As we entered the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre for the Good Food and Wine Show I didn’t know where to start, there were so many stalls. With our complimentary tasting glasses in hand, it was time to start sampling.
Maps are provided, setting out all the different stalls but we thought we would be a bit adventurous and make our way around, allowing the sights and smells to draw us in.
Alcohol tasting was first-up. The show isn’t just about wine there are many other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Gins, liqueurs, whiskies and kombucha drinks of all different flavours, even Vodka Iced Tea. I think I must have tried all the different liqueur flavours from Cello, in the end, the lemon and amaretto liqueurs were the winners.
As for the wines, there was one large aisle devoted to the Barossa Valley wines. A big drawcard to South Australia for wine lovers.
For those wanting to dial the experience up a notch, there are the Tasting Rooms where for $34 you join a small group of up to 14 people for an interactive guided tasting with a Wine Selectors wine expert.
If you have never flown business class but wanted to know what the food is like, you could purchase a VIP ticket to the Singapore Airlines VIP Lounge. The food and beverages are inspired by the First and Business Class in-flight experience. The VIP service includes 5 alcoholic beverages, a lunch prepared by award-winning chef, Andrew Ballard and a special take-home gift.
Back to the general entrants, there are still so many stalls to experience that you won’t be disappointed. One of the most popular stalls was the prawns on the stick which were selling 2 sticks for $10.
Smelly Cheese Co was also popular with their delicious, melted cheeses.
The Harvey Norman Kitchen delivered an impressive line-up of chefs and culinary icons. You could learn how to make Flamenca Eggs with Miguel Maestre and soup dumplings with Brendan Pang.
I thought it particularly clever having Australia Post setup in the corner (and no they were not handing out any free stamps or envelopes) it was for those who perhaps bought more than what they intended and rather than lugging all the purchases around they can head to the Pick Pack station and have the wines posted.
I have been to the Good Food and Wine show a few times throughout the years. Unfortunately, one of the setbacks I found about this year’s show was the closing time. I found it odd that the show’s starting time and closing time for Friday and Saturday were 10am to 5pm. I thought 5pm was far too early to end such an event. I’ve been to the show in the past on a Friday night and I loved it. It was something to look forward to after work. Likewise, I think the show would be popular on a Saturday night given that alcohol is a big part of the show. Hopefully they might reconsider the closing times in the future.
To book tickets to Good Food & Wine Show – Perth, please visit https://goodfoodshow.com.au/.
