Established in 1997, Tasting Australia presented by RAA Travel is one of the country’s longest-running eating and drinking festivals. Last year’s event attracted huge crowds, with more than 68,000 people visiting the event’s CBD hub, Town Square, across the 10-day festival, providing a welcome boost to local hospitality vendors.
Tasting Australia returns this year with even more to look forward to. More than 150 events are happening across the state from 3-12 May. Town Square, in Adelaide’s Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga, has been reimagined and will be home to a deliciously diverse line-up of eating and drinking experiences. The celebration also goes way beyond the CBD and takes over the entire state, with immersive events happening from the Limestone Coast to Eyre Peninsula.
Meet Tasting Australia’s drinks duo 
Banjo Harris Plane and Meira Harel (pictured right) are the husband and wife duo leading Tasting Australia’s beverage program as co-drinks curators. They’re both recognised as leading lights in the beverage and hospitality industries. After acclaimed careers around the world and Australia, the couple relocated to Banjo’s hometown of Adelaide in 2019.
Banjo, who’s been awarded the ‘Best Sommelier in Australia’ twice over, says he’s known about Tasting Australia since he was a kid growing up in SA.
“Now I have the opportunity to invite people from interstate and overseas to South Australia to show off what we’re doing,” he says. “The chance to help craft the beverage-related narrative of Tasting Australia is so exciting.”
Adelaide’s flavour revolution
Banjo says he’s excited by the changes to Adelaide’s food and wine scene since he first left, saying it’s definitely matured. “There’s been a proliferation of more interesting venues, more interesting wines being served and more creative food. That means it’s super exciting to see where Adelaide is at the moment, and the same is true for the regions.”
Also, he stresses it’s not just our food and wine industries that have been changing and growing. “In the last 10 years, we’ve seen massive growth in craft beer and craft spirits,” he says. “We’re now seeing things like sake being produced in South Australia. There’s just crazy stuff going on. People aren’t just going out and drinking a beer or a glass of red wine. It’s a cocktail made with a craft spirit or it’s a non-alcoholic beer, it’s all sorts of things. It’s really amazing.”
Banjo says he’s made sure this year’s Tasting Australia program makes room for all the exciting new trends in SA’s beverage industry, including our globally renowned spirits industry.
The importance of SA’s food and wine
“The food and wine industry in South Australia is incredibly important for our economy and employment,” Banjo says. “So many people are involved from primary produce to grape growing to winemaking – there’s threads of it all throughout the state.” Our food and wine industry is one of South Australia’s biggest assets, exporting products to more than 100 countries, and generating $14.9 billion in overall industry revenue in 2022-23.
South Australia is also indisputably Australia’s wine state, producing 50 per cent of all bottled wine and 80 per cent of premium wine. Adelaide is one of 12 members of the Great Wine Capitals Global Network. “We’re so lucky in Adelaide to have incredible world-class wine regions just on our doorstep,” Banjo says.
Tasting Australia is our chance to shine
Banjo says Tasting Australia is a chance to “amplify” South Australia’s identity as the food and wine state. “Food and wine is an important part of South Australia’s history and culture,” he says.
“Tasting Australia is our chance to shout about that and to show off a little bit because there’s such great things happening in this state. For us to have chefs and distillers and brewers and winemakers and sommeliers up on stage sharing what they know, introducing their story to people who’ve never heard it before, really helps to spread the message of what South Australia is all about. It’s our chance to shine.”
Education (but make it fun)
Banjo says he and Meira have built their Tasting Australia drinks program around education. “Wine can be a confronting issue – it’s complicated. It’s hard. There’s lots of jargon. There’s lots to know.”
Banjo says they’ve addressed that with a program that includes cheaper, more beginner-friendly sessions for people starting out on their wine journey alongside the more expensive, high-end masterclasses for experts.
For instance, Masterclass – How to Wine, held on both weekend one and weekend two of the festival, will be “a really nice, soft introduction to the world of wine”. The event is a fun version of Wine Tasting 101, teaching you how to drink, at what temperature to drink at, what shaped glass to drink from, and what foods to drink with – as well as the basics of wine regions and grape varieties.
What makes Tasting Australia “priceless”
Banjo says what makes Tasting Australia special is “the fact that you can go to events and talk directly to the person who made the wine, the chef who cooked the food and the farmer who grew the ingredients for the dinner.” He says you can’t experience that anywhere else and it’s something “priceless”.
“We get told all the time, the thing that people love the most about these kinds of events is that they can come ask questions, talk and learn, all while sitting down having something to eat and drinking a glass of wine.
“It’s the perfect setting for you to become a little bit wiser about a whole range of food and wine things because you can ask exactly the questions that you want, and the people who know the answers are just there in front of you. It’s pretty amazing.”
This year’s program
You don’t need a ticket to enjoy Tasting Australia’s Town Square in the CBD (pictured left). Free entry makes it the perfect place to meet for a lazy weekend lunch or an afterwork drink and dinner. Stay to explore or join the dance floor.
New for 2024 are the Dining Galleries presented by Mitolo Family Farms. Part restaurant, part art showcase, there are 10 galleries to choose from, each featuring a lineup of Australia’s hospitality royalty.
Town Square Canteen is a fantastic (and affordable) way to enjoy a meal from one of SA’s iconic regional restaurants in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD.
Led by local chefs and artisans, the fun and immersive Make sessions teach skills for home cooks looking to level up their dinner game – but get in quick, some have already sold out.
Tasting Tables is a series of intimate tastings hosted across beloved Adelaide and regional hospitality venues. Each features a guest presenter and a rare set of beverages.
Banjo’s Top Three Tasting Australia drinks events:
- A-Z of Wine: The Grape-a-Bet
- Masterclass – From Shiraz to Syrah
- Seppeltsfield ‘A Taste of History’ 100-year-old tasting
For the full program and bookings, visit Tasting Australia.
This story originally appeared on The Post - a media partnership between the Government of South Australia and Solstice Media to inform young South Australians about the policies that underpin issues affecting their lives.
