If Melbourne celebrates food and wine year round, then the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is like a two-week explosion of flavour, aroma and indulgence.
From February 22 until March 8, the city will be abuzz with fervour for all things culinary.
The festival inevitably combines a passion for food and wine with a celebration of what makes Melbourne unique, but this link is more pronounced this year.
"The city's laneways and rooftops, its art and architecture, the river - and all the global cultures that have come together here - will serve as a distinct backdrop to a celebration of food and wine," says chief executive Natalie O'Brien.
With more than 220 events statewide, it will be our largest festival ever. And the world, once again, is coming to join the party.
In masterclass sessions, held at the Langham Hotel at Southbank, some of the globe's finest chefs and winemakers will share their secrets, while revolutionary thinkers from abroad will do their utmost to make us question the culinary status quo.
Gilles Choukroun, one of France's hottest young chefs, will discuss how tradition need only be a base from which to launch into the exciting unknown. At the other end of the spectrum, Michel Roux, the godfather of British gastronomy, author of countless cookbooks and earner of an unprecedented number of Michelin stars, will hold audiences spellbound as he demonstrates how to make the perfect souffle.
Each masterclass presenter will also step out from behind the microphone to don aprons in restaurants around town, creating dinners with some of Melbourne and Australia's finest chefs.
One particularly indulgent night will be the My Last Supper event, held at the Melbourne Meat Market. A group of leading overseas and local chefs will prepare the dishes they would choose to eat at the last meal of their lives. Predinner cocktails will kickstart the mood and Victorian wines will be matched with the food.
The festival is not all about decadent and expensive feasts, though. O'Brien points out that there is a selection of price ranges (and some free gigs, such as the Taste of Slow Spoken Word series) and events designed to appeal to all tastes and ages.
"There's been a real effort to make it possible for families to attend this year," she says. "Things like traditional Ukrainian egg painting sessions, gnocchi classes for kids and mud pie classes should all appeal to children."
Art and food will meet and the champagne will flow freely.
Back of House is an exhibition of Melbourne artist Jeff Martin's paintings of restaurant kitchens in action. Martin captured the dynamism of the kitchens of Vue de Monde, Jacques Reymond and Ezard; iconic establishments. His paintings will exhibit at Gould Galleries in South Yarra.
The slow food philosophy will take centre stage on the weekend of February 23-24 with A Taste of Slow. An interactive marketplace at Federation Square will showcase Victorian and interstate produce, from microbrewed beer to cheese, while a gala dinner at Tjanabi restaurant will celebrate bush tucker and indigenous culture.
Slow Food associations (known as convivia) around the state are also organising a number of events in regional areas. From the lushness of Gippsland to the dusty flatlands in the north of the state, these events will highlight the unique and diverse produce and talented producers in each region.
Many regions will host their own World's Longest Lunch event, the outdoor feast launched at the first festival 16 years ago. There will be 25 lunches held around the state, involving more than 5000 people, including one at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne where 1250 people are expected to don race-day finery and dine at tables running the length of the straight.
Another event celebrating Australia's love for outdoor cooking and eating is the Great Aussie BBQ.
Barbecues will be set up on the riverbank next to Federation Square and local chefs will cook up fare ranging from the humble snag to more elaborate offerings featuring everything from vegetarian produce to seafood.
Alfresco dining will also be on the menu in George Parade, the laneway that accommodates restaurants Fifteen, Il Solito Posto, Italy 1 and the Grand Hyatt Melbourne. Here, on two nights this month, diners will sit under the stars and watch the cult foodie movie Big Night while the kitchens of these four restaurants will recreate dishes from the movie.
The event, called Big Night in Little Italy, brings together in one place a number of themes related to the way the festival aims to celebrate this city's food and wine culture.
Melbourne's laneways. Dining outdoors. Friendship, fellowship and good cheer. A foreign culture's positive influence on Melbourne.
And, most importantly, fine food and wine.
It's time to celebrate how lucky we are.
From melbournefoodandwine
