Be wined and dined by the culinary A-list

Published on November 12 2010.

We couldn’t let the Festival’s international stars leave Melbourne without teaming up with some of Melbourne’s most revered restaurants at MasterClass Chef and Winemaker Dinners.

Margaret Xu at ezard, Elena Arzak at The Press Club and Rachel Allen at Circa, the Prince.

And that’s just a taste.

The culinary cultures of Japan and Peru are united at Dinner with Toshiro Konishi & Pedro Miguel Schiaffino at Nobu Melbourne.  Peruvian chefs Toshiro and Pedro team up with Nobu Matsuhisa to create an exceptional dining experience combining Japanese techniques with dynamic Peruvian ingredients.

Join Michelin-star chef and crowd favourite Atul Kochhar for a dinner celebrating his re-invention of Indian cuisine at Breezes.  Be prepared to change the way you experience Indian food.

Dessert masters Burch and Purchese join the UK’s Jellymongers Bompas & Parr for Sweet Architextural, an edible exhibition of wondrous dessert architecture at The Gershwin Room at The Esplanade Hotel. Expect wobbly madness and delectable desserts to satisfy the sweetest tooth.

The line-up for our MasterClass Winemaker Dinners has just been announced with tickets on sale in the Festival Guide on 3 December.

Highlights include:

Shiraz on the Edge Dinner, maze Grill
Brett Crittenden, Guigal global ambassador (UK) alongside maze sommelier David Warner and Mt Langhi Ghiran’s Dan Buckle will present standout examples of bold shiraz drops at a four-course dinner designed by maze Grill chef de cuisine chef Josh Emett.

Cos d’Estournel Dinner, Jacques Reymond
Jean-Guillaume Prats of Château Cos d’Estournel (France) presents wines from his esteemed Bordeaux vineyard.  Be guided by expert commentator Andrew Calliard MW while enjoying a six-course degustation menu created by Jacques Reymond.

Is NZ the France of New World Wine?, Stokehouse
Master of Wine Bob Campbell, Helen Masters (Ata Rangi) and Warren Gibson (Trinity Hill, Bilancia) seek to answer this compelling question with a selection of New Zealand’s finest wines (and some hidden French wine benchmarks), all beautifully matched with NZ-sourced produce by the team at the Stokehouse.

Browse the full list, take your pick and book tickets for an unforgettable experience. (NB winemaker dinners are on sale from Friday 3 December)