Since 1997, Tasting Australia has been championing South Australia‘s extraordinary food and wine offering to the world. Adelaide – Australia’s official wine capital – comes to life each year as people trail in and out of hole-in-the-wall bars, unbuckle their belts for a full-day degustation, or board a plane for a day to night luxury experience like no other. Between April 29 and May 8, 2022 the heart of our city – Victoria Square/ Tarntanyangga – will be transformed into a foodie haven, hosting homages to some of the world’s best chefs and our most famous wines. South Australia is known for its accessible provenance and bountiful produce and we have attracted some of the best talents and trailblazers in the culinary scene to our shores, all desperate to work with our locally grown ingrediants. Hungry yet? whet your appetite with our top picks of the best events at Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel 2022.
1. Tasting Australia Airlines, Coffin Bay, Coober Pedy and Flinders Ranges
A gourmet festival with its own airline? Welcome aboard. In 2022, Tasting Australia is jetting guests to some of South Australia’s most curious destinations for the ultimate tasting odyssey. Looking for a personal audience with event patron and culinary star Simon Bryant? This intimate experience will have you buckling up alongside the chef as you jet to the Flinders Ranges to discover the ochre red sands and diverse flavours of the outback. Together with Bryant, guests will get an all-access luxury tour with visits to Flinders Food Co, Rawnsley Park Station, Brachina Gorge and Prairie Hotel. Tasting Australia airlines is also ferrying passengers to the quirky desert town of Coober Pedy for an overnight culinary journey – both above and below ground. Looking for a hint of sea breeze? Tasting Australia fly direct to Coffin Bay. Start your morning in Adelaide and by lunchtime, you will be rubbing shoulders with industry-leading chefs – including Jake Kellie who has worked under the likes of Heston Blumenthal and Matt Moran – while marveling at the azure blue waters of the Eyre Peninsula.
2. Great Shiraz Dinner, Town Square Kitchen
A little closer to home is the ultimate celebration of one of South Australia’s most famed drops – shiraz. A full-bodied, fragrant and textural wine – regions like the Barossa, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley have been producing award-winning shiraz for years. So it’s no surprise that Australia’s wine capital is playing host to the ultimate dedication to shiraz – the Great Shiraz Dinner. This homage will be helmed by Burnt Ends chef Dave Pynt, paddock to plate trailblazer Annie Smithers, Japanese fusion extraordinaire Hideki Li and Maxwell Wines head chef Fabian Lehmann.
3. Seasonal Sojourn, Adelaide Hills
The Adelaide Hills is ablaze with a patchwork of orange, reds and greens come Autumn time – making it the perfect place for a seasonal sojourn that celebrates fresh produce, culture and the surrounding environment. Embark on a tour of biodynamic farm Ngeringa before being treated to a musical performance at the UKARIA Cultural Centre. After an enriching day settle in for a three-course menu curated by Lot 100’s Shannon Fleming, Three Blue Ducks chef and festival co-director Darren Robertson and pastry chef Lauren Eldridge.
4. Wasted, Town Square Kitchen
Wasted is a celebrating of what Tasting Australia does best – bringing together global culinary talents to delight and surprise. Looking for a truly unique, one-off menu curated by some of the world’s most talented chefs? It’s time to get wasted. The Salopian Inn‘s Karena Armstrong, who is also a festival co-director at this year’s event will work together with Ben Devlin of Pipit fame and Sol Rooftop Restaurant and Bar‘s Kane Pollard to dish out a four course feast with minimal food waste.
5. Kingsford The Experience, Barossa Valley
Kingsford The Experience marries oppulance and exclusivity. Peak behind the curtain of one of South Australia‘s most luxurious retreats while Sydney star Peter Gilmore takes care of your taste buds. Gilmore has been showered with three chef hats for 18 consecutive years, making him a legend of the culinary game and will work alongside Beach Byron Bay head chef Alanna Sapwell to create a menu for punters decorated with regional produce. Why not make a weekend of it? There is an option to upgrade your long lunch for an even longer stay – with the festivities kicking off on the Friday followed by an intimate dinner inside the homestead cellar, with a Saturday long lunch and nights spent enjoying the newly refurbished suites at Kingsford The Barossa.
