Offering something for every level of epicurean enthusiast, taste and budget, Melbourne’s globally acclaimed celebration of food and wine attracts over 300,000 attendees each year. Events range from starlit alfresco dinners in the city’s iconic Laneways and Rooftops and unfathomably long lunch tables set in the most surprising places for World’s Longest Lunch, to a bustling riverside wine market at Cellar Door at Southgate and one of the most alluring line-ups of international and local chefs the world has ever seen at Langham Melbourne MasterClass. At the same time, regional Victoria beckons as the ideal destination for a short break with its own tantalising program of events.
Celebrate Australia’s culinary hero – the backyard barbecue – and at once its universal nature, when top chefs apply Australian and international flavours as they take the tongs at Connex Sizzle! Picture a grassy green lawn sprawling across Federation Square and expect sizzling barbecue cuisine – both on the main stage and at the new Global Char Grill BBQ Plaza – from the likes of Matt Wilkinson (Circa, the Prince), Paul Wilson (The Botanical), Shane Delia (Maha) and Teage Ezard (Ezard).
A Festival classic and ever a hot-ticket event, World’s Longest Lunch will this year stretch along the banks of the gorgeous Yarra River, while 1,200 guests enjoy an Italian-inspired feast of food and wine. Regional Victoria will come alive with its own convivial lunching crowds in over 20 locations as surprising as an iconic trestle bridge in Gippsland, some themed as whimsically as the circus in Daylesford.
Another sight you’d surely only see in Melbourne is the transformation of the city’s treasured Laneways and Rooftops – an integral part of the city’s history and culture – into restaurant dining rooms and parties under the stars, throughout the Festival period.
Alternatively, dine among other stars Jean-Paul Jeunet, Luisa Valazza, Alain Alders and Dieter Müller – to drop a few names – and indulge in a four-course Saturday evening of glamour and spectacle. Expect to be enchanted when Docklands’ Shed 4 morphs into a moonlit forest for this A Midsummer Night’s Dream-inspired Stars of Europe – The Dinner.
Or, indulge your depraved alter ego in a day of decadence at Wicked Sunday in Federation Square, where the temptation of all things extravagant beckons from the chocolate playground (a highlight being Meltdown!, Melbourne’s most exquisite pastry chefs, from The Press Club, Sweet Source and elsewhere, demonstrating their best chocolate dessert recipes), Oriental Teahouse, Middle Eastern Coffee House and other enticing spaces. Celebrate the coffee bean in myriad ways, or sample artisan cheeses, ice cream and boutique wines.
Without leaving the city, travel the best of Victoria’s wine country on foot in the charming surrounds of the Yarra riverbank at Cellar Door at Southgate. From the latest vintages, savour familiar drops, discover new favourites and stock cellars from 60 of the State’s boutique vineyards.
In 2009 Langham Melbourne MasterClass has a stellar cast of international chef talent hailing from traditionally recognised gastronomic quarters the UK, France and the US – including The Fat Duck’s Heston Blumenthal (UK), Le Châteaubriand’s Iñaki Aizpitarte (France) and The French Laundry’s Thomas Keller (US) – but also greats from quieter culinary giants Denmark (global top ten chef René Redzepi) and Germany (three Michelin-starred Dieter Müller). Be dazzled by these and other global luminaries when they join home-grown culinary icons including Frank Camorra (MoVida), Dan Hunter (Royal Mail), Shannon Bennett (Vue de monde) and Raymond Capaldi (Locarno at 150).
Taste the creations and learn the secrets of top chefs during these exclusive cooking demonstrations, or share in their food philosophies and ideas in an engaging new lecture and discussion-based MasterClass strand, Theatre of Ideas.
Has pinot noir grown up? What does the future hold for shiraz? Festival-goers will satisfy these and other vinous curiosities when The Global Wine Experience returns in 2009, uniting international winemakers and aficionados such as Michel Chapoutier (Rhône Valley) and Pierre and Sophie Larmandier (Champagne Larmandier-Bernier).
One room, three sessions, millions of great ideas. Victoria’s food and wine community will join for an afternoon of provocative and informative discussion about the future of food, restaurants and the media that cover them in The Global Trends. Barbara Fairchild, Editor-in-Chief of Bon Appétit, will deliver a keynote address, joined by other leading thinkers on the day.
For others looking to escape the urban grind, the Festival is the ideal time to plan a gastronomic getaway as Victoria’s regional locations come to life with a satiating program of almost 70 events. From intimate gatherings on the banks of the Murray River to wine celebrations held in the Yarra Valley, let the Festival help you plan your regional itinerary.
Wine lovers will delight in the Festival’s pickings of wine events, from Winemaker Dinners at Melbourne’s most wine-savvy restaurants (Roberto Anselmi at Circa, the Prince; Austria’s Bert Salomon at the Tea Room above The European; Martinborough region winemakers at Lamaro’s) to thought-provoking events such as James Dowdeswell sticks his nose in, a comedy act replete with wine tastings!
Visit www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au for program and booking details NOW!
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