Everything you need to know about the 2019 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
Victoria’s best food, wine and producers will be showcased in more than 250 events during the state’s biggest gastronomic celebration, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
Melb Food & Wine Festival
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Victoria’s biggest gastronomic celebration, the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, marks its 27th year in 2019.
From a program of 12 events in 1993, the festival now boasts 250-plus events showcasing the best world-class produce, chefs and winemakers, eateries, hospitality and culinary trends.
From five-star dining to food trucks and masterclasses to tastings, the festival gives visitors a literal taste of the best food and wine our state has to offer.
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Kicking off on March 8, highlights on the jam-packed roster of tasty treats include celebrity chef Shane Delia paying homage to Melbourne’s culinary pioneers, a sunset cruise with the Stokehouse team, a Texan smokehouse festival by San Antone on the Crown Riverwalk and a bacchanalian Carnevale at Trattoria Emilia on the festival’s last day.
A renewed regional focus underpins this year’s larger, longer event, the first with former magazine editor Anthea Loucas Bosha at the helm of organiser Food and Wine Victoria.
More than 40 events will be held in regional locations.
The Victorian Government and Bank of Melbourne have renewed their investment in the 2019 event, which will attract more than 250,000 visitors and showcase an industry that employs 210,000 Victorians and brings $23 billion to the economy.
With full program and tickets now on sale, here’s our guide to the best of the 2019 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival:
WHEN IS THE MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL?
The festival runs for 17 days from Friday, March 8 to Sunday, March 24.
It opens with the Melbourne World’s Longest Lunch, and closes with River Graze along the Yarra River at Southbank on the closing weekend.
The new Regional Weekend, dedicated to food and wine experiences across the state, will be held from Friday, March 15, to Sunday, March 17.
WHERE IS THE MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL?
The festival spans various venues across CBD and suburban Melbourne, as well as regional areas from Echuca to Jindivick.
Venues include the Malthouse Theatre, Melba Spiegeltent, Southbank and many restaurants, bars and public places.
MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
MELBOURNE WORLD’S LONGEST LUNCH
The festival program kicks off on March 8 with the Bank of Melbourne World’s Longest Lunch, held in Prahran’s picturesque Victoria Gardens and cooked by the all-star, all-female cast of Karen Martini, Nicky Riemerand Lauren Eldridge.
REGIONAL WORLD’S LONGEST LUNCHES
This year there will also be 16 regional longest lunches held in picturesque locations, including Bendigo, Falls Creek, Inverloch, Echuca, Geelong, the King Valley, Mansfield, Nagambie, Kangaroo Ground, Mount Dandenong, Port Fairy, Coldstream and more.
Where: Various locations.
When: March 15-17.
THE VILLAGE FEAST
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival will take over the small Gippsland town of Jindivick and transform it into a food lover’s paradise for a weekend for The Village Feast.
Think farmer’s markets, heaps of local food and wine and glamping.
Melbourne-based restaurants, cafés and bars will collaborate with local culinary stars, producers and winemakers for the ultimate gastronomic experience.
Where: Jindivick, near Warragul
When: March 16-17.
THE HOUSE OF FOOD AND WINE
The Malthouse Theatre spaces and courtyard will be turned into a gastronomic playground of fun and feasting for The House of Food and Wine.
The three-day event will feature masterclasses by leading international and local chef talent, hands-on workshops, boundary-pushing panel discussions and loads of cleverly curated creations and cocktails from food trucks manned by some of our best restaurants.
The party continues into the night, with the All the Chickens feast headlined by Matt Abergel on Friday, March 9, a candlelight feast cooked by Canadian Joe Beef on Saturday, March 10, and a foodie master quiz on Sunday, March 11.
Where: Malthouse Theatre
When: March 9-11
GLOBAL DINING SERIES
The Global Dining Series – where international talent team up with local heroes for a night of never-to-be-repeated delights – is selling fast and you’ll need to be quick to see the likes of Ryan Clift (Singapore’s Tippling Club) cooking lunch at Osteria Ilaria, Rosia Sanchez (Hija de Sanchez taqueria, Copenhagen) at Mamasita and Junghyun Park (Atoboy/Atomix, New York) redefining Korean cuisine at Restaurant Shik.
RESTAURANT EXPRESS
The much-loved restaurant express returns, where $40 will buy you a two-course lunch with matched wines at someof the city’s best restaurants, including Neil Perry’s Rosetta and Spice Temple, wine bar institution Punch Lane, and St Kilda’s Café de Stasio.
RIVER GRAZE
For the closing weekend of March 22-24, the popular River Graze will again transform the banks of the Yarra into a familyfriendly wine-dine playground, with City Cellar, Food Truck Stop and the craft beer garden just some of the highlights.
Where: Along the Yarra River at Southbank
When: Friday, March 22, to Sunday, March 24.
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CRAWL N BITE
The always popular Crawl n Bite events are back, where three venues join forces for a progressive night of terrific tastes.
This year’s “duck and pinot” crawl takes in Gingerboy, Punch Lane and RuYi; the Carlton Wine Crawl features King & Godfree, Carlton Wine Room and Milk the Cow, while Land & Sea ticks off Iki-Jime, MoVida Acqui and Palermo in one night and are just three of the crawls on offer.
TIPPLES, TUCKER AND TUMBLING
Circus Oz is ready to put on a flying feast of epic proportions with an unforgettable night of circus arts, Australian food and Victorian wine.
With food from Charcoal Lane and wine from Yarra Valley’s Innocent Bystander, the Tipples, Tucker and Tumbling event heldunder the Melba Spiegeltent promises dinner and a show on a whole new level.
SOUVA-LUCKY POP UP
George Calombaris’s right hand man in the Press Club kitchen, Reuben Davis, has spent the summer thinking up wild new ways to serve up a souvlaki.
The top 10 creations will make their debut at the Souva-Lucky Pop Up at the 2019 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
Taking inspiration from around the globe, a different souvlaki will be served every day for 10 days dat the city’s Press Club Project.
Where: Press Club - Projects, Melbourne
When: Wednesday, March 20, to Friday, March 22
ENCHANTED LUNCH
It’s a meal that’s sure to be on pointe when dancers from The Australian Ballet join the Dinner by Heston team for a truly enchanting lunch.
Across a four-course tasting menu inspired by the ballet, chef Ashley Palmer-Watts and The Australian Ballet’s artistic director, David McAllister, will discuss the creative synergies between their two worlds.
Where: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Southbank
When: March 9
HOW TO GET MELBOURNE FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL TICKETS
Head to the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival website and search the program.
Ticket booking details are listed on each event.