The Great South Coast’s food and wine producing capabilities will be showcased in Port Fairy on the first weekend of August with the help of a $9000 Brumby Government grant announced today by the Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney MP.
Ms Tierney said the Food & Wine Winter Weekend on 1-2 August would include cooking classes, innovative dinners, produce and industry tours as well as the town’s top-rated restaurant menus and chefs around town.
“The Food & Wine Winter Weekend is one of the four themed weekends held in Port Fairy during winter,” Ms Tierney said.
“Owing to the success of the event, which was established in 2007, it is planned to significantly ramp-up the food and wine weekend.
“This project will provide targeted promotion of the region’s food and wine capabilities to mainly city-based visitors, who from past weekends have demonstrated good potential.
“The weekend will feature a market and showcase exhibition, expert chef, demonstrations, classes and tastings, producers’ dinner for the public, vignerons’ lunch, children’s activities with food themes and producers tours.”
Ms Tierney said the Government was supporting the project because it would improve awareness and drive sales of regional food and beverage to a mainly city-based target audience in the domestic market.
“A large component of this project will involve educating consumers and encouraging them to consider Victorian produce when purchasing food,” Ms Tierney said.
Ms Tierney said Brumby Government funding for the $16,000 project would be provided to the Port Fairy Tourist Association through Regional Development Victoria’s Promoting to the Domestic Consumer program.
“The Promoting to the Domestic Consumer program aimed to increase awareness and better educate consumers about the quality of food produced in provincial Victoria,” Ms Tierney said.
“The program is helping Victorian companies access new or expanding markets and promoting and marketing the State’s quality food products.
“It is part of Moving Forward, the Brumby Government’s $502 million plan to make provincial Victoria an even better place to live, work, invest and raise a family.”