The World of Champagne Course – April 19 and 26

The Ed Cellars is hosting a two-night tutored Champagne-tasting course presented by Vin de Champagne award winner James Smith. Smith is a wine education consultant, wine writer, lecturer and presenter of short courses and seminars on Champagne for the Comite Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (France) and the Champagne Bureau (Australia). Cost is $300 for the two-night course. For bookings and information, phone 8373 2753.

Jamie’s Ministry of Food school holiday programs – April 19 to 29

Jamie’s Ministry of Food, a community-based cooking program based on Oliver’s beliefs about the benefits of cooking fresh food from scratch, is hosting cooking classes for children and adults at its Noarlunga pop-up kitchen. Running in two blocks from April 19 to 22 and April 26 to 29, the program aims to teach basic home cooking skills, kitchen safety and nutrition, while passing on Oliver’s hints, tips and cooking shortcuts. Jamie’s Ministry of Food school holiday programs comprise four 3.5-hour sessions over four days, with up to 12 participants in each class. Course costs are $80 for students 12 to 16 years old, $120 for students 16+ and $160 for adults. Bookings here.

Cheese and Chocolate with Steven ter Horst – April 20

Chocolate is often paired with wine or spirits, but it is also a great match with cheese. Chocolatier Steven ter Horst will take you through some complex and intriguing combinations of cheese and chocolate, from a soft triple cream filled with chocolate paste to hard cheeses matched with mild milk and dark bitter styles at The Smelly Cheese Shop in Wright Street, Adelaide. Cost is $70. Information and bookings here.

Langmeil Wine Dinner at 2KW – April 21

Join James and Paul Lindner and Emma Shaw of Barossa’s Langmeil Winery as they present five Old Vine Garden vintage-release wines matched to a menu prepared by 2KW chef Dan Lawrence. Tickets are $165 per person and places are strictly limited. Information and bookings here.

Kaesler Wines 2015 Vintage Barrel Tasting and Lunch – April 23

Join Kaesler winemaker Reid Bosward in the Barossa Valley for this pre-release masterclass and barrel tasting of 2015 vintage wines followed by a long-table lunch from the winery’s restaurant, Kaesler Kitchen. Sample wines include Shiraz from the Old Bastard and Alte Reben vineyards, and from barrels which will eventually form The Bogan and Old Vine Shiraz, as well as other premium wines. Tickets are $70 per person. More information available here.

Kaesler winemaker Reid Bosward. Photo: supplied

Ochota Barrels Dinner – April 27

Hosted by winemakers Taras Ochota (Ochota Barrels) and Mark Reginato (Man Of Spirit) at Apothecary 1878, the Ochota Barrels Dinner features a selection of wines taken from Ochota’s personal collection matched to a menu by Apothecary head chef Frank Hero. Expect confit octopus, finger lime and river mint matched to ‘Weird Berries In The Woods’ Gewürztraminer 2014; soused scallops, radish, dill oil and lilly pilly matched to the ‘+5V OV’ Chardonnay 2015; Onkaparinga Valley venison carpaccio, carob, muntries and blackberry matched to the ‘A Forest’ Pinot Noir 2015; wallaby shanks, blackened pumpkin, turnips, baby carrot and saltbush matched to ‘Fugazi’ Grenache 2015; chargrilled alpaca, parsnip cream, alpaca pastry, ‘Brussels and bacon’ and alpaca juices matched to ‘I Am The Owl’ Syrah 2015; a cheese course matched to ‘Sense Of Compression’ MJ Keenan Collaboration Grenache 2015; and silken chocolate torte, macadamia, sour cherry and coconut marshmallow matched to ‘Man Of Spirit’ Old Fashioned. Cost is $195 per person. Contact The Apothecary 1878 for information and bookings.

