McLaren Vale’s Spring Affair – October 6

The Spring Affair festival is described as a “roaming tour of six iconic McLaren Vale wineries”: Coriole, Mollydooker, Maxwell, Paxton, Penny’s Hill and Serafino. With bookings available for two or three-hour sessions at each winery, there will be food trucks (Pizzateca, Sooki LaLa, Japanese pancake makers Okonomiyaki and more), live music and DJs, SA beers and spirits – and, of course, plenty of wine. Read more or book your tickets here.

Southern Spring Fling – October 6

Over at Chateau Yaldara at Lyndoch, seven southern Barossa producers are throwing their own long weekend Spring Fling. The afternoon of wine, food and tunes on the lawns is jointly hosted with Barossa Boy Wines, Cimicky Wines, God’s Hill Wines, Hemera Cellar Door, Ministry of Beer and Schild Estate, with food by Hermann’s Restaurant and Sugar Coated Cakes. Entry is free and it’s on from 12-7pm.

Taste of the Best – October 4

More than 2600 local and national new-release vintages and award-winning wines will be available for tasting at this showcase of wines entered into the Royal Adelaide Wine Show competition. To be held at the Adelaide Showgrounds’ Wayville Pavilion from 6-8.30pm on Friday, Taste of the Best will feature wines from 376 exhibitors, including independent winemakers. Tickets ($70) include a tasting glass to take home and cocktail food.

Maybe Mae Gin Party – October 6

Peel Street cocktail bar Maybe Mae is hosting an “all-Australian gin showdown” with bartenders Ollie Margan, Nathan Beasley, James Irvine and Darren Leaney. Each bartender will pair with a different Australian gin brand (Never Never, Applewood, Four Pillars and Melbourne Gin Company), presenting both a “signature” and “sensible” serve. “If you love gin and Seinfeld, this is where you want to spend Sunday,” promises the bar. The gin slingin’ begins at 6pm.

Lot.Oberfest – October 5-6

Lot 100 at Nairne is celebrating the long weekend by transforming its brewery shed into a “giant Octoberfest-like beer hall” on the Saturday and Sunday, with long bench tables, Mismatch beers and Adelaide Hills Cider by the stein glass, German-style food from a firepit and live music. Tickets (here) are $35.

Paella Public at Longview – October 7

Head to the Hills to indulge in paella and other Spanish delights with Longview Vineyard and La Dolce Vita’s Paella Public Spring Edition. For $45 (plus booking fee) you get a glass of wine and lunch of paella with chicken, pork and fennel sausage, Spencer Gulf prawns, pork belly, chorizo and spring vegetables. Vegan and vegetarian options will be available, plus a kids’ menu and extras such as churros and a sharing tapas plate.

Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations – throughout October

Taking place throughout October, Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations will present more than 60 events designed to showcase the region’s signature red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon. Ticketed highlights include The Family Feast (October 12), a progressive lunch with Coonawarra wine families Redman, DiGiorgio and Zema; a “5 X 5” winemakers’ degustation dinner (October 19) at Pipers of Penola, and a degustation dinner (October 19) in the historic Stables building at Katnook Estate winery. See the full program here.

Wine in the Vines – October 12

Patritti Wines is hosting a free community event with wine, food trucks and music at the Marion Vineyard – “the world’s oldest commercially producing urban vineyard”. Wine in the Vines will take place from 3pm until 8pm, with visitors invited to enjoy the 2015 vintage Patritti Marion Vineyard Grenache Shiraz as well as other premium releases and craft beers from Shifty Lizard Brewing. Entry is via Western Avenue, Park Holme, and you’re invited to BYO chair or picnic rug. (Read more about the historic Marion Vineyard here.)

2KW Oyster and Seafood Festival – October 13

It used to be the oyster festival, but 2KW Bar & Restaurant is expanding its focus this year to include not just bottomless oysters but also a range of seafood including canapès, paella and whole fish, all matched to still and sparkling wines from Deviation Road Winery. Tickets for the three-hour lunchtime Oyster and Seafood Festival are $99.

Lucky Dumpling Market – October 17 – November 3

With the OzAsia Festival kicking off this month, the Lucky Dumpling Market will also be popping up on the Adelaide Riverbank. Expect an array of Asian foods, including barbecue, curries, stir-fries, noodles, dumplings and desserts, as well as Vietnamese iced coffee, bubble tea, Japanese sake, beer and SA wines. Lucky Dumpling Market is on the Convention Centre Lawns, just west of the Oval footbridge, from 4.30pm Tuesday to Friday, and from midday till late on Saturday and Sunday.

Australian Gin Showcase – October 18

More than 30 Australian gins will be available for the tasting at this showcase at the Arkaba Hotel. Tickets for the 7-9pm event are $30 (including unlimited tastings), and you’ll also have the opportunity to learn more about local distilleries, as well as voting for your crowd favourite gin.

Charles Heidsieck dinner at Shiki – October 24

Shiki Japanese Restaurant in the InterContinental Adelaide is presenting a six-course $180pp degustation dinner paired with Champagnes by Charles Heidsieck. The menu by chef de cuisine Kenny Trinh will include a sashimi selection, scallops, lobster tail, Teppanyaki Atlantic salmon, Fried Udon noodles with Clare Valley chicken leg fillet, and a dark chocolate, raspberry and coconut mousse dome for dessert.

Oddio spring and summer events – October/November

After hibernating over winter, Bowden winery and “winery bar” Oddio has released a line-up of planned opening dates for the coming months, starting with the weekend of October 25-27 when La Popular Taqueria will be on site serving its popular tacos. There will also be plenty happening next month, with opening hours from November 8-10 (food by Syrian Mobile Disco), a ticketed long-table dinner on November 21 with La Popular Taqueria, and “pizza and good times” with Sunny’s Pizza on November 24. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for more details.

CheeseFest&FERMENT – October 26-27

This two-day showcase of all things cheesy and fermented in Rymill Park will feature more than 100 food and drink stalls, masterclasses and cooking demonstrations, bars, and new Italian, Spanish and French quarters celebrating international cheese, wine and produce. The festival has just released details of a series of wine masterclasses, curated by East End Cellars and featuring wines from around the world, plus a gin masterclass with the founders of Kangaroo Island Spirits. See the website for more information.

Eldredge Wines Vineyard Long Lunch – October 26

Located in the picturesque Spring Gully in the Clare Valley, Eldredge Wines is celebrating spring with a three-course lunch (catered by Sprout) with winemaker Leigh Eldredge. Guests will be greeted with sparkling Riesling and roving canapes on the lawns before enjoying the main course and dessert at a long table in the vineyard. Tickets (here) are $85, with the menu to be released nearer the time.

Champagne Fest – October 27

Pitched as a day of pure indulgence, the National Wine Centre’s Champagne Fest will include more than 40 different Champagnes, plus sparkling wines from Australia, America and Europe. There will also be fresh seafood and other “festival food” stations, and live entertainment. The event will run from 11am until 5pm, with entry tickets costing $25 in advance or $30 on the day (wine tastings from $2 each).

News, tips and information?

Please send details of any upcoming food and/or drink events to: [email protected].