Event: Southgate Fiesta - Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (plus wine tasting tips by wine curator, Lyn Gent)

Southgate will be kicking off the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival with a day of food, wine and music! Be part of a riverside food and wine celebration in the heart of Melbourne at the Southgate Fiesta.

From 12noon – 6pm, discover delicious tasting dishes at Southgate’s participating restaurants, inspired by the festival theme of water. Purchase a tasting plate for only $15, and receive a complimentary wine tasting voucher* to enter the boutique winery area on the promenade from 3pm – 8pm.

Up to twelve boutique Australian wineries will be showcased on the Southgate promenade, offering wine tasting from 3pm – 8pm**, as the sun sets over the magnificent city skyline.

There will be free wine education sessions throughout the afternoon on Southgate’s upper level, as well as musical entertainment on the promenade.

As evening settles in, head up to the Southgate Cinema from 8pm and enjoy free foodie screenings, providing a magnificent and festive backdrop to celebrate the best of Melbourne’s food and wine. Southgate Fiesta will be held on Saturday 1 March 2014 from 12pm – 8pm as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

*Wine tasting vouchers are limited to one voucher per person per tasting plate. Patrons must be 18 years of age or older to enter the wine tasting area.

**Last entry into wine-tasting is at 6.30pm.

Date: Saturday 1 March

Time: 12:00pm-8:00pm

Where: Southgate restaurant and shopping precinct

What: Tasting plates at Southgate restaurants, boutique winery tastings, wine education sessions. Music on the promenade and a foodie film screenings at Southgate Cinema from 8pm.

Cost: $15 tasting plates are inclusive of a wine tasting voucher to taste wines from some of Australia’s celebrated boutique wineries and meet the wine makers. Wine education sessions and the Southgate Cinema foodie films are both free.

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Five Tips on how to taste wine and not alienate people

by Lyn Gent, Southgate Fiesta wine educator, trained sommelier and food technologist. 

1. There is no need to hold your glass on an angle when being served wine. It won't make any difference to the amount of 'head' your wine 'won’t' get.
2. Hold your glass like a normal person, by the stem. You can hold the base between your thumb and index finger, but it's easier to wear a badge that says, "I really want you to think I'm a wine expert."
3. We all like to swirl and sniff before tasting. Drawing the aromatics up into our olfactory bulb. We only have one, and both nostrils lead to it, so put your whole nose into the glass, not one nostril at a time.
4. A little bit of knowledge is a good thing or can make you sound pretentious. Be judicious with your " fluttering of Damson plum with a whimsical hint of smoked pomegranate essence."Don't judge people who love cheap wine, they're probably happier and richer than you.

Find more information on the Southgate Fiesta here!

To enjoy the amazing wine tours Perth has to offer visit  http://www.dvinetours.com.au/ just 25 minutes from the city centre.