Christmas markets and DIY pickles

The best upcoming food and wine events in SA, including wine tastings, pickling workshops, long lunches, and opportunities to get to know some of the history behind our food and wine.

Mary Taylor

Dec 01, 2015, updated Dec 01, 2015

Christmas mince pies from artisan bakers Sucre Patisserie at the Flinders Street Market. Photo: supplied

Introduction to Fermenting Foods – December 2
Dirty Girl Kitchen will join Sam Whitehead from Gut Feeling to run another introductory workshop on fermenting foods at Entropy, Hindmarsh, from 6.30pm until 9pm. The hands-on class will include instruction in how to make sauerkraut and kimchi, as well as kombucha and ginger beer tastings. Cost is $68 – you only need to bring yourself and your favourite knife. For bookings and information contact [email protected].

GH Mumm Uncorked – December 4
The National Wine Centre’s final Uncorked event for 2015 will feature French champagne from GH Mumm and complimentary cheese platters and oysters, with entertainment by Adelaide jazz singer Kate Fuller. Guests can even try their hand at champagne sabering. The event starts at 4.30pm and entry is free.

Table in the Country – December 4
The Maitland Family, which produces Pangkarra Foods, is hosting an on-farm dining experience at its Clare Valley property. Guests will be taken on an epicurean journey from Adelaide to “Anama Park”, where they will enjoy a five-course degustation lunch matched with local beer and wines, plus a visit to a local winery, a farm tour and a crop walk. Limited tickets are available for $175 per person, including transfers (from Adelaide), food, wine and a take-home pack of Pangkarra Foods. Bookings can be made here.

Join Pangkarra Foods’ Katherine and Sam Maitland for a paddock-to-plate experience on their Clare Valley farm. Photo: supplied

Prosecco, Glorious Prosecco! – December 5
Italian wine connoisseur Alessandro Ragazzo from Bottega Rotolo will join the Mercato continental food and wine emporium at Campbelltown for a Prosecco tasting and masterclass of Bisol Prosecco cru wines from the cool-climate Valdobbiadene region in Veneto in Northern Italy. Both events are free to attend, with the tasting beginning at 12pm followed by the in-depth masterclass at 2pm. Numbers are limited so make a booking by phoning Chris on 8337 1808 or email [email protected]

Pickle Day – December 5
Learn the art of pickling, from Christmas cherries to kimchi, at Dirty Girl Kitchen’s Pickle Day at the Market Shed on Holland. This hands-on workshop will be “one big pickle party”, says pickling expert Rebecca Sullivan, and includes refreshments, a light lunch and goodies to take home and put under the Christmas tree. Contact [email protected] for more information, cost and bookings.

Le Diner en Blanc – December 5
Adelaide’s third annual Le Diner en Blanc, a posh pop-up picnic at a secret location with a special code, is on December 5. Guests must dress elegantly in white, and “beer and hard liquor are prohibited” at the event, which takes place in more than 60 cities around their world. Registrations have now closed for this year’s event, but to express your interest for next year’s or for more information, visit the official website here.

Diners on the way to a Diner en Blanc secret picnic spot. Photo: supplied

Flinders Street Market Christmas Bazaar – December 5 & 6
Flinders Street Market, in collaboration with Etsy South Australia, is holding a handmade Christmas gift fair in the big blue sheds on Flinders Street. With more than 100 stalls, shoppers will find gifts made from leather, fabric, clay, glass, wood, paper, resin and metal as well as Christmas decorations, music, food and gift wrapping, including Sucre Patisserie‘s delicious artisan mince pies (pictured at top). More information here.

Chapel Hill 150th Anniversary Celebrations – December 5 & 6
Chapel Hill winery at McLaren Vale is hosting a weekend celebration of its fascinating history and success as a food and wine destination. On Saturday, an open day is planned from 10.30am to 3.30pm with an exhibition of historic memorabilia as well as food and wine tastings; on Sunday, there will be a long lunch with a menu of local fare matched to Chapel Hill wines. More information can be found here.

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The Retreat at Chapel Hill. Photo: supplied

Sukhumvit Soi.38 banquet dinner – December 6
To celebrate the 88^th birthday of His Majesty King Rama IX of Thailand, Pulteney Street’s Thai street-food restaurant Sukhumvit Soi.38 is hosting a banquet dinner with matching South Australian wines. Head chef Terry Intarakhamhaeng is creating the five-course menu as well as a “royal” cocktail in honour of King Bhumibol. Tickets are $95 per head and seats are limited to 40 guests only. For bookings call 8223 5472.

Willunga Farmers’ Market Christmas Twilight Market – December 23
More than 60 regular Willunga Farmers’ Market stallholders are coming together for this twilight market from 5.30pm to 8.30pm, selling fresh produce from regional farms and other fresh and seasonal goods from the Fleurieu Peninsula. Hot foods will also be available to purchase from stallholders including Little Acre Foods, Small Town Huckster, Farm House Crepes and Bush Pepper Catering.

Losing the plot – until June 26, 2015
Losing the Plot: food gardening in South Australia explores the history of growing food in South Australia. It examines the stories behind the food on our plates from Aboriginal food production and school and community gardens to the home garden and market gardens in SA, and is accompanied by a program of workshops and talks focussing on food gardening and the use of garden produce in preserving and cooking.