Hunter Valley Wine & Food Month - June

If you're coming up to the Hunter Valley this weekend, keep in mind that June is Hunter Valley Wine & Food Month, a month long celebration of Hunter Valley wines and fresh local produce.

From the HVWF website:

Throughout the month of June, our Fireside Series, will have guests cosying up by the fire for supreme indulgences while our Winemaker’s Table Series will allow dining up close and personal with iconic Hunter winemakers and chefs. The Edible Experience will have guests creating their own magic in the kitchen and interacting with some of the best gastronomic names using delicious local produce.

Our new Diverse Region Experience is perfect for the explorers amongst us who want to learn about the diverse areas within the Hunter Valley and what each unique region has to offer. And of course, no trip to the Hunter Valley would be complete without a visit to a local winery and sampling a few of the world-class wines from Australia's most historic family wine region.

This is only a taste of the many unique events that guests will be able to enjoy throughout the month... which will make staying for the weekend or longer in the Hunter Valley even more irresistible.

Flavourfest @ Hunter Valley Gardens - 11-13 June

This coming long weekend the Hunter Valley Gardens are hosting FlavourFest, we attended the inaugral FlavourFest in 2010, and it was a great day out, over 6,000 people attended over the 3 days.

From the HVG Website - The festival features fine food, exquisite wines, exotic tastes, deluxe merchandise and inspiring music - showcasing the flavours, luxuries and sounds of the Hunter and beyond....

Also featuring Celebrity Guests, cooking demonstrations, seminar sessions, entertainment, wineries and restaurants, cocktail flaring showcases, Kids in the Kitchen and exhibits packed with tasty offerings, fresh produce and specialty merchandise.

Come ready for a weekend of culinary, wine, taste and music delights, all set inside Australia's Largest Display Garden. 

The Celebrity Chef's are a big attraction, last year we sat in the 2nd row of a couple of celebrity chef 'shows' and really enjoyed them.

This year the chefs include:

Peter Everett - not a chef, but host of Ready Steady Cook
Alvin Quah - 2010 Masterchef favourite
Callum Hann - 2010 Masterchef favourite
Janelle Bloom - Ready Steady Cook

Alvin Quah (photo source)

Callum Hann (photo source)

Other attactions include cocktail making shows, a Marketplace showcasing local produce, Beer Wine & Cocktail Hall, Eat Street and Flavours of the World, Eat to the Beat Concert Stage, Bar-Be-School Seminar, Art Exhibition, Kidspace, Kids Show with Miss Fruitcake, Kids In The Kitchen.

The bonus is not only do you get all the above Foodie attractions, you can explore the amazing Hunter Valley Gardens, entry price for FlavourFest is $23.50, which is the same price as entry for the gardens, crazy value, 2 for 1!

Last year Mel and I spent around 4-5 hours at FlavourFest then another hour or so wandering the gardens, a great day out.

So if you're coming to the Hunter Valley for the June Long Weekend, be sure to checkout FlavourFest!