~ Curious Charlie ~

Wine & Cheese Festival 2016 @ Sunday, April 17, 2016

Sunday 11th April

What lovely apartments! Just a couple stops from Victoria Markets.

A trap door? Where does it lead?

Is that Little Red Riding Hood?

Kitty! It walked beside me for a few blocks and rubbed up against me.

Why are we in North Melbourne?

This year the annual Wine & Cheese Festival in Spotswood (that's where Science Works is) has come to the city! Well, North Melbourne, two stop away from QV Markets. Only 15mins by tram out of the city.

Wine glasses and sampler cups. Tickets are $$ and you get a glass, but unlike the Good Food & Wine Show a glass doesn't entitle you to samples, the tokens do. They're $2 each.

The event space was the Meat Markets, did you know there's a Halloween party here every year? Now that's an event I want to plan! My specialization is themed events and Halloween is my favourite holiday.

Featuring mainly wine there were three cheese stalls, some cannoli/snacks, aranchini balls, dried herbs, balsamic vinegars, ice cream and fudge. The ice cream stand was placed strategically next to the kids' zone, pester power.

Brachetto 2015 - $20 a Bottle. A pink moscato. Lightly sparkling and pale pink in the glass, floral aromas with strawberry and apple blossom. This is the one I like.

We sample a couple wines, not as many as we liked as it got crowded fast, and we had a concert on the other side of the city to get to. So we sampled three winess, one of which I like and might buy. My hesistation is that I see wine as expensive adult fruit juice, especially the wines I like.

Cheese Platter Options - Too much blue!

Oh wow that smells, bad!! Like my neighbours' feet!!! But then again I love durian.

Is that salami?

Mozzarella Bar

Cannolis

There were two stands doing canollis, which I really like, though don't do out west much to (what's the name of that place? C. and Sons?) we had the ricotta one ($5) and it was beautiful. Fresh and filled with ricotta. Something from my college days that we'll always remember is that local cannoli shop.

The school took us to an expo once, and an exchange student asked if this fudge was made from dogs. Everyone was horrified, but then again she was from china.

With coffee there's donuts. Custard or jam? I love custard!

At every expo there is that one stand that seems to have gotten lost and is in the wrong room (when at the exhibition center), this is a metal ornaments for your garden stand.

Why candles? Because women love candles and wine!

Grape Stomping

As we were on the go and Jas couldn't make it, or could Lola, my eating partners XD we bought cheese to take home and serve with what we liked, instead of buying platters. The platters had cheese, bread/crackers and grapes. All $20, there were three stands: the yellow French one (it smells!!!), the other one, and L'Artisan, my pick.

The lady at L'Artisan would talk to a few people at a time, offering very genrous sized samples, they buy something, then others would come up, repeat. That's a lot of talking, considering she tells us about all 6 of the cheeses they are selling. L'Artisan use organic milk that comes from a dairy farm with Jersey Cows on the Great Ocean Road.

I like my cheese soft and creamy, a hard variation of good too, a bite of blue, but not a wedge or slice of it. Served with thin wafer crackers, dried grapes that are a seemingly unique variation of saltanas but still on a stem, and cranberry jelly. My version of the jelly thing normally on the platter, strawberry jam works too.

Our picks:

The Extravagant - Triple cream with a mild creamy paste, with age it becomes runny and picante
The Mountain Man - Smooth cheese, made in true Reblochon style, with a gently washed rind.
Raclette - A traditional raclette, very popular today and there were only 7 left when I bought one.

Our time at the show was limited though we had a good time buying/tasting cheese and wine. Though if you aren't a wine drinking I wouldn't recommend going, as it's mainly wine.

Why wasn't there a fondue stand? Did you go to the wine & cheese fest? What type of cheese do you like, and what do you serve it with? Do you like Gouda? we've seen that though have yet to try it.

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