Festival teases masterclasses
Areturning Grampians food and wine festival has teased potential visitors with a release of selected highlights before announcing a full program closer to the event.
The Grampians Grape Escape festival, after a two-year hiatus, returns to Halls Gap in 2022 as a three-day event, from April 29 to May 1.
The inclusion of a Friday evening to the program will give visitors a chance to experience the event’s first Feel-good Friday.
Live-music lovers will have a chance to explore food and drink trucks on the Friday evening before they settle into performances from Purple Revolution, Andrew De Silva’s Prince tribute band as well as ’80s cover band Mixtape.
The event will also showcase masterclass and cooking demonstrations scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday.
Event organisers have described the weekend proper as a ‘foodie’s playground’.
Sri Lankan-born chef and co-presenter of TV show The Meat Room Geoff Jansz will show visitors how to make salamis from Grampians pork alongside co-host
James Mele. Televion cooking show host Peter Everett will MC a Grape Escape ‘Ready Steady Cook’ challenge.
Internationally acclaimed seafood chef Peter Hilcke, alongside Jason Meehan, will present an inland Grampians fish explainer and portable fish-cooking demonstration. There will also be a cooking demonstration by presenter, author and social media everywoman Emmylou Maccarthy.
Cooking masterclasses will also include ‘From Raising Pigs to Rising Dough’ with Great Western Granary; ‘A Pinch of Salt, A Splash of Oil’ with Red Rock Olives, Grampians Olive Co and Mount Zero Olives; ‘Farming Movements’ with Provenir and Schultz Organic Dairy; ‘Bees, Good Bugs and Insect Hotels’ with bug expert Denis Crawford; as well as the annual barrique Grampians shiraz-blend auction and hundreds of wine, beer and cider tastings available throughout the weekend.
A little adventures marquee, stop and play stations and a rock-climbing wall will also be available for children throughout the weekend.
Festival tickets and packages are available online at grampiansgrapeescape.com. au.