A weekend of good food and wine

I have never attended the Good Food and Wine Show before, so I was unsure of what to expect. The Northgate Ticketpro Dome was transformed into a taste bonanza and the best part was that it was fun for the entire family.

Stalls lined the entire hallway, offering tastes of breads, sweets, meats and of course copious amounts of alcohol. My excitement grew when I noted all of the gin stalls. So after purchasing my very own Good Food and Wine glass, I headed over to sip on various brands of gin. My favourite of all of them would have to be the Ginologist which offered a full tasting and in-depth discussion about the botanicals, garnishes and even a little food pairing. http://www.ginologist.co.za/

My very own Good Food and Wine glass

Ginologist gin came out as my favorite at the show

From there, we wandered around and came across various interactive theatres. I was intrigued by the cocktail making of course but another noteworthy setup was the Mnet Theatre where J'Something, front man of local band Mi Casa, took lucky participants through a quick cooking competition. In the end, everyone was a winner in their own right, when they got to feast on their own delicious creations.

Apart from being an alcohol lover, I quite enjoy baking so walking through the variety of decorated cakes was astounding. The giant T-Rex cake towered over everyone and was quite a sight to behold.

Beautifully decorated cakes

The Giant T-Rex cake was amazing

Upon a happy accident, I stumbled across Eureka Mills, http://www.eurekamills.co.za/. Artisanal stone-ground flour millers who add no heat to their flour, meaning that it is alive, natural and a more wholesome flour that has a longer shelf-life that I have no doubt will yield amazing results. I will be giving my own bread making skills a bash at a later stage so keep an eye out for that.

Some wholesome bread made using stone-milled flour

Of course the wine was magical. I lost count of the number of vineyards in attendance and not just because I was sampling their wares. There were also interactive displays on how to become a wine and gin expert. Drinking and learning, what more could you ask for?

By sniffing gins and wines, you could learn a little more about them at this interactive display

Renowned chef Marco Pierre White arrived in the evening and put on an incredible show, as did the long list of local celebrity chefs. Ranging through Sarah Graham to Jan Hendrik VD Westhuizen- the first South African chef to get a Michelin star as well as noteworthy local sommeliers, the guest list was power packed, offering something for everyone.

Even though the Joburg and Cape Town shows are now over, the Good Food and Wine Show continues on in our memories, on social media and of course of their website where they will be selling tickets for the October Durban show at a later stage. http://www.goodfoodandwineshow.co.za/

Thank you Marvello and Mill for this experience, I had a wonderful time tasting and experiencing at the Good Food and Wine Show. I will be freeing up my calendar long in advance and making a true event out of this wonderful weekend next year.

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