Three-day food and wine fest in Penang

More than 120 participants from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Malaysia have converged here to savour the island's famous cuisine, along with the world's finest wines.

Participants will be served a range of culinary delights, including nyonya and hawker food, which will be paired with fine wines, mainly from France, Australia, New Zealand and Germany. The wines are selected by Dr N.K. Yong of Singapore, one of Asia's foremost wine authorities.

Festival organising chairman Dick Yong said the IWFS of Penang had been given the honour of hosting the festival on behalf of the Asia-Pacific zone of the IWFS.

The society was founded by Andre Simon in London in 1933, when it was the world's only association of gastronomic enthusiasts.

Yong said the aim of the society was to promote understanding of both wine and food, appreciation and the nurturing of camaraderie among those who share the pleasures of the table.

"The IWFS has branches in over 30 countries, with about 3,000 members worldwide.

"For administrative purposes, it is divided into three zones, namely the Americas, Europe and Africa, and Asia- Pacific," Yong said, adding that in conjunction with the festival, the Asia-Pacific zone would also hold its first annual general meeting in Penang.