Head out to the regions this weekend and indulge in some of Victoria’s most delectable food and wine at these two fantastic events:
Harvest Week Festival
Daylesford Macedon Produce
27 April – 6 May 2012
More information
Reap & Relish, Yarra Valley Food & Wine Festival
26 April – 29 April 2012
More information
All aboard the Bar Express 2 – 21 March as it makes its way to Melbourne’s most buzzing watering holes for an after-work tipple and taste – best enjoyed at the bar. Pull up a pew with a signature cocktail, premium wine or craft brew in one hand and tasty bite in the other for only between 5 – 7pm. Five o’clock just can’t come soon enough. Click here to view the full list of participating venues.
An example of some of the tasty treats on offer include:
Stunning weather, a 500 metre long table celebrating the four corners of regional Victoria and a three-course seasonal feast – this year’s IGA World’s Longest Lunch at Alexandra Park was a truly unforgettable day for the 1200 event-goers in attendance.
Entree: Patrizia Simone's (Simone's - Bright) Salad of Harrietville smoked trout and autumn fruits from the surrounding region
Main: George Biron's (Sunnybrae - Birregurra) Free range turkey thighs, tomatoes and tomatillos from George's garden and Mexican flavours with a salad of avocado and succulents
Dessert: Annie Smithers' (Annie Smithers Bistrot - Kyneton) Rhubarb vacherin
To help you plan your delicious journey through 20 days of unforgettable eating and drinking, check out the top picks from Jill Dupleix and Terry Durack, two of Australia’s most loved food writers.
JILL DUPLEIX
Regional World’s Longest Lunches
It’s a very cool thing, to have so many individual long lunches happening at the same time all over Victoria, with everyone linked by their love of good food and wine, yet celebrating their own local produce and people. Should happen every Friday, I reckon, not just once a year.
Reconciliation through Dining at Charcoal Lane
It’s crazy that we are all so proud of Australia’s multicultural heritage yet we sort of forget about our own Aboriginal people being an integral part of that heritage. Charcoal Lane is one of few restaurants to employ and train up Aboriginal young people and help them gain experience so that they too have a place at our table.
Massimo Bottura: The Press Club
I’m very excited about Massimo Bottura’s dinner at The Press Club. His restaurant Osteria Francescana in Modena has been awarded three Michelin stars since he was here for the 2010 Festival, and it will be great to peek inside his anarchic brain to see what the future holds for food.
Langham Melbourne MasterClass
Twenty years on, and it’s still just such a buzz. I love watching the international chefs ‘get’ how good Melbourne is, and watching Melbourne ‘get’ them too. Especially excited this year about Tsang Chui King, Miss Vy and Christian Puglisi. Three very different chefs, but I’ve eaten their food recently (in Hong Kong, Hoi Anh and Copenhagen) and I’m hungry for more.
Theatre of Ideas
Because it’s not all about eating and drinking. Theatre of Ideas is a wonderful playground for ideas, philosophies, trending topics and other food for the mind – there’s just as much to learn here as in a brilliant cookery demonstration.
TERRY DURACK
What I’m looking forward to most at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival:
Having a pee at the super-sustainable Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Greenhouse by Joost (where urine from the boy’s room is used to fertilise the mustard seeds which produce the oil which fuel the generators, how cool is that?)
Eating up every word from David Chang, René Redzepi, and the gang at Theatre of Ideas. Anyone interested in the future of food really needs to be exposed to this level of debate.
Getting single-minded at Single Vineyard Perfection (part of Acqua Panna Global Wine Experience). Because I’m always drawn to single-minded passionate wine people such as Randall Grahm and Marilisa Allegrini, and single-minded passionate wines.
Going back 125 years at the Hotel Windsor’s Queen Victoria’s Feast. Because I’ve always had a soft spot for Melbourne’s grand old lady The Windsor, and it’s a great celebration of the Victoriana side of Melbourne’s history. And it’s a chance to dress up.
Meeting my lunch at A Taste of Place at Dunkeld. Because Dan Hunter of the Royal Mail is such a forward thinker, yet so deeply rooted in his local region; the perfect contemporary combination.
Michelin-starred Serge Vieira is one of Crown’s exceptional guests as part of Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. From 6 to 11 March, Serge will be resident chef at Crown’s JJ’s Bar and Grill.
Serge loves to create “artistic work with flavours that will make people remember the meal” such as this dish, Memories of the Coral Reef, which comes from his love of Australia.
Serge Viera's 'Memories of the Coral Reef'
It goes without saying that romance and food go hand in hand. So instead of buying that last minute bouquet of overpriced roses we suggest treating your partner (and yourself!) to a special ‘once in a lifetime’ foodie event. Here are some swoon-worthy suggestions:
Beer buff James Smith from Crafty Pint and cocktail maestro Matt Rees of Der Raum talk about exactly what you can expect from our newest and booziest MasterClass event – Liquid Lounge.
We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the Festival’s 20th anniversary than taking a seat at the Festival’s night of nights, the Gala Dinner.
Gala Dinner
We asked our friends Grubby, Dee Dee and Fev from the Breakfast Show on GOLD104.3 to share their top picks from our Spring Graze line-up.
Snap up tickets to their picks below, or browse all Spring Graze events online.
Spring has finally arrived so what better time to get out in the garden and plant some herbs and veggies which will be ripe for picking come the summer time.
Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation shares their top five tips for starting your own kitchen garden:
