2012 Cellar Door Wine Festival

South Australia’s wine industry will once again come together under one roof for the second Cellar Door Wine Festival - Adelaide in February. The Cellar Door Wine Festival gives wine enthusiasts the opportunity to explore 12 iconic wine regions and enjoy tastings from more than 150 wineries.

SA Wine Festival Masterclass

The 3-day festival (February 24-26 2012) features a series of Master Classes including Tastes of the Barossa, Wine and Chocolate Tasting, and a Spiegelau Beer Glass Tasting.

There will also be a regional Farmers Market where visitors can sample and purchase regional delights from boutique producers, and beer fans can sample brews from micro breweries through to iconic SA brewer Coopers Brewery.

“The Cellar Door Wine Festival is a great model to promote South Australian wines to a local consumer audience right in the heart of Adelaide,” Wine Australia’s Domestic Market Development Officer, Chad Elson said.  “An exciting component of the festival is the mix of smaller wine producers alongside famous and well known brands, as well as the range of educational and entertaining master classes on offer,” Mr Elson said.

Cellar Door Wine Festival entry ticket includes unlimited tastings and your very own Riedel wine glass.  For more information on the Cellar Door Wine Festival please visit http://www.cellardoorfestival.com/

Adelaide Good Food & Wine Show

The Good Food & Wine Show is back in Adelaide again and the tickets have just gone on sale!

Take a journey of flavour as you taste delicious food from some of Adelaide's own including Heavenly Delight, Murray River Salt, Gelista, Matchetts and Riverland Smallgoods to name a few. You will also be able to discover other exhibitors from around the country, including mouth-watering meats, delicious cheeses and amazing baked goods and sweets.

As an exclusive to the Good Food & Wine Show, UK celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott, will be heading to Adelaide solely for the Show, where he will share his diverse, delicious and simple approach to cooking. Other celebrity chefs, who will be there to cook up a storm are Manu Feildel; Matt Moran and Tobie Puttock. So book your tickets now to get the best seats in the house to see them live on stage!

Whether you enjoy savouring fine wine, meeting celebrity chefs or discovering new cuisines to cook at home - you won't want to miss the Adelaide Good Food & Wine Show.

Cheese Discovery Class
Take an exhilarating journey through the world of cheese in this 45 minute class, as you taste your way through a variety of cheese styles. Tickle your tastebuds as each cheese is matched with a selected wine or beer and range of accompaniments.

Riedel Decanter Bar
If you want to learn more about the wine you love to drink, then book into a Riedel Decanter Bar session which is both educational and insightful. Limited to only 20 guests, there are a number of different sessions to do, from Shiraz to Sparkling and Pinot to Greek wine sessions, each led by our celebrated fine wine sommeliers.

The Good Food & Wine Show will be on 7 – 9 October 2011 at the Adelaide Showgrounds. Tickets can be booked via Ticketek

Steven ter Horst Chocolatier

As we all know chocolate is one of the four main food groups. Wine, cheese, and something else complete the lineup.

Adelaide now has a new chocolatier. Stephen ter Horst has opened up a shop on Unley Road in Malvern, Adelaide. He has combined the best ingredients South Australia has to offer, with the highest quality chocolate from Belgium. This allows him to perfectly balance the hand-crafted chocolates. Not to forget the luscious petit gateaux and tarts.

A couple of the more interesting and delectable truffles include; 'Olio' a gorgeous dark chocolate with Olive Oil, and the 'Fleur de Sel' with a luscious salted caramel filling.

These can be paired with hot chocolates and Coffee Barun single origin coffees. Oh that's right, coffee is the other main food group.

Montepulciano By Jingo!

South Australia's Cellar Door Wine Festival 2011

The ‘festival state’ (that’s South Australia) in conjunction with the leading wineries has put together a true state wine festival. The Cellar Door Wine Festival will showcase over 100 wineries from premium wine regions of South Australia.

This will be a great way for all those with a passion for Pinot, or are curious about Cabernet, or even serious about Shiraz to see the best regions all in one location. South Australian regions covered include; Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, Eden Valley, Langhorne Creek, McLaren Vale, Padthaway and the Riverland.

South Australia produces most - and some of the best – of Australia’s wine. It boasts some of the oldest commercially producing vines in the world. It has a diverse range of regions and is considered to be the wine industry’s “powerhouse” state. Surprisingly we have never had a state wine celebration here. The Cellar Door Festival will be held in Adelaide over 3 days from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 February, 2011 and will be at the world-class venue the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Festival highlights include:
• Regional Wine and Food Trail - showcasing a ‘taste’ of each region... wander through at your leisure to chat with the winemakers, sample wines and regional produce!
• Top up your own cellar - purchase full bottles of wine from more than 100+ wineries and take advantage of some incredible show specials!
• Master Classes - interactive talks and tastings with iconic wine identities, local SA microbrewery tastings, wine and cheese matching... plus the launch of Wine Australia’s first consumer A+ Australian Wine Master Classes!
• A+ Australian Wine SA Varietal View - tasting area featuring grouped wine varietals from all across the state.
• Regional Farmer's Market - after sampling wines and produce on your walk through the themed regional areas, head over to enjoy regional tasting platters, barbeque plates and gourmet desserts!

Celsius Restaurant and Bar

Following stints in world-famous restaurants interstate and overseas, one of Adelaide's most exciting young chefs, Ayhan Erkoc, has launched his own establishment, Celsius Restaurant and Bar, at 95 Gouger St in the heart of Adelaide. Joining Ayhan at Celsius is a dream team of chefs from establishments including Magill Estate, Auge and Sparrow.

Opened last month and already causing a huge stir among the State's foodies, Celsius reflects Ayhan's passion for local produce and classics with an experiential twist. You'll find dishes on the menu such as 'Hahndorf venison with celeriac, chocolate, wild garlic leaves and hazelnut', as well as 'bubbled pork crackling with yoghurt and fennel pollen'.

The Celsius team are so serious about sourcing the best local produce that they have established a dedicated farm in the Murraylands, with 70% of the restaurant's ingredients to come from their own 'kitchen garden'. Erkoc will also be devoting time to foraging expeditions – making the most of seasonal, sometimes-overlooked ingredients growing wild around Adelaide.

The Celsius menu caters for everyone and includes gourmet bar snacks for those who pop in for an after-work drink, plus tapas, an a la carte menu and an eight-course degustation with matched beverages for serious food lovers. Its wine list features local boutique wines and respected international varietals, plus beers, ciders, sake and spirits. Celsius is also seriously good value for money, look out for the three-course lunch special, a six-course degustation lunch special or the eight-course degustation dinner.

Celsius Restaurant and Bar 95 Gouger Street, Adelaide. Open for lunch: Wed-Fri and dinner: Tues-Sat Ph: 08 8231 6023

Cheeseaholics Over-indulge at Cheesefest 2010

Coles has joined CheeseFest as the major sponsor for 2010. CheeseFest is a celebration of Australian cheeses, taking place Sunday 17 October 2010 at Rymill Park. A highlight on the South Australian calendar, Coles CheeseFest 2010 is set to be the biggest and best cheese festival yet.

Owner of Woodside Cheese Wrights, Kris Lloyd is excited Coles has come on board as a major sponsor of CheeseFest. “Australia’s specialty cheese making industry is of an incredibly high standard, and events like this really help bring the hard working cheese specialists into the limelight they deserve,” Ms Lloyd said.

Visitors to CheeseFest can taste the finest specialty cheeses, meet the cheese makers, enjoy music and entertainment, gourmet food and wine and soak up the atmosphere.Visit the picnic area on the day and you can sample delicious cheese and accompaniments, and relax with friends.

The day at Rymill Park, located in Adelaide’s east end will be filled with activities and rides for kids plus celebrity chefs such as Simon Bryant and Michael Angelakis providing cooking demonstrations for the adults.

More details http://www.southaustralia.com/9005877.aspx

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Tasting Australia 2010

Tasting Australia will return to Adelaide in May 2010. It is held every two years in Adelaide to celebrate the very best Australia has to offer in food, wine and beer. Tasting Australia is designed for the nation's food and hospitality industry, local and international media and the passionate public.

British TV personalities, including a Ladette to Lady teacher, are among the international celebrities who will take part in Adelaide's Tasting Australia. Ladette to Lady cookery teacher Rosemary Shrager also presents Rosemary Shrager's School for Cooks. Italian chef and cookery writer Antonio Carluccio will make his third visit to the event.

The international celebrities will join a smorgasbord of Australian chefs, writers and TV presenters, including Maeve O'Meara, Stephanie Alexander and Simon Bryant.

Tasting Australia began 11 years ago to gain further worldwide recognition for South Australia as a food and wine centre of excellence. The past Tasting Australia was in 2007 but a change from spring to autumn means a stretch until 2010 for the next one, which runs from April 29 to May 6. The full program for Tasting Australia 2010 has been unveiled, and will include at least 40 public events for food, wine and beer lovers.

On the May 1-2 weekend a free event (the BankSA Feast for the Senses) will take over Elder Park on the banks of the Torrens River. This will include cooking shows and a chance for young chefs to work with the stars. Tasting Australia offers everyone who simply loves good food and wine the opportunity to enjoy the very best in South Australia while mixing with some of the world's culinary icons.

Rich & Lingering will be providing private tours for visitors, so they can get out into the regions to experience the best of the state and take full advantage of their visit to Tasting Australia.

Tasting Australia during Vintage

Tasting Australia, Australia’s premier food, wine and beer festival held in Adelaide will now be held in Autumn instead of Spring, from 6 – 13 May 2010, allowing visiting media, food and drink professionals and the public at large a chance to experience the best South Australia has to offer at vintage time.

In the eleven years since its conception, Tasting Australia has become one of the nation’s most influential and best attended gastronomic festivals. The event has hosted hundreds of Australia’s and the world’s top chefs, sommeliers, restaurateurs, food, wine and travel media and has attracted a wide cross-section of the food-loving public to Adelaide and South Australia.

It regularly attracts celebrity chefs of the calibre of Rick Stein, Antonio Carluccio, Nick Nairn, Rachel Allen, Paul Rankin, Sophie Grigson, Madhur Jaffrey and Claudia Roden, Stephanie Alexander, Serge Dansereau, Neil Perry, Shannon Bennett, Paul Wilson, Chris Taylor, Cheong Liew and many more.

Tasting Australia has now grown to such an extent that the last event comprised 70 events, of which 65 were aimed at the general public. 50,000 people attended over eight days. A major feature of the 2010 event will be a focus on South Australia’s local heroes – those food and drink producers, chefs, writers and educators who have raised the bar in gastronomic excellence, according to South Australian Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith.

“Over the past six events, Tasting Australia has shown the world’s food, wine and beer lovers that Adelaide and South Australia form a hub of gastronomic excellence,” Dr Lomax-Smith says. “We are not just an exporter of premium food and beverage. Our great chefs have been exemplary ambassadors for the state, with professionals such as Christine Manfield, Tim Pak Poy, Maggie Beer, Cheong Liew, and Simon Bryant, among others, making a big impression around Australia and overseas. “There is no doubt that Tasting Australia will continue to boost tourism numbers to South Australia, as well as encouraging further markets for the State’s food, wine and beer products,” says Dr Lomax-Smith. “I believe that a move to vintage time will add to the positive media coverage afforded the event.”

For more information see www.tasting-australia.com.au

World Food Exchange in Adelaide

The inaugural World Food Exchange is a unique, must attend event for South Australia's food and wine producers and the culinary tourism industry. The event will bring together leading international and Australian experts in the development of high quality food and wine themed tourism experiences to share their knowledge and expertise.

The four day event, from 21-25 September 2008, will promote South Australia as a leading culinary tourism destination and showcase South Australian primary produce industries as ecologically sustainable and among the best in the world.

The World Food Exchange regional tours provide an opportunity to introduce visitors to a taste of regional South Australia's brilliant experiences, highlighting the whole chain of wine and food experiences. The World food Exchange organised tours incorporate unique experiences only available through the World Food Exchange program. They feature a taste of the lifestyle and world-class ecologically sustainable seafood and aquaculture industry of the Eyre Peninsula as well as immersion in the food and wine culture of Barossa Valley.

It's an event not to be missed.

For more information or to register, visit worldfoodexchange.com or www.richandlingering.com.au/FoodExchange.html

Viognier extinct!

20 years ago the Viognier white grape variety was almost wiped out. With as little as 35 acres in France remaining it was another unloved variety about to disappear. That would have been a great shame as people had only started to be able to pronounce it (vee-on-yeah or vee-ohn-yay).

That was when South Australian company Yalumba planted a few trial rows in Eden Valley, in the greater Barossa wine region. Which is distinctly cooler that the Barossa Valley floor. In France, Viognier was confined to a few areas of the Rhone region - Condrieu and Cote-Rotie appellations. Rhone is similar in climate to Barossa, so Viognier does equally well in South Australia.

Since Yalumba started its trials with Viognier, they discovered its full range of attributes. A typical Viognier white wine has a rich and luscious mouthfeel, which comes from the high glycerol of the grape. On the nose it is normally seen as showing ripe or dried apricot, and floral and citrus characters, with an interesting spice or anise/Thai basil note.

Also in the Rhone region a small percentage of Viognier is added to Shiraz/Syrah. They are allowed up to 20% Viognier as part of the AOC control system, but generally most winemakers never go above 5%. And so this approach has also been implemented into the New World. Even a small percentage (such as 3 or 4%) can change a Shiraz significantly. Adding to its floral character on the nose, and making the palate smoother, rounder, more voluptuous. It is always a surprise that adding a white grape to a red wine makes the red more intense in colour.

Some other boutique wineries who produce quality Viognier and which Rich & Lingering visit on their tours, include Langmeil Winery, and Torbreck Vintners in Barossa Valley, Petaluma in Adelaide Hills, Mr Riggs, and Olivers Taranga in McLaren Vale.

So indulge in a new old variety before it disappears.

Chocolate is one of the 4 main food groups

At Christmas time, if we have been naughty or nice, we should receive chocolate, so lets focus on one of the food main food groups.

Origin of Chocolate
Native to South America, cocoa beans first came to Europe in the treasure-laden galleons of the Spanish conquistadors. Quickly spreading throughout Europe and beyond, this gift from the New World won more and more admirers. But long before that, the cocoa bean had been enjoyed by the Maya and the Aztecs. So valued was the cocoa drink that they used it as a sacred offering and even employed cocoa beans as currency!

Cocoa Beans
Chocolate is made from the beans harvested from pods of the cacao tree, grown within 10 degrees north and south of the equator. The best-known beans are the rare, delicate Criollo and Trinitario varieties and the more robust Forastero. The finest quality cocoa beans come from hand-nurtured cacao plants and, like wine production, important factors are the local soil, weather and the grower's expertise. Each of these plays its role in the flavour of the chocolate produced.

Quality Chocolate
Quality chocolate has up to 75% cocoa content, compared with as little as 20% in cheap products. Made from carefully roasted and milled quality beans, it has a smooth, velvety finish. Mass-produced chocolate has a gritty texture, more sugar, lower-grade cocoa beans and non-traditional ingredients like dried milk and vegetable oil.

The most skilled chocolatiers learnt their craft in France, Belgium, Italy or Switzerland. First, they select the exact mix of cocoa bean varieties. Well-versed in each variety's special characteristics, chocolatiers create a blend that is balanced, yet with its own uniquely attractive personality. Gently roasted, these beans are then milled for many hours to produce a very fine cocoa. This is mixed with the only ingredients required for quality chocolate: cocoa butter, sugar, natural vanilla and lecithin. For milk chocolate, fresh milk alone is added.

Chocolate Tasting
Like wine, and any other quality food, the enjoyment of luxury chocolate involves all five senses. These are the characteristics that a true chocolate connoisseur looks for...

• Sight - Look for a shiny, smooth surface of completely blended chocolate, free from any imperfection.
• Sound - Well-tempered chocolate with a high content of pure cocoa makes a distinctive sharp snapping sound when broken.
• Touch - The feel should be satin-smooth - not grainy like low-quality chocolate.
• Smell - Like a vintage wine, premium chocolate releases a range of aromas.
• Taste - Chocolate should be a savoured delight. Press it to the roof of your mouth and let it slowly melt around your tastebuds. The velvety flavours gradually translate into a pleasantly lingering after-taste. Luxury chocolate can be complex and distinctive, with aromas ranging from citrus, fruity, spice, coffee, smokey, and so forth depending upon the origin of the bean.

For guests with a desire to focus on this particular food group, Rich & Lingering have designed tours to gratfiy their senses and indulge!