Our favourite ten-day celebration of food and wine is coming back to regional Victoria. Hit the road to Gippsland, Yarra Valley and Ballarat to get amongst fellow culinary enthusiasts, wine connoisseurs, and Australia’s celebrity chefs at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
This jam-packed program developed alongside Visit Victotria will have you working up an appetite for the state's best homegrown produce and talent. To help you find your way through the sprawling countryside, scenic coasts and experiences on offer, we’ve rounded up five experiences you cannot miss.
It’s time to get the crew together for a weekend getaway over good food, wine and the stunning backdrop of regional Victoria.
Signature Yarra Valley | 10-17 November
Over eight boozy days, Yarra Ranges Tourism presents your tastiest trip yet, filled with once-off events to mark the occasion. Jayden Ong Winery and Cellar Bar are throwing a cosmic-inspired wine party, Interstellar Wine Worlds, with tastings from the best vino the Yarra Valley has to offer, as DJ decks orbit from 3pm until 9pm.
Visit Grounded at TarraWarra for a celebration of both international and Wurundjeri Country country art, and a tasting of the Estate’s reserve chardonnay and pinot noir. Start your Sunday right at Dröm and Chandon’s brunch, featuring bubbles and a rosé pastry using Chandon’s Ruby Cuvée. Get more info here.
Ballarat Unlocked | 10-18 November
Marvel in the rich history of Ballarat over a week of food festivities. The (quite literal) hidden gem that is Quartz Mine in Sovereign Hill is serving up a three-course meal underground, over tales of the gold rush and a gold-smelting demonstration.
Explore the Art Gallery of Ballarat this festival, as Damien Jones from Ballarat’s honoured Thai restaurant Mr Jones Dining serves up his favourite canapés, a seated main course and dessert. Be sure to subscribe to Melbourne Food and Wine Festival to snatch up early-bird tickets on Monday 4 September. Get more info here.
World’s Longest Lunch | Saturday 11 November
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s signature event World’s Longest Lunch will be held in both the Yarra Valley and Ballarat this year. Hubert Estate has a long table to set with 150 people dining in their recently renovated space. Executive chef Michael Smith’s three-course menu has been carefully curated to pair with St Hubert’s wines.
In Ballarat, foodies will gather in the 1863 bluestone building that has been newly transformed into a hospitality haven The Goods Shed. Using local produce from Ballarat’s 1816 Bakehouse, Saltbush Kitchen and Inglenook Dairy, The Goods Shed’s executive chef Konstantin Putkin will put together a banquet worthy of the occasion. Don’t make dinner plans. Get more info here.
The Village Fest | Saturday 18 November
As one of the festivities of the Gippsland Seaside Weekender, The Village Fest will be celebrating local produce and culinary talent from 12pm until 8pm. Across 10 different food stalls and the Chef Shack, foodies will have front-row-viewings of the best Australian food talent in action, for $35 a ticket.
Masterchef runner-up Adam Liaw, from SBS’s The Cook Up, is teaming up with famed chef Thi Le, of Richmond’s hatted restaurant Anchovy, to bring their beloved Asian cooking to the coast. Catch world-renowned Caribbean chef Paul Carmichael, who led Momofuku Seiobo, in action with our local treasure Nick Mahlook.
Skip the cutlery with Raph Rashid collaboration with Ricos Tacos. Thirsty? There’s a lineup of seven festival bars where you can unwind to music from live musicians and enjoy panoramic views of the ocean. Get more info here.
Gippsland Seaside Weekender | 17-19 November
Gippsland’s coastal town Inverloch will be hosting festivities from Friday afternoon to Sunday – the perfect excuse for a weekend away. The Village Fest will be serving up feeds from culinary superstars (Emelia Jackson, Jo Barrett and Clayton Wells) on Saturday and the folks at Kongwak Butter Factory are throwing a cheese and wine masterclass down the road in Korumburra.
If you’re up for the challenge, join the Invocloch Icebergs for a dip on Sunday Morning and then cosy up with a choice of 14 top-drawer winemakers offering free tastings at the Wine Gippsland Cellar. The festival’s got the little ones sorted with a new Kids Zone offering cupcake decorating, sandcastle-making and face-painting. Get more info here.
Tickets go on sale this Thursday 7 September, get more info here.
Image credit: MFWF (supplied)