By Hilary McNevin, from Turnip Media and board member of GGE
Sunday’s Masterclasses will have you tasting, talking and planning your next visit to the Grampians.
We need bees and bugs. These lovely pollinators keep plants thriving and we won’t have much of anything to eat or drink if we don’t look after the little critters. Author, radio presenter and expert in all things “garden pollinators and other good bugs”, Denis Crawford will be starting Sunday’s Masterclasses to talk about ways to attract them into your garden or the pots on your balcony and and why it’s so important to our ecosystem.
Let’s tuck in to some whiskey tasting in the second session on a Sunday morning, it is sure to warm you up on what could be a cool day in the west. Josh from the Timboon Railway Shed Distillery will talk us through the process of making whiskey and wrap the masterclass up with a little Port Expression tasting in BEHIND THE BARREL.
Following that, we get into some seafood talk. Our own Jason Meehan will talk to award-winning seafood chef Peter Hilcke and they’ll share some wet tales to whet our appetites, in COOK, LINE & SINKER.
To keep our palates switched on we’ll then join winemakers, Tom Guthrie from Grampians Estate, Hadyn Black from Black & Ginger Wines and Allen Hart from Dogrock Degraves Road Vineyard, to learn about the beauty of the grape, Grenache – not quite up there with Shiraz in popularity through the region – but a lush grape that makes a delicious wine and is gaining more attention.
The rise and rise of craft gins has been celebrated at GGE for the last few years (pre-Covid) and Kilderkin Distillery, makers of Larrikin Gin, are an important part of that. Those who have pre-booked this masterclass or lucky enough to be some of the limited few who can rock up on the day will take pleasure in the final Masterclass of the day to learn about the history and different styles of gin from class London Dry to contemporary styles and discover how botanicals are infused with this haunting spirit. LET THE EVENING BE GIN will finish with guided gin tasting and tips on how make the perfect gin and tonic.
Cheers to what will be a wonderful weekend at GGE!
