IGA Taste Great Southern, WA’s premier food and wine festival of the Great Southern region, is quickly approaching and there are lots of new foodie events to look forward this year!
Running from March 26 to April 5, IGA Taste Great Southern celebrates the amazing food, local produce and wine of the region, putting local restaurants and wineries in the spotlight. Offering over 30 unique culinary experiences, this year, several exciting new events will join the festival program, headlined by star chefs Julie Goodwin and Derek Lau. Here are five that are guaranteed to tempt your tastebuds!
Beef It Up
Owned and grown exclusively in the Great Southern region, Stirling Ranges Beef is renowned for its quality. This year, it will be up for tasting at Beef It Up at Due South, a picturesque restaurant sitting on Albany’s Princess Royal Harbour. Food will be cooked by Due South’s resident chef Nic Lancaster and 2019
Masterchef favourite Derek Lau, with complementing wines for each course from The Lake House Denmark and Plantagenet Wines. To top it off, attendees will be treated to an evening of stories from Lau and TV presenter Paul West about food, beef and local produce.
Details
Date: Friday April 3rd
Time: 6.00pm to 10.00pm
Venue: Due South, 6 Toll Place, Albany WA 6330
Tickets: $120 or $125 at the door
Get tickets HERE
Grandeur
With a focus on entertainment, Grandeur is one of Taste Great Southern’s most unique new offerings. Along with a night of fire-roasted food at the rustic Phillips Brook Estate, patrons will be treated to live entertainment from local musicians Lil Miss Squeeze and The Piano Man. To wash it all down, there will be wines on offer from Great Southern winemakers Freehand Wines and Bunn Vineyard, as well as a selection of gin and whiskey from the house bar.
Details
Date: Friday March 27th
Time: 6.00pm to 10.00pm
Venue: Phillips Brook Estate
Lot 118 Redmond Hay River Road, Albany WA 6327
Tickets: $160
Get tickets HERE
Elements: Fire, Earth & Wine
Showcasing the potent combination of earth, wine and fire, Elements is a collaboration between Garrison Restaurant, Manuka Woodfire Kitchen and Cherubino Wines. Featuring a four course lunch cooked with Great Southern produce, Garrison’s John Saville Wright and Manuka’s Kenny McHardy will be preparing the food in McHardy’s very own woodfire oven. Prepare to wash it down with some fabulous vintages from Cherubino Wines!
Details
Date: Saturday April 4th
Time: 11.30am to 3.30pm
Venue: Garrison Albany, 7 Forts Rd, Mount Clarence WA 6330
Tickets: $165
Get tickets HERE
Feast on the Harbour with Russell Blaikie
Looking for a room with a view? Look no further; Albany Entertainment Centre’s aptly named View Restaurant provides the perfect setting for Feast on the Harbour, overlooking the idyllic Princess Royal Harbour. Must Winebar’s Russell Blaikie takes over chef duties for the night, with his affinity for French bistro cuisine and local produce taking centre stage. With a premier selection of Wignalls Wines on offer, Feast on the Harbour is guaranteed to be a spectacular evening.
Details
Date: Saturday March 28th
Time: 6.00pm to 10.00pm
Venue: View Restaurant, Albany Entertainment Centre, 2 Toll Place, Albany WA 6330
Tickets: $100 or $110 at the door
Get tickets HERE
Wine and Swine
A degustation experience like no other, join powerhouse chefs Amy Hamilton, Melissa Palinkas and Gord Kahle for six delicious courses which celebrate the rich, seasonal produce of the region. Each course will be matched with a Great Southern wine and a song played by a live band.
Details
Date: Monday March 30th
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Venue: Liberté, 162 Stirling Terrace, Albany WA 6330
Tickets: $160
Get tickets HERE
Sandalwood Nut High Tea
Sandalwood nuts are a particularly unique food native to WA and the Mount Romance Sandalwood Factory’s high tea is a prime opportunity to try this unusual local ingredient for yourself. All high tea attendees will be treated to High Tea treats that showcase Sandalwood nuts in both in sweet and savoury settings, as well as an array of wines from the award-winning Waste Cape Howe winery and Sandalwood nuts and recipes for the road, just in case culinary inspiration strikes.
Details
Date: Sunday March 29th
Time: 2.30pm to 4.30pm
Venue: Mount Romance Albany Sandalwood Factory, 2 Down Rd, Albany WA 6330
Tickets: $45
Get tickets HERE
Make a Toast
A well-kneaded addition to this year’s program (pun intended), Make a Toast gives you the chance to make your very own Tartine, a French open sandwich that shows off the quality of the toppings added. Participants will have an incredible assortment of gourmet pastries and breads from the locally revered Bredco Micro Bakery, with their sourdough varieties set to be a real highlight. Watch out for some top notch cheeses and tapas to match and cocktails on arrival.
Details
Date: Wednesday April 1st
Time: 6.00pm to 9.00pm
Venue: 131 York Street, Albany WA 6330
Tickets: $70
Get tickets HERE