Tasting Australia is a

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

n wine and food festival held in the capital city of

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. It was first held in 1997 and managed by Marina Libia and event management company Consuming Passions, run by

Ian Parmenter Ian Richard Parmenter OAM is an English-born (b.1945) Australian media professional and author with a half-century experience in newspapers, magazines, television and radio. He presented 450 five-minute programs of the cookery show ''Consuming Pa ...

and David Evans. Each year the event attracts more than 200 national and international journalists and around 50,000 visitors.

History

The 2014 event hosted over 80 ticketed and free events throughout South Australia. The festival has been held biennially for 15 years and became annual from the 2016 event which was held from Sunday 1 May to Sunday 8 May 2016. Due to government prohibitions on large crowds because of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...

, in 2020 the event was postponed to October/November, then cancelled. In 2021 Tasting Australia is scheduled to be held from 30 April - 9 May 2021.

Creative directors

In February 2015, South Australian Minister for Tourism Leon Bignell announced the two Creative Directors and Event Patron for the 2016 Tasting Australia event.

Simon Bryant

Simon Bryant is one of two Creative Directors for Tasting Australia. Bryant worked with the Hilton Adelaide for more than ten years, culminating in becoming executive chef. He has worked alongside South Australian cook

Maggie Beer Maggie Beer (born Margaret Anne Ackerman, 19 January 1945) is an Australian chef, food author, restaurateur, and food manufacturer. Beer is one of the judges on '' The Great Australian Bake Off'' alongside Matt Moran and is also a regular gues ...

, co-hosting more than 150 episodes of

The Cook and the Chef ''The Cook and the Chef'' is an Australian television series featuring cook Maggie Beer and chef Simon Bryant. ''The Cook and the Chef'' was screened on ABC1 and was filmed in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, with the first episode goin ...

on the ABC.

Paul Henry

Paul Henry is a wine writer and

marketer Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

, and one of two Creative Directors of Tasting Australia. Henry established Winehero Australia in January 2011, a company specialising in strategic planning, brand development and communication, where he acts as a director.

Maggie Beer

has been a Patron for Tasting Australia. Beer has appeared as a guest judge on '' MasterChef Australia'' and runs Maggie Beer's Farm Shop in the

Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley (Barossa German: ''Barossa Tal'') is a valley in South Australia located northeast of Adelaide city centre. The valley is formed by the North Para River. It is notable as a major wine-producing region and tourist destina ...

with a range of products sold throughout Australia and overseas. Beer was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for service to Australian society through cooking and writing, and was named Senior Australian of the Year in 2010. In the Australia Day Honours of 2012, Beer was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

(AM) "for service to the tourism and hospitality industries as a cook, restaurateur and author, and to the promotion of Australian produce and cuisine."

Cheong Liew

Cheong Liew took over from foodie Maggie Beer as Patron of Tasting Australia. Liew moved from Malaysia to Australia in 1969. He received his first critical acclaim for his Adelaide based restaurant Neddy’s. However, he is probably best known for his restaurant The Grange, which opened in the Adelaide Hilton Hotel in 1995 and closed in 2009.

Darren Robertson

Darren Robertson is a chef, owner of Three Blue Ducks in Bronte, at first, and now Three Blue Ducks on The Farm at Byron Bay. Robertson has previously been a visiting chef at Tasting Australia but joins for the first time as 'Food Curator' in 2021.

Nick Stock

Nick Stock is one of Australia's most respected and prolific wine critics. His involvement in wine stretches beyond wine-writing to show-judging, educating, broadcasting and winemaking.

References

External links

* Tasting Australia
Tasting Australia
at TravelLady Magazine
Consuming Passions website
with Ian Parmenter in ABC's ''

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

'' {{Adelaide Festivals Festivals in Adelaide