Clark Island: Gorgeous Sydney Harbour showcase for new food and wine festival
CLARK Island will be transformed into a wine and food-lovers paradise with a new festival set to take place in the middle of Sydney Harbour in November.
The event has been 18 months in the planning with the National Parks and Wildlife Service which runs the island.
“Many of Sydney Harbour’s islands just sit there and look pretty,” event director and festival founder, Kristen Francis, says.
“Sydney’s got a playground of really beautiful islands which are so under-utilised. (NPWS) have not allowed it to be used like this before. It’s really exciting for us and for them too.”
From November 13-15 three vintage ferries will transport guests to the island where there will be 30 Australian and international wineries showcased, plus food stalls, masterclasses, entertainment and VIP lounges hosted by Governor’s Table restaurant and Fresh Catering group sommelier Samantha Payne.
“Clark Island is just an incredible space and it’s really under-utilised,” Payne says. “I’ve been a few times now and it still takes my breath away. It’s got uninterrupted views of the Bridge and Harbour.
“I don’t think there is anything quite like it. We are giving people this amazing opportunity. You can’t get there normally by ferry, you can’t walk past it. To get on the island, you have to buy a ticket and get a ferry. It’s kind of like being a tourist in your own city because we are transforming the whole island.”
There will be two sessions on each day of the festival, 11.30am-2.30pm and 4pm-7pm, with two ticket options ranging from $79.90 for general admission to the $149.90 VIP experiences hosted by Payne, and fellow young guns Gabrielle Webster from Love Tilly Devine, Rebecca Lines from Bar H and ex-Guillaume and new Keystone Group sommelier Chris Morrison.
“Everyone was like, ‘Wine on an island? Where do you we sign?’,” Payne says. “There are some great fun people. Wine can get rather serious sometimes, we just wanted to have fun with it.
“I don’t want to talk about bootstraps, wet leather and raspberries. I’d much rather you experience the wine yourself. I’d much rather talk to you about the winemaker and where it comes from. It don’t want to tell you what to taste.”
Bar H, Applejack Hospitality and Unplugged Oysters are the food stall partners, with offerings including spiced tuna poke with corn chips, beef and cheese sliders, deep fried saltbush with chilli aioli and Hiramasa kingfish sashimi with nori paste and yuzu kosho.
Wineries DiGiorgio Family Wines (SA), Mr Riggs (SA), Logan Wines (NSW), and New Zealand’s Mt Difficulty and Clark Estate will also be present as will Young Henrys showcasing beers, ciders and gin.
Tickets go on sale from September 1. Go to wineisland.com.au for details.
Source: The Daily Telegraph, Grant Jones, 4th August 2015
Originally published as: Clark Island: Gorgeous Sydney Harbour showcase for new food and wine festival
