Welcome to the good life- A day at Sydney’s Good Food and Wine Show

Welcome back globetrotters, well with food culture and cooking shows going off like yesterday’s compost, I couldn’t resist the urge to be at the cutting edge. This week the GTG gives an up close and personal run through a day at Sydney’s Good Food and Wine Show.

Getting there

Just like most of you, not being based in Sydney posed the complication of getting there. Luckily my hometown is conveniently serviced by regular (enough) trains leading to Sydney’s central train station (http://www.sydneytrains.info/) followed by a light rail down to the Sydney exhibition centre.

Getting in

The first queue of the day was the line on arrival for the closest merchandise stall for to purchase each punter’s most prized possession of the day, the tasting glass…… Shaped in the traditional tasting glass style, these glasses came with an optional lanyard (best held when containing wine) to assist with carrying all the yummy bits and information around throughout the day.

And then?

A variety of events ranging from free displays and demonstrations though to personalized master classes by celebrity chefs (not so free) happen throughout the day including:

• Cheese (yes smelly) presentations
• Nespresso ‘coffee’ classes (please excuse the ill-contained sarcasm)
• Presentations (live infomercials) of various high quality glasswear and other food-and wine-oriented accessories
• Celebrity chef theatre- With local and visiting chefs on the program, if you ever wanted to see a who’s who of the TV foodie land this is the place to be (let’s just hope your chef hasn’t indulged in copious amounts of wine tasting prior, not to single anyone out, a certain blonde chef may have an idea what I’m talking about)
• The chopping block- a slightly more casual atmosphere of food and cooking displays, also by celebrity chefs
• Food and wine matching classes- aspiring sommeliers need look no further
• Chef’s table- This is a small group-based, intimate celebrity chef experience where a three course meal is matched with three different wines and the opportunity to personally interact with the chef.

When planning your day, be aware these various program events are timetabled, may clash with each other and may also book up fast so as always (when it comes to travel) the earlier you start your planning the better.

This happy punter was lucky enough to book in time to see the fabulous Miguel Maestre, a Spanish chef based here in Australia who has worked some of the world’s best kitchens and is known for his larger than life personality. The theme for his chef’s table presentation was accommodating common food allergies and intolerances into your cooking.

What else is there to see?

Individual display stalls range from traditional Japanese food and wine stuffs that are currently only available as an online shop through a truffle company with delicious truffle mustard amongst other truffley goodness to personal wine stalls often staffed by the expert winemakers themselves. Some areas of the country with the help of their outstanding tourism departments and co-ordination (ahem, South Australia), had a number of regional representations within the maze of stalls showcasing their fantastic local produce and wine. Others notable sections include little Indonesia and Cheese alley. Some ‘fringe’ industry members such as weightwatchers also had their representation through a stall at this day encompassing all things food and wine.

Highlight of the day

For a first-time aspiring foodie (pre-cravat training) I have to note two highlights in particular that stood out.

• The first was meeting well respected winemaker Andrew Seppelt, (Andrew Seppelt and Murray Street wines) of the famous Seppelt family, trying his Nebbiolo in comparison to an indigenous Italian Nebbiolo and being so proud of the human elements that make up our thriving food and wine industry in Australia.
• The second was meeting Miguel Maestre, and seeing first hand the hard work mixed with dedication that chefs put into their career to get to that stage. The Spanish kiss on both cheeks was also more than welcome…

Overall, the day can be as expensive or as cheap (except for the entry ticket) as you make it. Good food and wine is held annually in a number of state and territory capital cities around Australia and can keep you inspired, and interested until the next event comes around (or your next trip). A link to the festival’s home page has been put on your GTG home page for you. As always, happy reading, happy munching, slicing and dicing, and until next week.

Your GTG apologises for the second rate quality of photography, suggesting maybe both wine tasting and carrying a small truckload of goodies around may have contributed.. More organized galleries to come in the near GTG future 🙂