Pyrmont Festival of Food and Wine kicks off

Pyrmont food and wine festival

The Pyrmont Festival of Food Wine and Art (PFFWA) was kick-started on Tuesday night with a launch at Star City.

The festival is part of a new partnership between Pyrmont and the Mudgee wine region which aims to highlight the food, wine and creative talents of both regions.

The event is the brainchild of The Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce (PUCC) and Mudgee Wine Grape Growers Association (MWGGA).

The event runs from May 3 to 15 and will feature a glut of events to keep even the most adventurous gastronome satisfied.

The launch event took place at Bistro 80 Wine Bar in Star City and featured special speakers including; Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP, media personality Ken Sutcliffe, president of the PUCC Lawrence Gibbons, president of the MWGGA Andrew Stein, and Mayor of the Mid-Western Regional council Des Kennedy.

“This is the first time that the Mudgee region has partnered with a Sydney precinct on a festival and we’re very, very excited,” Mr Stein said. “Pyrmont and Mudgee have so many synergies; they both offer quality food and wine experiences and are innovative destinations for food and wine, driven by rising young winemakers.         

“We want to tell Mudgee’s story and educate people in Sydney who have a passion for food and wine.”

“Pyrmont is the place to wine and dine in Sydney,” Mr Gibbons said. “Eat early, eat often, you have 12 days to eat your way around our peninsula.”

“It’s really very exciting,” Ms Moore said. “This event underlines Pyrmont’s growing reputation as one of Sydney’s top dining precincts… and a wonderful part of Sydney.”

Mudgee wine flowed freely from a number of the regions vineyards. Red and white varietals were served with oysters, pork belly and the bistro’s unique take on fish and chips.

Mr Gibbons said he was excited about putting Pyrmont on the map as a food and wine destination.

“Pyrmont is enjoying tremendous growth in tourism and that’s largely thanks to the increasing number of first class restaurants in the area,” he said. “We wanted to combine our annual Pyrmont Art Prize with an acknowledgement of Pyrmont’s burgeoning dining precinct and our partnership and synergies with the Mudgee Region to create an all-encompassing celebration; Pyrmont Festival.”

The 12 day festival includes wine matched degustation lunches and dinners at select Pyrmont restaurants every night. Tonight Savichees will put on a feast for $90 per person including wines.

The meals are an ingredient of the “Pyrmont Uncorks Mudgee” program which is part of the “slow food movement” according to Mr Gibbons.

Along with the daily degustation, PFFWA will host wine tastings at select bottle shops as well as several special events.

On Saturday a workshop will be held at Culture at Work, a not-for-profit organisation who work on projects for the development of art and science collaborations.

Sunday is Mother’s Day and to celebrate PFFWA is putting on sparkling wine and fresh oysters at Sydney Fish Market for mums to come and enjoy with their families. This will be followed by a special Mother’s Day dinner at restaurant 1945 in Harris Street.

On Sunday May 15 “Pyrmont Uncorks Mudgee” meets the fifth annual Pyrmont Art Prize at a one-day extravaganza of food, wine and art at Pirrama Park Pyrmont.

The Pyrmont Art Prize will feature over 300 pieces of custom-made art on sale from a range of emerging and professional artists from metropolitan Sydney and the Mudgee region. The works will be judged with $10,000 worth of prizes on offer.

Oenophiles visiting the art prize will have the chance to sample over 120 different wines from 30 Mudgee winemakers complemented with gourmet foods from across Pyrmont and the Mudgee region.

For more information or to make a booking head to www.pyrmontfestival.com .