CAKE WINES LAUNCHES COMMUNITY FEASTS WITH TOP CHEFS

Held in Sydney throughout November and December, the inaugural Cake Wines Community Feast series is a food and wine idea with a spirited community twist and a chance to bring people together in some of the most thriving community gardens, with plans to move around the country in 2016. A portion of wine sales from each event will be donated back to the garden to assist with keeping these local spaces part of the community.

Joining Mike McEnearney (Chef + Creative Director of Carriageworks Farmers Market) and Richie Dolan (Chiswick) in the chef line-up are Gregory Llewellyn (Hartsyard); Jordan Muhamad (Thievery); and Bobby Fry (Redfern Continental). Each chef will host a feast event in a different community garden or farmers market, working with the local gardener or producers and Cake Wines’ Head Winemaker Sarah Burvill to create a bespoke menu using freshly grown produce sourced from the gardens. Dishes will be matched to Cake Wines’ 2014 and 2015 vintage releases.

The first of five Cake Wines Community Feast events was held in Glebe’s St Helen’s Community Garden/Laneway Warehouse on Saturday the 7th of November where Cake Wines’ Head Winemaker collaborated with Richie Dolan from Chiswick and Garden Manager, Jock Keene.

“This is a chance to prioritise the importance of real community, the gardens and the food they can provide, and of course, the wines that go along with that. I’m really excited about working closely with the gardeners and chefs to understand the range of produce and food that will be on offer so I can match the wines accordingly and make this a really special experience,” says winemaker, Burvill.

Each event will host more than 120 guests over two sittings in the beautiful surrounds of Glebe’s St Helens Garden, Ultimo Community Garden, 107 Projects Rooftop Garden, Redfern’s Charlie’s Garden, and the Farmer’s Market at Carriageworks. Mike McEnearney’s passion for food is driven by his love for local, seasonal produce which is at the heart of these gardens.

“For our feast, food will be sourced from producers in the market on the spur of the moment, which makes things exciting for me and the guests. The food will evolve throughout the day into the final menu; it’s cooking by the seat of your pants and letting nature tell you what’s good, rather than the other way around,” explains McEnearney.

At the feast events, guests can chat to Cake Wines’ Sarah Burvill, the chefs, and gardeners, collecting insight into the produce and growing techniques used and perhaps even inspiration to get involved.

After four years of out of the box ideas, campaigns, collaborations and generally a “far-flung” approach to building a winery (as described by James Halliday), this is yet another example of Cake Wines pushing the envelope further again. Community Feast showcases Cake Wines’ love for great story telling and complete dedication to bringing something new to the wine industry. Cake Wines’ newly released 2014 and 2015 vintages deliver a balanced range of wines with Sarah Burvill now firmly asserting her prowess after moving into the head wine making role at Cake.

Tickets to Cake Wines Community Feast events are $120 each including food, Cake Wines and a James Squire matched beer option and will go on sale to the public from Wednesday 21 October at www.cakewines.com/communityfeast.
$10 from the sale of cases of wine on the day will be donated to the garden or market.

Sessions include lunch at 12.30 pm or dinner at 4.30pm.