March in Melbourne is often one of our warmest months, even though it's technically the first month of Autumn. So when it comes to weather, you can never be entirely sure what you're going to get.

As with most of my recent escapades, the sun came out and gave us its best display, allowing for a prolonged and unexpected day out for me and my Sparkling companion.

I hadn't been to this particular event before, even though South Melbourne Market is a place I frequent at least every couple of weeks. So for this reason I was expecting that the "festival" was perhaps going to be more of a "sale" pointing you to the many seafood vendors there.

Instead I was overjoyed to see that street (Cecil St) on the east side of the market where the main strip of  restaurants and cafes are was closed off and filled with marquees, umbrellas and tables for people to really engage.

We had arrived around 1pm so it was in full swing by that time, and we were lucky enough to get a standing table with a tiny bit of shade available.

Whilst I held the table, my companion for the day went off to explore the various stands, which were by well known Melbourne restaurants who were selling their own particular style of mussel fare. Some were spicy Mexican, some were more subtle, but either way, it was all there to be enjoyed, perused and devoured.

And of course what better accompaniment than a glass of sparkling wine that magically appeared in front of me along with my plate of steamed mussels courtesy of my partner in crime for the day.

What I tasted was the not-too-sweet flavour of Rob Dolan Blanc de Blanc from  Rob Dolan Wines Black Label range. It had that beautiful pale straw colour that I love to see in a sparkling wine, with a flavour I can only describe as fresh yet delicate. Nothing overpowering here, just a very drinkable drop that I did enjoy whilst listening to the buzz of the crowds and the live music.

As this was a spontaneous visit, we missed much of the scheduled mussel cooking demonstrations by various top restaurants, but that didn't take away from the great vibe of the day as a whole. The live musicians, roaming performers and just experiencing South Melbourne Market in a different way was fantastic.

So book yourself and some friends in for next year. For more information and inspiration on the day that was, visit http://southmelbournemarket.com.au/mussel-fest/