FRESH MEAT

As part of our quest for world-wine domination (did we mention we’re opening in Singapore soon?), we’ve recruited a new soldier to fly the flag for team BSC. Meet Anna Webster – who you may remember from TV’s MasterChef – but who has also spent the past few years in the food media industry, with contracts at Broadsheet and Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and articles in various other publications.

We spend so much time worrying about the wine side of things that food is sometimes overlooked, so half of Anna’s job will be making sure our festival’s food offerings are as good as the booze. The other half will be running all our communications – content creation, newsletters, social, and so on.

We’re putting all the pressure on her, so we know we’ll see good things.

ABOUT ANNA

Anna Webster loves food, but she’s pretty happy to cheat on it with wine. In fact, next to books and reading, it’s her most consistent obsession.

She began her career in publishing, working for Pan Macmillan and then Bauer Magazines. She then had a very brief stint as a high school English teacher before a friend convinced her to audition for MasterChef Australia.

Since leaving the show, she turned her efforts towards food media, and has written and worked for Broadsheet, Good Food, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, tMix+, and others.

She has degrees in Arts, Journalism, Editing and Publishing, Communications, and Education, from Monash, Melbourne and RMIT universities.

WINE. WINE. GIVE ME WINE!

The wine program at this year’s MFWF is one of the best we’ve ever seen them do. Bars and restaurants across Melbourne are hosting rosé rooftop parties, speed dating sessions – there’s even a wine bar crawl by tram. But if we had to pick our top three (and apparently, we do), these are it.

Here’s what we’re going to.

(and no doubt a bunch of other things as well!)

Rootstock x MFWF

You know we love Rootstock. That festival in Sydney where its organisers spit-roasted a whole cow then danced naked around it drinking organic wine (this last part may be embellished) is coming to Melbourne. Chefs David Moyle (Franklin and Longsong), Aaron Turner (Igni) and Duncan Welgemoed (Africola) are doing the food, there’ll be oysters from Wapengo Rocks, and a buttload (technical wine term… seriously) of natural wine. FUN TIMES.

Italo Dining & Disco Club

Another party coming to Melbourne from Sydney is Maurice Terzini and Gio Paradiso’s (who collectively own Icebergs Dining Room + Bar, Da Orazio, 10 William Street, and Fratelli Paradiso) Italo Dining & Disco Club. It’s going to run as a street party in a CBD laneway, with great Italian food (think crispy porchetta and pizzas), beers and spritzes. Barrels of still-fermenting wine will be there courtesy of young gun Owen Latta – a salute to old-school practices.

This was the after party for Rootstock Sydney last year. Yes, we’re still recovering … *ahem*

Makers & Muses

Did you know Pizzini might never have made wine if Brown Brothers hadn’t asked the family to grow grapes for them? Or that William Downie was once winemaker at De Bortoli? Learn all about the relationships and connections that have influenced Australian wines in the best way possible: by drinking them.