UnWined WA Wine & Food Show Perth - Travelling Corkscrew

Wine, food, sunshine… What more can one ask for? This weekend I was at UnWined – WA’s Boutique Wine & Food Show in Subiaco. I sipped, I swirled, I drank… And I ate and drank even more. Too many goodies under one bright blue Perth sky. If you didn’t make it yesterday, get your A into G and get down there today (Sunday 27th, 11-5pm, tickets are $25 at the gate).
I can’t believe how lovely the weather was, and I hate to say it but I wasn’t prepared (even despite my Wine Festival Essentials post I wrote 2 weeks ago!) at all! Thank fully many stalls had hats for sale! Perfect weather for drinking, eating and listening to great music.
Here is just a taste of the many great stalls at the show:

Fermoy Estate Wines – These guys are selling showbags and the essential wine glass holders that you can wear around your neck, an absolute must for any wine festival otherwise you may just be that person who leaves your glass behind or gasp, drops it on the concrete (I’m not looking at anyone in particular!). Fermoy showbags are $80 and have over $1000 worth of goods in and if you’re just after a glass holder, these are $5.
Silkwood Winery – Seriously how can you not go past a stall which is selling “Little Bitch” sparkling wine… The funny thing was that I asked where the name came from and they said it was in memory of a past employee. Awkward! However it was actually a very decent fizz,I wouldn’t mind a glass of Little Bitch again.
Evans & Tate Wines – Bubbles, white, rosé, red – your one stop shop for everyone. I had a lot of favourites here, however I think the Chardy won my heart. After seeing how the E&T team cleaned up at the Qantas Wine Awards I honestly think you need to watch these guys – awesome award winning wines with a great team of people behind them.
Duke’s Vineyard – a man in red suspenders, who has a dog named Cindy and can do a darn good sparkling Riesling, need I say more?
Adinfern Estate – sheep farmers turned grape growers with a love for Pinot Noir. The guy from Adinfern is so dedicated that I caught him snooping around all the stands to try their Pinots. Dedication!
Barton Jones Wines – Having just released their gorgeous new labels you can’t miss this stall. Not only are the labels absolutely gorgeous but the wines are fantastic and the owners are some of the most down-to-earth loveliest people. Hailing from the Geographe region they have a great selection of both reds and whites.
Sittella Winery – The two new sparklings are out and are ready to be tasted. Honestly the Blanc de Blanc (the grapes are grown in Pemberton) has already become one of my favourite Spring wines. It is so crisp and refreshing that you’ll struggle to put your glass down until it’s empty. There are only 2 Swan Valley producers at UnWined however it’s good to see the region is being well represented.
Woodgate Wines – They were a favourite from last year because of their Sauv and this year their Bojangles sparkling wine captured my attention. Like above it is a Blanc de Blanc and having tried this and the Sittella, I am fast becoming a wee fan of the Pemberton sparkling wines. A lot of good things are coming out of Pemberton, it is definitely an area to keep an eye on.
Brookwood Estate – Since I’m on the subject of bubbles (when am I not?), I have to mention Brookwood, the name of their NV sparkling is “Bubbles” – straight to the point, love it! It is fun fizz and it has an interesting blend of grapes – Chenin, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Plus their plastic resealable stoppers on the bubbles really make this wine super consumer friendly – this type of closure makes it easier to open the wine and allows you to have a glass and then save the rest for another day without losing that all important ceremonial fizz.
Wine appreciate classes – There are two classes a day, at 12pm & 2pm. The one I attended was all to do with Sauvignon Blanc which suited me down to a tee even though they spent a lot of time bagging out Kiwi Sauv Blanc! The hosts – Peter Stanlake & Dan Pannell were complete;y hilarious whilst being informative. All levels of wine lovers would enjoy one of these 30-minute classes. And they are free!

I could literally go on and on here. Every stall has a story to tell, whether it’s creating purple risotto with Tempranillo like the daughter of the owners of Fifth Estate Wine or hearing how Frog Choir Wines got their name. Customer service was absolutely top notch from all the stall holders. And there are so many competitions and chances to win free wine – who doesn’t like free wine!
In terms of food, damn! Damn I couldn’t fit anymore in as everything looked so good. My favourite from what I did try would have to be the pizza from Il Paiolo. Both Mr. Spittoon and I had to agree that it was the best pizza we have had outside of Italy and again the guys manning the stall were so friendly, chatty and fun.
Overall it is a great, well-sized festival. Plenty of water stations balanced out with a good selection of wine and food stalls. And I have to mention that the music was just AWESOME, every second person I walked past seemed to be humming along. I just wished at times there was a bit more shade for those of us who burn at the smallest ray of sunshine, thanks Dad for the great genetics!
If you’re reading this today, Sunday 27th of October 2013 you really should get down to the festival in Subaico Market Square . Tickets are $25 at the gate and it is open 11-5pm. For more information please check out the UnWined website and have a look through my UnWined Facebook album here.