It might seem like an unlikely premise for a food-and-wine weekend, but Ferment the Festival will celebrate a natural process that’s responsible for everything from cheese and charcuterie, to chocolate.
The festival is a progression of Adelaide’s annual CheeseFest, which ran for 10 years until it was put on hold last year due to the Rymill Park O-Bahn development.
According to festival founder and director Kris Lloyd, all of the elements that made CheeseFest a decade-long success will apply – including the CBD location.
“It was time to build on the good reputation CheeseFest has,” says Lloyd. “It’s an opportunity to bring all of these foods that have one thing in common – fermentation – together.” It’s a fascination that tracks as far back as “when my granny would be stuffing vegetables into jars”.
More than 120 South Australian producers will be involved, with offerings from Barossa Fine Foods, La Casa Del Formaggio, the Adelaide Hills’ Red Cacao Chocolatier and more. Naturally, there will be alcohol flowing. Vale Brewing, Prancing Pony, Hills Cider Company and Applewood Distillery will all be in attendance, as will Mojo Kombucha.
The four-day festival will also feature an educational program. The “labs” will teach the basics of fermentation, Kris says, showing festivalgoers how to make their own kimchi, yoghurt and sourdough bread.
Ferment the Festival is at Rymill Park from Thursday, October 19 to Sunday, October 22.
