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| Tasting Australia |
| Radhika Puar and Rajiv Singhal |
| Tasting Australia 2017 – a weeklong celebration of South Australian premium produce – was domiciled in Town Square in Adelaide. The Tasting Australia festival has a history of two decades and this year marked a spread of events in this epicurean journey that were spread over the famed countryside and wine regions across the state. |
| The Great Wine Voyage was organised at the Annual Tasting Australia festival in downtown Adelaide, so that vinos could taste "blind" South Australia's characteristic expressions against its acclaimed global counterparts and appreciate why Adelaide ranked alongside the world's best wine regions. |
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The festival setting |
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| Team vino india fell for this bait and joined international media to soak in the best South Australian food and drink. |
| A traffic island in bustling downtown Adelaide had been converted into a grand festival setting with various stalls offering barbeques with various meats including kangaroo, freshly shucked oysters, and produce from the famed Kangaroo Island. The cacophony of the vehicles, the tram and emergency services was drowned in the bonhomie that the place exuded. |
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Open air spaces |
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| The Glasshouse Kitchens seated diners at chef tables where the famed culinary masterminds took residence. The open air spaces were designed for the family with lots to enjoy for all. The success of something like this means long queues for almost everything – we were told that we were jostling for space among 3000 people (large by the standards in any country besides India) – the wood fired roasted chicken was so tender and so flavourful that it was well worth its wait.
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| Because of its extremely delicate ecology, Kangaroo Island has even tighter quarantine restrictions than the Australian mainland (which are some of the tightest experienced around the globe), but some very interesting products originate here – organic honey in very unusual flavours, such as “cup gum”, “sugar gum”, “coastal flora”, and “spring flora” which were delightful to taste – Justin Harman and his lovely wife guided us through the nuances – fascinating.
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Kangaroo Island |
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| Diverse wines from across the region were seen, and a wine program of insightful masterclasses and tastings were curated specifically to encourage exploration, to broaden horizons at the same time as drilling down into the details. Eastend Cellars had put together the fascinating masterclass showcasing a rare vertical of the Penfolds St Henri – “the little brother of Grange”. |
| The 1965, 1975, 1982, 1986, 2008, 2013 vintage of the claret style wine were commented by Jamie Sachs, Wine Ambassador of Penfolds.
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| The Saltram Underground Tour with the chef’s choice feast was a highlight of the Barossa. Unravelling the historic secrets of a pioneering wine making establishment in this part of the world, the special tawny tasting in the underground cellar stocked with some spectacularly rare labels (sadly in no condition to be consumed) became even more special when spooked by the friendly resident ghosts.
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| The Government of South Australia with its new campaign “I choose SA” was a proud partner, as were Le Cordon Bleu South Australia, Penfolds, Singapore Airlines, The Hilton Adelaide and many other businesses and agencies that came together to put South Australia firmly in the international spotlight as a go to destination for world-class culinary experiences and cementing Adelaide’s reputation as the nation’s food and wine capital.
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| Radhika Puar and Rajiv Singhal flew into Adelaide, where they were guests at this gastronomic extravaganza. |
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