6. Legends Dinners, Town Square Kitchen
There are few names that carry more weight in a kitchen than that of Cheong Liew and Maggie Beer. Both are certifiable legends of the Australian food scene, with Liew even honoured with an Order of Australia for his service to the industry and role in shaping what we know as contemporary Australian cuisine. Liew is coming back to where his illustrious career began – right here in Adelaide. The ‘father of Australian cooking’ had his first shift in a kitchen working at Adelaide greek haunt The Illiad before coming into his own heading up The Grange at the Hilton Adelaide kitchen. Working alongside Adam Liston of Shobosho fame and chef’s Louis Tikaram and Amy Hamilton, Liew will be dishing up a four course collaboration that is a true bucket list experience for any foodie. Maggie Beer – a South Australian icon whose name is now a pantry essential – will also be honoured by the Legends Dinners series, with chef’s Sharon Flynn, David Swain (Fino Vino), Emma McCaskill (Tasting Australia food curator) cooking up a homage to Beer’s unique farm fresh flare and love of the Barossa.
7. Behind the bar
Thirsty? Come behind the bar with five of Adelaide’s most bustling jaunts and learn the art of mixology. Each session will showcase the most inventive pours thought up by the bartenders behind Maybe Mae, Clever Little Tailor, Pink Moon Saloon, Hains and Co and 2KW. One will even feature a winning tipple from the 2021 Tasting Australia Spirit Awards presented by Master Cask, while the other we’ll leave a mystery for now.
8. Chae at Murdoch Hill, Adelaide Hills
Ever heard of an artist in residence program? Consider this the foodie version. Chef Jung Eun Chae is taking over Murdoch Hill Wines for the Tasting Australia festivities, crafting a five-course ferment-focused degustation. Chae worked in South Korea alongside Chef’s Table star Jeong Kwan, before opening her Australian restaurant inside her one-bedroom apartment in Brunswick. That one-bedroom dining space will be transported to a new and larger venue in Melbourne soon and the waitlist is already thousands long. Chae will try to capture the ambiance and authenticity of her Brunswick apartment by serving only six diners at a time – making for one of the most intimate dining experiences on the Tasting Australia calendar.
9. Masterclasses, Town Square
Tasting Australia is not only for the palate, there are also plenty of opportunities to expand your mind. Sit in on a masterclass and learn more about the complex and rich world of wine, beer and spirit making. Who better to learn from than some of the leading talents in the beverage industry? Hosted inside the University of Adelaide Masterclass Pavillion, punters will walk away with a story behind every drop consumed.
10. The Tasting Table
Looking for a way to join in on the festivities without having to fully immerse yourself? Then The Tasting Table is the ticket for you. The Tasting Table is a series of intimate tastings dotted across Adelaide that sees a guest presenter take you through a rare series of wines that you may not have otherwise had the chance to discover, from legends of the game to low intervention producers.
What you need to know
- Check before you book if the experience you are interested in caters to dietary requirements. As some of the menus use regional produce and take months of careful planning, many dishes are not adaptable for particular dietary requirements.
- In response to COVID-19, many of the events at the 2022 festival are requiring patrons to be fully vaccinated against the virus to attend. Please consult the individual event listings to confirm the health requirements for attendance. For more information on COVID-19 in South Australia, please consult our COVID-19 hub.
The feast continues in Adelaide…
Continue your gastronomic adventure at one of Adelaide’s best restaurants. From boundary-pushing Japanese to Napoli-style pizzerias, South African-inspired diners and Australia’s official best restaurant, check out our guide to the best places to eat and drink in Adelaide or delve deeper and discover why Adelaide is one of the great foodie cities.
