Yesterday I headed to Ferment the Festival  on the last day of a weekend celebrating all things fermented. I’ve since read that the festival director, Kris Lloyd is very passionate about all things fermented.  Held in Rundle Park, in the city centre, it was focused on locally produced food, wine, beer and spirits. I read that one of the partners, I Choose SA focuses on celebrating businesses that are South Australian and educating people to buy South Australian which will support the local community and help the state’s economy. Having just moved here from Perth, it was wonderful to try and see so much local produce.  It turned out to be a very family friendly event and good to see lots of other parents with small children out and about enjoying the sunshine and produce on offer plus other non parents too!

The $30 ticket fee gave you entry to the venue plus an ISO tasting glass and plenty of space to walk around to the different stalls. Picnic areas were dotted around near the food, wine and beer stalls with bunting and fairy lights hanging from the stalls. There was a great selection of wine, beer and food stalls to try and spirits but I didn’t get round to the spirts…. Plus there was plenty of tasty food (loved the Nola South Fried Chicken with Tots) to buy and some cool chill out areas. Here are a few of the stalls I visited:

Coriole : I had heard good things of the wines made by Coriole in McLaren Vale so I headed over straight away and tried a very small sample of their Barbera, Nero, Fiano and their Dancing Fig MGS. They also had a Prosecco, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Merlot available to buy. I bought a bottle of their Barbera 2016 and it went very well with the pasta I ate later that evening. It was so well balanced, well integrated with depth and although drinking well now, I have no doubt it could age for at least 5 years. Fantastic at $30.

Deviation Road: I was familiar with these wines having tried a few while working at Swanbourne Cellars. And at the event, they were showcasing their 100% Pinot Noir Sparkling. It’s always wonderful to try a different style of sparkling wine, especially when it’s new to market. And I heard about all their fun events planned for the next few months, I’ll have to drop in and visit in the Adelaide Hills.

Locheilan Cheese: This is a small family owned dairy farm based in Central Victoria. They leave the calves to stay and live with their mothers well after birth, apparently quite unique; others are motherless from day one. I loved their cheese but the camembert in particular, it was incredible. $10 for a whole camembert which has a touch of funkiness to it and a lovely texture. It’s the tastiest soft cheese I’ve had here in Australia and the nearest in style to a French camembert. Leave it out of the fridge for about 10 minutes before serving, it is delectable!

Pikes: I had tasted a few of their Clare Valley wines while working for Swanbourne Cellars. They had a clean and crisp Riesling with good tight fruit structure and I enjoyed trying their slightly sweeter style at 24 g/L of residual sugar. I didn’t feel I could taste the whole range as we had our  two year old at the event. So with a long day ahead (with lively child) I thought better to focus on one wine and I bought one glass of the Traditionale. I reckon in a few years it would show some interesting characters with age. There was also a Pinot Grigio, Sangiovese Rosé and Shiraz Tempranillo on tasting.

Prancing Pony: I didn’t taste too many of the beers on the day but bought a pack of the Rusty Panzer which was delicious on a Monday night!

BrewBoys: I didn’t try many of their beers yesterday as I was eating and looking after child while hubby tasted but I did try their Grapefruit infused beer which was delicious but a bit dangerous at 8%! But everything in moderation!

Shingleback: I started doing the PR for this winery back in 2005 when I was working for a wine importer in the UK so I was very excited to try their wines and meet David and Joel on the day. Great guys and I loved their Kiss Me Kate Chardonnay so I bought one glass and enjoyed with some tasty food.

Thanks for a great festival! And a wonderful welcome to the city of Adelaide!

#IChooseSA

#IChooseSADay