Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2026 at Pt. Leo Estate: A Must-Do Mornington Peninsula Weekend
If you’re looking for an excuse to head out for a long lunch, a beautiful drive and a genuinely memorable food experience on the Mornington Peninsula, this is a pretty good one.
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is bringing a special weekend to Pt. Leo Estate in Merricks on 28–29 March 2026, and it sounds like exactly the kind of event that suits the Peninsula lifestyle so well. The official festival program lists a Chin Chin Weekend Takeover at Pt. Leo Estate, with three separate dining experiences across the weekend.
And really, that’s what makes this one such a strong blog topic.
It is not just “something on.” It is one of those late-March events that feels a bit special — good food, wine, coastal views, art, and that nice excuse to make a proper day of it.
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2026 runs from 20 to 29 March, and the official program includes Mornington Peninsula events as part of its regional line-up. Pt. Leo Estate is listed in both the festival program and the region’s official tourism calendar for 28–29 March 2026.
At Pt. Leo Estate, the festival weekend is built around a collaboration with Chin Chin, which gives the whole thing a more energetic, high-profile feel than a standard winery lunch. The event page describes it as a weekend takeover with three food experiences across Laura, Pt. Leo Restaurant, and the Wine Terrace.
So if you’re after a Peninsula event that feels a little elevated — but still fun — this one ticks that box.
Let’s be honest, events like this are never just about the meal.
Part of the appeal is the drive out to Merricks, the vineyard setting, the views, and that feeling that you’ve stepped out of the everyday for a few hours. Pt. Leo Estate is already one of the Peninsula’s best-known food and wine destinations, and the estate combines dining, a cellar door, sculpture park and coastal outlook in one location.
That makes this a really easy one to write with a stronger lifestyle angle.
It is the kind of event where you could book lunch, linger over a glass of wine, take in the sculptures, and turn the whole thing into a relaxed day out on the Mornington Peninsula.
What’s happening at Pt. Leo Estate
According to the official festival listing, the Chin Chin Weekend Takeover at Pt. Leo Estate runs across Saturday 28 March and Sunday 29 March 2026. There are three separate experiences on offer:
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Laura x Chin Chin — Saturday 28 March, lunch and dinner, $350 per person, with a five-course menu and welcome drink.
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Pt. Leo Restaurant x Chin Chin — Sunday 29 March, lunch, $200 per person, with a three-course menu and welcome drink.
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Wine Terrace x Chin Chin Fiesta — Sunday 29 March, sundown dinner / 6pm, $150 per person, with a bespoke menu and welcome drink.
If you are looking for more things to do on the Mornington Peninsula, be sure to check out our recent blogs.... Let us know if there are any other topics you would like us to cover.
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