5 November 2024

The Forage returns to Mount Majura Vineyard this November

| Lucy Ridge
White shed with signage reading Mount Majura Vineyard, and an attached undercover dining space.

After 10 years The Forage is returning to Mount Majura Vineyard. Photo: Lean Timms.

The Forage is returning to Mount Majura Vineyard on 9 November. Celebrating 10 years of the Canberra food and wine festival, this Forage will feature some familiar faces, new activities and stalls, and the same delicious event we’ve come to know and love.

The location is something of a round trip for the festival, which ran a pop-up as part of the Wine, Roses and all that Jazz Festival at Mount Majura 10 years ago!

“It’s incredibly meaningful to come full circle a decade later and celebrate this milestone with the community that’s supported us from day one,” Forage founder Belinda Neame said.

Forage Founders Belinda Neame and Tim Bean with fire twirler Guy Alias in Forage branded jumpers with a fire twirler in the background.

Forage founders Belinda Neame and Tim Bean with fire twirler Guy Alias (centre) at the launch event for the Winter Forage in June. Photo: Michelle Kroll.

Food vendors such as Japanese street food DOTON will attend alongside Big Box Barbeque, Barceloneta Paella and more. Sweet treats from vendors including Loose Gourmet Churros, the Strawberry Van and Stripey Sundae will round out the food offerings.

This pop-up will be slightly smaller than the winter event at the Acton Waterfront in June, but the team has curated a list of new and returning food vendors that will complement the winery location.

“Mount Majura will be doing vineyard ‘walk and talk’ information sessions followed by tastings, and they’re also running a cool wine bar with cocktails. There are a lot of non-wine drinkers out there so they wanted to come up with something that would entice people to give it a go like wine spritzers and sangria,” Belinda told Region.

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There will also be two ticketed workshops during the day in the wine shed, which Belinda describes as “full of atmosphere”. Antipodes Gin Co. and Le Cheeserie will run a gin and cheese pairing class, then Mount Majura will join the local cheese experts to run a wine and cheese pairing masterclass.

Kaitlin Towner and Alex Royds hold large pieces of cheese in front of their store.

Kaitlin Towner and Alex Royds of Le Cheeserie will host cheese pairing masterclasses at The Forage. Photo: Lucy Ridge.

This year’s festival will introduce the Forage Pantry: a stall run by Forage staff featuring locally made products from businesses which lack infrastructure to host visitors on the day.

Belinda said The Forage received feedback from attendees who wanted to take a piece of the event home and she was eager to create another sales avenue for local makers.

“We’re always trying to find ways we can give more opportunities to local food businesses to be a part of the event and give them direct access to our audience. We want to make it really accessible for them.”

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The Forage Pantry will sell locally made preserves, tea, chocolate and other specialty items from vendors including Remedy Kitchen and Sweet Pea & Poppy. It’ll also be the last chance to pick up jars of Miss Van’s Chilli Oil following its recent closure.

You can also enjoy live music, lawn games and children’s entertainment at the free event.

The Forage will run from 12 pm to 7 pm on 9 November at Mount Majura Vineyard, 88 Lime Kiln Rd, Majura.
Follow The Forage on Facebook or Instagram for more details. The masterclasses are ticketed events; book ahead via The Forage website.

Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Riotact.