Sangiovese masterclass at La Cantina – April 28

Italian wine merchant La Cantina presents an in-depth exploration of Sangiovese, the wine that challenges, delights and intrigues winemakers. Through this comparative tasting, participants will discover what makes this wine variety so special and how it responds to different regions throughout Tuscany and Australia. The tasting starts at 6pm and includes 13 wines with antipasto platters and Tuscan-inspired Pizza al Taglio. Cost is $50 per person. Bookings are essential.

The Great Mylor Bakeoff – May 1

Inspired by television’s The Great British Bake Off,  this new Adelaide Hills baking competition offers 22 entry categories. Entry forms are available from the Mylor General Store or by emailing competition organiser Sue Laundy on [email protected] before the closing date on Friday, April 22, with judging to take place on April 30. On Sunday, May 1,  the winning entries will be on display at the Mylor Hall, where there will also be  garden stalls, old recipe books,  cooking utensils and cakes available for purchase. See InDaily‘s story here.

Salt: a bayou experience at the Bay – May 1

This exquisitely styled beach picnic just for adults will have guests seated at long tables with colourful cushions and rugs. They will be treated to a selection of local wines and craft brews to accompany a menu of spiced shellfish, potatoes and corn cooked in the Cajun tradition by SA celebrity cook Bree May. Tickets to the Tasting Australia event cost $150 per person. Information and bookings here. 

Sprout cooking at the Adelaide Showgrounds Farmers’ Market – May 1

Join Callum Hann and Themis Chryssidis for a cooking demonstration at the Adelaide Showgrounds Farmers’ Market using market produce. The free demonstration starts at 10am. More information can be found here.

Themis Chryssidis and Callum Hann in action at the Adelaide Farmers’ Market.

Italian Cheese and Wine with Luigi Guffanti – May 3

Take a tasting tour of Italy through some of the world’s best-known cheeses paired with wines from the same region with The Smelly Cheese Shop’s affinatore (cheese ageing expert) Luigi Guffanti. Regional cheeses aged and hand-selected by Guffanti for the tasting include Parmigiano Reggiano from Emilia-Romagna, Gorgonzola and Taleggio from Lombardy and mixed milk white moulds from Piedmont. Cost is $80 per person. More information and bookings here.

Single Sites Dinner – Tasting Australia – May 5

Join seven of South Australia’s award-winning winemakers as they pour and describe their single-vineyard wines matched to a degustation menu created by seven of the state’s outstanding chefs. Winemakers and chefs have been working collaboratively on the food and wine matches on the menu and include Kate Laurie (Deviation Road) paired with Lachlan Colwill (Hentley Farm Restaurant), Jeffrey Grosset (Grosset Wines) with Paul Baker (Botanic Gardens Restaurant), Kym Schroeter (Penfolds) with David Swain (Fino at Seppeltsfield), Stephen Pannell (SC Pannell Wines) with Duncan Welgemoed (Africola), Stephen Henschke (Henschke Wines) with Mark McNamara (Food Luddite); Sue Hodder (Wynns Coonawarra Estate) with Andy Davies (Press; Osteria Oggi), and Dudley Brown (Inkwell Wines) with Karena Armstrong (The Salopian Inn).  The Single Sites Dinner will be hosted by Tasting Australia creative director Paul Henry at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Tickets are $350 per person;  bookings and more information here. 

Other highlights of the 2016 Tasting Australia program include a series of events and activities at the Adelaide Central Market. Look out for The Market Melting Pot series of free cooking demonstrations in the Community Kitchen featuring chefs including Poh Ling Yeow and Callum Hann and Themis Chryssidis, and market traders Lucia’s Pizza & Spaghetti Bar, Comida, Le Souk, Smelly Cheese, Barossa Fine Foods and Mushroom Man’s Mushroom Shop showcasing some of their signature dishes.

Tasting Australia runs from May 1 to May 8.

