DAL ZOTTO, PIZZINI, CHRISMONT
Prosecco Road Leads to Southgate
The city of Melbourne has many seasons, and ask anyone who visits and they'll say we get them all in one day.
In a lot of places, when the weather starts to cool down, so does the opportunity to go to great events. But in Melbourne, there's always something happening and Autumn is no exception.
Each year in March the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival brings us the delights of our amazing, world class culinary scene. And this year we went along to the event called "Prosecco Road Leads to Southgate" where an amazing collection of our most spectacular Victorian Prosecco makers transformed Southgate's promenade into a lively, vibrant scene of wine tasting accompanied by food, live music and hoards of people destined to appreciate the delights on offer.
Strolling on a glorious sunny Autumn day, meandering through the crowds and having a chat with many was nothing short of a divine way to spend a day. And so many options on offer it was almost impossible to know where to begin.
Dal Zotto's offering included Non-Vintage Pucino Prosecco, 2014 Vintage Pucino Prosecco and their amazing 2014 L'Immingrante Prosecco, all of which were stunning.
Pizzini had their Prosecco and also the low-alcohol Brachetto, which is perfect for late breakfast and brunch drinkers.
Chrismont had their incredible La Zona Prosecco, which I've already covered in a separate blog entry earlier this year.
Brown Brothers and Sam Miranda also had their sparkling on show but we didn't quite get to them and I look forward to trying them when I next visit the King Valley.
Lots of people, live music and bocce games amongst the wine tasting created a relaxed yet buzzing vibe.
Further along Southbank promenade was the River Graze, where there was a pop-up seafood festival, Crown Riverwalk hosted the Oakridge Urban Vineyard where members of the public were invited to take part in grape squashing and the more intricate nuances of winemaking. The AVPN Pizza Fest provided a space in which to meander through the many pizza makers with their staff furiously finishing dough by traditional hand kneading methods facing Melbourne's Yarra river with the relaxed crowds happily devouring their creations at the many tables on offer. Also nearby was a Veuve Clicquot Airstream bar with it's bright orange-yellow tables.
The Urban dairy at Queensbridge Square was also a great place to check out all things cheesy and creamy with of course, it's own bar as well.
There was just seriously so much on offer at this year's MFWF that even with some serious planning you could not possibly attend every available event or event properly enjoy each section along Southbank and everything else happening along the Yarra. The superb weather made sure the masses were out in full force making for a vibrant, fun filled weekend no matter where you chose to be.
For next year, I've got the ticketed event, City Cellar on my MFWF 'must do' list.
Plan early for next year's MFWF by following them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and their website: http://www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au
