Dinner at Mintaro Institute, featuring keynote speaker and award-winning author Liz Harfull. Guest chefs bring a taste of Cambodia to the table, pairing new-season lamb from Wunderbar and Four Leaf Milling flour.
That same day, the Women in the Sheep Industry Forum lines up stories from farms, fashion, science and hospitality. The SA CWA Warnes Group will keep everyone well fed while the conversations roll.
Thursday is where wool meets art at the Auburn Institute with the From Farm to Fashion launch, paired with an Ikebana display – a Japanese style of flower arranging. There’s also a hands-on lamb cooking demo in the morning. That night, the Community Dinner returns to Mintaro Institute – bring a plate, share a poem or a yarn, and enjoy music from Dave Prior.
Friday night belongs to the carnivores at Eldredge Wines. The Butcher’s Table offers a butchery demo, a four-course lamb dinner with wine pairings, and a take-home carvery kit so the feast can continue at home.
Long lunches and fiery feasts
The weekend is made for long tables. On Saturday and Sunday, Reillys Wines in Mintaro will be serving a five-course lamb long lunch with matched wines. Sunday also brings two fire-driven spreads – Fire and Feast with Knappstein Wines and Nyowee at the historic Goodonga shearing shed, and The Fire of Sunday at Martindale Hall with slow-roasted lamb, live music, and a view to die for.
For something different, The UPPside’s Greek Fest on Sunday plates up lamb in all its Mediterranean glory – slow-cooked, charred, and everything in between.
Across the week, Pauletts’ Bush deVine is running lamb lunches, the Watervale Hotel has a lamb-focused feed-me menu, and the Magpie & Stump is doing lamb spring rolls, deconstructed yiros and trusty shanks.
Wool, fibre, and art
It’s not all eating. The Wool and Fibre Fair fills the Mintaro Institute on Sunday with makers and woolly wares. And in the lead-up, the Flocking of the Woollen Sheep invites people to knit or crochet a lamb, name it, display it, then donate it to a children’s charity. Deadline for entries is August 31, so get your needles clicking!
With so much on the plate, there’s no wrong way to do this year’s Festival of the Lamb – just arrive hungry.
Festival of the Lamb
When: September 17-21 2025
Where: Clare Valley
Full program and bookings at cvfol.au
Planning to stick around? Find accommodation in the Clare Valley.