Mother’s Day at the Stamford Plaza – May 8

The Stamford Plaza Adelaide is offering a selection of special Mother’s Day events including a Mother’s Day Argentinean Brunch at La Boca Bar & Grill from 11am ($45 per adult, $20 per child under 12), a Mother’s Day Seafood Lunch at TG’s Restaurant from 12.30pm ($69 per adult, $35 per child under 12), and a Mother’s Day High Tea in the Boulevard Room from 2pm ($59 per person). More information about Stamford Plaza Mother’s Day events can be found here.

Stone Ground at Leonard’s Mill Restaurant – May 13

Step back in time at Leonard’s Mill Restaurant for Stone Ground, a three-course candlelit buffet dinner of 1880s fare celebrating the 2016 History Festival. Guests, who are encouraged to dress in a costume from the era, will enjoy a night of food, music and glimpses of performance from Sealand Theatre. The event starts at 5.30pm with the launch of Leonards Mill’s historic plaque at the start of the Second Valley Historical Walking Trail and a welcome glass of mulled wine; the dinner will then be hosted in the 1880s Wheat Shed with entertainment including live music by The Fiddle Chicks. Tickets are limited to 80 guests and cost $65 per head. For information and tickets, phone 8598 4184.

Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend – May 13 to 16

The annual Clare Valley Gourmet Weekend offers a variety of events highlighting the region’s food, wine and hospitality. As well as cluster events such as the Gourmet Hub and Clare Valley Cuisine’s Gourmet Market Day, there are ticketed culinary events and day-trip options, weekend packages and more. Mitchell Wines of Sevenhill and Terroir restaurant of Auburn are teaming up to host a breakfast picnic at the winery on Sunday, May 15, featuring grilled Moroccan-style merguez sausages with broccolini, mushrooms, baked beans and corn bread; haloumi with minted pea yoghurt and fattoush salad; crab and potato cakes with sourdough, smoked almond slaw and citrus creme fraiche; and two Riesling cocktails created with the help of Lotus Lounge. The Mitchell Wines breakfast picnic begins at 8.30am. Dishes are $12 each or $20 with a cocktail. Visit the Clare Valley Wine Facebook page for details.

Clare Valley vineyards in Autumn.

Howard Twelftree Memorial Stir – May 22

Mushrooms are the ingredient of choice for the seasonal South-West City community cooking competition at the Duke of Brunswick Hotel. Chef Cheong Liew will judge the autumn competition, which will take place at 12.30pm on May 22. Information and expressions of interest for entries can be directed to the hotel manager.

Waywood Wines Long Table Lunch Series #4 – May 28

Celebrate Aussie Wine Month with Waywood Wines at its McLaren Vale cellar door in May and enjoy a four-course banquet prepared by caterers Luscious Red, matched with a selection of Waywood’s favourite McLaren Vale Cabernets. Limited tickets are available at $120 per person. Bookings and more information here.

Sea & Vines – June 10 to 13

Now in its 24th year, the McLaren Vale Sea & Vines Festival celebrates the region’s culinary and wine traditions. Showcasing 25 wineries and 35 food and wine events over the June long weekend, this year’s festival includes highlights such as a five-course degustation dinner event with jazz virtuoso James Morrison; a dinner at Salopian Inn matched to wines selected by Matt Dunne, sommelier at Sydney’s Aria; a six-course long lunch at Serafino prepared by former MasterChef contestant Jessie Spiby and executive chef Sarah Contin; and a collection of seafood masterclasses led by Michael Angelakis and Michael Keelan. The full program can be found here.

Losing the plot – until June 26, 2015

Losing the Plot: food gardening in South Australia is a Migration Museum exhibition that is also featured on the Tasting Australia program. Losing the Plot explores the history of growing food in South Australia and 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. The exhibition is accompanied by a program of workshops and talks focussing on food gardening and the use of garden produce in preserving and cooking.

A school garden at Rowland Flat, 1945.

News, tips and information?

The Forager would love to hear about your news, events and suggestions. Please contact us at [email protected].