Savouring Australia’s vibrant food and wine culture

on 20/09/2013 at 9:00 am

Adelaide Central Market: host of the Savour welcome reception

I’ve been in Adelaide this week for Savour Australia, the biggest Australian wine forum ever staged. Though hosted by Wine Australia, it provided the perfect platform from which to launch Tourism Australia’s new food and wine focused campaign, “Restaurant Australia.”

Day 1: succulent fish & vibrant veg for 46 (tables that is) – chef Mark jensen, fishmonger John Susman

Where, said Andrew McEvoy (MD Tourism Australia), “the world is travelling on its belly,” it has become important to tell Australia’s food and wine story more powerfully. Good food, wine, local cuisine and produce was cited as the fourth most important factor when selecting a holiday destination in research conducted by Tourism Australia last year.

Adelaide Central market: mindblowing cheese selection - mostly but not exclusively European - see below

Adelaide Central market: mindblowing cheese selection – smelly ones mostly but not exclusively European – see below

Also because the same research suggests that Australia’s prawns on the barbie image is as out of step with reality as lingering stereo-types around its wine. Only 26 per cent of those who hadn’t visited Australia associate the country with good food and wine while 60 per cent of tourists who had visited ranked Australia second only to France. Quite a coup!

Oh yes, Australia does have unpasteurised cheese.

Readers of these pages are, I hope, well aware of Australia’s premium/fine wine capability despite the fact that so many of the country’s exciting wines don’t make it to our shores. I’ll be writing up my latest vinous finds soon in the hope that they might capture the imagination of some of our more adventurous importers. Fingers crossed! Meantime, the gallery of Australia’s vibrant food culture pics continues below.