A picnic with some humble charcuterie and a cheeky bottle of wine by a river can be pleasant even at the worst of times, so it’s an annual treat to have multiple food and beverage vendors line the park at Burns Bay Reserve on Sunday, giving locals a pristine version of that.
Lane Cove Food and Wine by the River attracted scores of people wanting to taste-test the best wine and food products the local area and beyond had to offer.
The event was easy to access, and a shuttle bus was available to locals leaving on Burns Bay Road.
Almost 20 Mudgee region winery vendors set up shop, each offering a unique taste and a story to share, hoping their product will pass through the grapevine.
“We like coming down and doing these festivals because it’s great to kind of meet people that come and visit us beforehand, or they’ve come to visit us later. So it’s nice to have that kind of presence and marketing from Mudgee in Sydney,” a representative from Slowfox Wines told ITC.
“We’re Mudgee’s newest cellar door,” a McIntosh Estate representative shared. The vineyard is old. It was planted in the 60s, but our cellar door has only been open for nine weeks. We specialise in cab-sav.”
It was a time for a great education about various wines and brewing methods, as the stalls boasted their specialities, but some simply didn’t need the lesson and just stuck to what they knew.
“There’s a lot of really great wine ones. Honestly, there’s one with elephants on it. So that’s definitely my go-to for sure,” A Lane Cove local expressed.
The event hosted continuous live music.
There was free face painting for the kids, and games from The Lane Cove’s Toy Library.
The air was filled with the scent of a melting pot of cuisines.
One of the most popular vendors was Popi’s Souvla’s Greek street food which always seemed to have a line as fierce as the appetites of those who inhabited it.
“We do lamb gyros, chicken gyros, and halloumi gyros. And we also do plates and tasty rolls,” the shop owner shared.
“We’ve been busy. People are loving the food. That’s the main thing. I’ve had so many people come up and say, your food’s amazing, and getting seconds and thirds.”
However, with so much to choose from, it’s hard to sample just one stall, as a festival goers pointed out to ITC.
“My favourite stall? Actually, I’ve sampled quite a few of them. So I’ve tried the Greek food, and I’ve had a burger as well, and I bought my daughter ice creams and so on. So yeah, they’re all good!” One Lane Cove wanderer mentioned.
It wasn’t only wine available to wash down the grub, there was something for everyone. Beer distillery options were readily available as well as non-alcoholic beverages floating around.
“We sell non-alcoholic cocktails that taste like alcohol,” the owner of Smug AF Cocktails said, revealing the modified mojitos as their best seller of the day.
“Lots of people are designated drivers, pregnant, breastfeeding, and they all really appreciate having something that’s non-alcoholic.”
A personal ITC reporter favourite was Linda’s Sweet Chilli Relish and Sauces which had a diverse selection of the products mentioned, grown and produced at their farm in Mudgee.
“We do a range of sweet chilli from mild through to extra hot. We do a lovely lime ginger and garlic, which is a very good reason to get some prawns under the barbecue, and a plum sauce that comes out of our orchard in Mudgee, and a rich chocolate chilli dessert sauce. So we’ve got a little bit of something for everybody,” a store representative shared.
Linda’s Sweet Chilli Relish has a Lane Cove connection, read more here.
It was a day of unique tastes and delicacies harvested by Mudgee farm life merged with the community spirit and appreciation for the finer things in Lane Cove.
A day enjoyed by all, leaving everyone’s appetite tamed and palettes expanded.
ITC highly recommends that if you could not attend this year, mark the first weekend in November next year in your diary.
