2017 marks another year for the Southern Highlands Food and Wine Festival. Held in the picturesque grounds of the Corbett Gardens in Bowral, the tulips were out in full bloom creating a mirage of fuchsias, yellows and fire engine red petals as visitors meandered with a plate food and a plastic cup filled with the good stuff brought to life with the down to earth charm that makes the Southern Highlands a unique produce rich part of New South Wales.
This is an invaluable opportunity for the local producers to show off what they do best, with a bespoke collection of winemakers, brewers, picklers and cheese makers showing their wares.
Newcomers to the pickling game The Backyard Picklery provided a range of rustic and creative flavor jared combinations like orange and fennel and the crowd favourite bread and butter pickles. Really honing in on the old-school style of pickling, check out their site for their range of handcrafted delights.
La Bastide provided a taste of France with their speciality saucisson, perfect with a side of cornichons and a local glass of red. Their cones available for purchase on the days of the festival were a great snack to graze on.
Just out of town lies 30 acres of freshly grown raspberries and blackberries at Cuttaway Creek raspberry farm in Mittagong. The farm is well loved for producing an array of fresh preserves that not only capture the tarty, juicy flavours of the farm picked berries but other creations like rhubarb and ginger jam and three fruits marmalade.
From the cellar door, the locals definitely put the Southern Highlands on the wine map! Crowds flocked to the Artemis stand which served one of the regions best selling and award-winning pinot noirs, while next door the BEE Mead and Sunshack ciders were serving up refreshing drops of ginger, spiced apple and elderflower.
For the sustainable wine-lovers, Tractorless Vineyard is the place to go. Focusing on all natural and sustainable practices, the vineyard embraces old-world methods of production which looks at reducing the carbon footprint, and guided by Biodynamic principles. Their pinot gris is one of the most impressive white wines from the region.
It's a fun day and one which no food and wine lover should leave off their calendar with a wide spectrum of flavours to be sampled and insightful conversations to be had with the producers first hand. For more information about the Southern Highlands Food and Wine Association visit here
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