We Went to a Pinot Festival. Shiraz Stole the Show.

Turns out taking a Shiraz to a festival dedicated to Pinot isn’t as silly as it sounds. Innocent Bystander has officially wrapped up the 2026 MOULD x PINOT PALOOZA national tour, after pouring our way through Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. There was plenty of wine, an irresponsible amount of cheese, plenty of new friends made, and somewhere between the first stop in Brisbane and the questionable line dancing in Adelaide, Easy As Shiraz decided to completely ignore the brief.

City after city, Easy As kept finding its way to the top of the favourites list. Chilled, juicy and seriously drinkable, it surprised plenty of people who had walked through the doors expecting to spend their day drinking Pinot. Watermelon Spritz wasn’t far behind, regularly becoming another unexpected favourite and giving people a reason to wander back for a second taste. Thankfully, our Pinot Noir held its own too, saving us from a potentially awkward conversation with the MOULD x Pinot Palooza organisers. Not quite the podium we expected, but very IB.

It all started in Brisbane, where Queensland wasted absolutely no time reminding us that traditional wine rules aren't really their thing. The queues at the IB stand ran deep, the wine kept flowing and Easy As Shiraz emerged as the surprise hero of the weekend. A chilled red, a warm Queensland day and a crowd willing to try something different turned out to be a dangerously good combination. The Mobile Cellar Door might not have made the trip north, but the Born Different energy certainly did, with plenty of love from drinkers, trade, local media and creators helping kick the tour off with a bang.

Then we headed south to Sydney, where something suspicious started happening. Easy As stole the show. Again. Watermelon Spritz wasn't far behind, the queues kept coming and we started wondering whether taking a Shiraz around the country to a Pinot festival might actually have been a very good idea. Sydney also introduced us to a mechanical bull named Bessie, which naturally became an opportunity for some highly competitive behaviour from the IB crew. Bessie was eventually tamed and we left Sydney feeling pretty pleased with ourselves. Bessie, as it turns out, did not.

Melbourne was next, and this time the Mobile Cellar Door came along for the ride, landing right in the middle of the action and quickly becoming one of the places to be. We found ourselves on Nine News, teamed up with some brilliant local creators and then spotted a familiar face waiting for us. Bessie was back. Apparently she'd made the trip down from Sydney with an axe to grind and some unfinished business after being tamed at the previous stop. Retribution was swift. We probably deserved it.

Perth followed, bringing enough rain to make us seriously question some of our life choices. While it was pouring outside, we were pouring inside, and the crowds didn't seem particularly bothered by either. Easy As and Watermelon continued their run, plenty of new friends were made and there was also a dunk tank involved, with two members of the IB crew eventually ending up in it for reasons loosely described as “consumer engagement”. Turns out wine really is waterproof. Pretty sure.

Finally, Adelaide closed things out in a smaller, more intimate room, with only a handful of wineries selected to take part. Easy As and Watermelon did exactly what they'd been doing all tour, while Rosé decided to make a late run for the favourites list. There may also have been some questionable line dancing. Adelaide might bring the small-town vibes, but they certainly know a thing or two about having fun over a glass of good wine.

The best part of the tour wasn't really what happened on Bessie, in the dunk tank or anywhere near the Adelaide dance floor though. It was getting our wines directly into the hands of curious drinkers around the country and watching what happened next. People came looking for Pinot and discovered a chilled Shiraz. Others took a chance on Watermelon Spritz. Plenty came back to the stand with a friend in tow and a very specific instruction about what they needed to try next. That kind of discovery is exactly what Innocent Bystander is about.

We make flavour-led wines for people who are happy to try something different and decide for themselves what belongs in their glass. 2026 MOULD x PINOT PALOOZA gave us a pretty good reminder that when you put interesting wines in front of curious people, they don't always choose what you expect them to. Even when Pinot is literally in the name.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a taste, bought a bottle, had a chat, joined a queue or watched one of us get publicly humiliated in the name of wine marketing. And a huge thanks to the 2026 MOULD x PINOT PALOOZA crew for letting us tag along around the country. We had an absolute blast.

Five cities later, the people have spoken. Who are we to argue?

Innocent Bystander. Born Different.