It's arguably the biggest event on the Hunter's food and wine calendar; the Lovedale Long Lunch.
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The two-day event features top local chefs teaming up with six Hunter wineries offering diners the best of the region's offerings for food, wine and live entertainment.
''May is just such a good time weather-wise in the Hunter; it's just cold enough for something a bit rich and red,'' Carlie Keith, from Emma's Cottage, said.
This year, our photographer Peter Lorimer was out among the action at Gartelmann Wines.
The lunch also featured the viticultural stylings of Allandale Wines, as well as Emma's Cottage, Saltire Estate, Sandalyn Estate, Tatler Wines and Gartelmann.
The food, meanwhile, was equally top notch, boasting snapper, beef cheeks, pork belly and prawns among a veritable cornucopia of culinary delights.
Spirits were high on the ground Saturday morning where several of the diners had come decked out and ready to kick on.
What started as a chilled morning in the valley turned to a fine and clear, sunny day in the vineyards.
By all accounts, we're told the crowds milling about the wineries were in nothing but good spirits at the weekend; local police reported no issues on Saturday night as the first half of the weekend event wrapped up.
The event was launched in 1994 with a simple agenda: get a group of friends together and explore the best that the Hunter - and specifically, the local businesses of Lovedale - have to offer.
Next year's celebrations are sure to be big, when the long lunch marks 30 years. The Lovedale Long Lunch is on May 18 and 19, 2024.
- Visit the Newcastle Herald website for a full gallery of photos of this year's event.