There’s one or two things I don’t like about February in Adelaide, including the nasty high temperatures and the scorching, hot north winds that unsettle everyone and make rural dwellers very edgy indeed. However, one thing I just love about it is the Cellar Door Wine Festival that we are lucky enough to have here in Adelaide. The festival is a wonderful way for locals and tourists alike to get to know a massive selection of South Australian wine producers without leaving the CBD. I’m very proud to have been associated with this award-winning festival since it’s inception (see here, here and here), enormously proud of the way it has grown and developed and thrilled to bits to see that food is now taking up more of a role in the event. Some of South Australia’s newer producers will be at the festival this year, which is on from 14-16 February, showcasing their remarkable products, as part of the major sponsorship from Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA).
This years Cellar Door Wine Festival kicks off this weekend and really shouldn’t be missed. With over 150 South Australian food and wine producers, Meet-the-Maker sessions, Masterclasses and interactive tasting classes all under the one (air-conditioned) roof I can’t see why anybody wouldn’t be champing at the bit to get there, but just in case you need a little more enticing let me introduce you to some of the new food producers who will be there too.
Actually, Vicki Matchett is hardly a new producer as she has been quietly marketing her delicious range of condiments and salad dressings for some years now. Many Adelaide locals will remember her from her Queen of Tart days in Hutt Street. Nailing my colours to the mast here, I have to say that I’m a long-time fan of some of her products. Her “Storm” salad dressing is always in my pantry and I’ve just discovered her utterly sublime saffron and lemon juice dressing called “Seduction”. I intend never to be without it close to hand again.
Keryn and John Gorman, from Renmark in South Australia, produce a gorgeous range of wines, olive oils and gourmet food products – all with a distinct native Riverland twist. I’ll be thrilled to see them get a little more exposure as their range of olive oil, native dukkah, relishes and jams have been charming the Riverland locals for a while now and it’s time they shared the love!
Something quite different, Fleurieu Prime Alpaca meat is new to the festival and may well be new to your plate. Alpacas are a recent addition to Australia’s farming scene, but have been farmed for both their meat and their fleece for over 6,000 years in South America. The meat is incredibly lean, deliciously tender and almost sweet. Free range and grass fed, this is a great new product from some bold and entrepreneurial South Australian producers.
If the above aren’t enough to tempt you what about the delicious nuts and fruits from Port Willunga Fine Foods, the diverse range of products from Muntrie Magic Native Bush Foods or the grass-fed beef and lamb from South Australia’s only on-farm butcher shop, Wakefield Grange at Wattle Flat on the Fleurieu Peninsula? Goodness – no wonder I can’t wait to get there!
What a great festival. I love the look of the wine tasting although you can’t let that get out of control! I’ve never tried alpaca meat but I am starting to see more and more alpacas being farmed around here. Is the meat a bit like lamb? xx
You South Australian/Adelaide people are spoiled for choice when it comes to food. I do think about you every time I hear “Catastrophic Fire Danger” and “Adelaide” in the same sentence. What a wonderful festival!
Um, not really, Charlie – it’s not as strong as lamb.