The festival began in 2013 when award-winning sommelier and self-proclaimed Italophile, Lara Caraturo experienced a “light bulb moment” one night in May.
On that sleepless night Lara spent hours planning out her dream event, and the result was a recipe for success.
In an amazing effort Caraturo managed to “pull it all together in a few months”, and the first festival took place in November 2013, proving to be a huge hit from the get-go.
Lara is no stranger to a drop of Italian wine herself, after having worked as a sommelier in a number of top restaurants, including Sydney’s Pilu at Freshwater, where she looked after an Italian wine list over an eight-year stint before taking a break from the restaurant world.
“We always say that Italy’s all about the local region. If you’re in that region you eat that food and you drink that wine and the people there will always tell you that their mamma makes the best version of everything and that no other version is valid.
“So I think there’s something about the Italian people and about that strong food and wine culture that is really amazing and it’s like no other,” Caraturo said.
Growing up around a very strong food culture with a mother that “cooked good food and too much of it”, Lara’s passion for wine was ignited in her early twenties, while her inner-Italian was evoked with the help of her husband Nick.
“When I met my husband he was a big Italophile and he was working at Buon Ricordo at that time as an Italian sommelier as well, so I think it just sort of became a natural progression getting into the Italian side of things,” Caraturo said.
Lara’s love for all things Italian along with her expertise and background have played a major part in the success of Sydney’s first ever celebration of Italian food and wine, which attracts more and more people every year with its all-star lineup.
Featuring a food market, an outdoor wine garden, masterclasses and cooking demonstrations where top chefs create signature dishes from scratch, the Italian Wine + Food Festival is all about experiencing food from Sydney’s best Italian restaurants and learning all there is to know about Italian wine by the region.
“We say it’s a celebration and an exploration of Italian food and wine and that’s really what we want it to be and that’s what I think people love about it.
“We’ve got the best restaurants, the best chefs, the best providores, and the best cheese-makers and I think people can take from our event as much or as little as they want,” Lara said.
The festival has gone from strength to strength since its foundation, and after the event sold out in 2015, Lara and her team decided to expand the festival to Melbourne in May of this year.
“It was really great and it was a real challenge because we’re based in Sydney so we don’t know the market as well, but we achieved the numbers we wanted to and the event looked amazing and all the wine and food exhibitors sold out, so we were pleased,” Caraturo said.
A self-confessed perfectionist, Lara hopes to fit time into her busy schedule to continue improving the festival before considering the possibility of expanding to other cities.
“I think for now it’ll just be a matter of making it all even better next year and settling a little bit with it all, but ultimately the possibility of going to other cities is there, we just haven’t quite decided on that yet,” Lara said.
In the meantime, the event is well worth the weekend trip to Sydney if good food, wine and Italian culture are your thing.
This year’s festival will feature many old and familiar faces as well as some exciting new names, such as Adam Swanson from Lot.1 Sydney and Massimo Mele, who will be sharing their hottest tips in cooking demonstrations on the day.
From head chef at Otto Restaurant, Richard Ptacnik to Salt Meats Cheese, who will be running a mini cooking school, the list of newcomers is brimming with talent.
And while the festival will be held in the Sydney Town Hall again, this August the event will take place upstairs in the spectacular Centennial Hall which boasts heritage architecture and oozes elegance.
With so much on offer, the festival will provide a unique experience for everybody.
Whether you just want to spend a day taking in the tastes and aromas of Italy, or whether you want to absorb all of the knowledge your mind will allow about regional wines, you’re bound to walk away from the day with two things: a full belly and a satisfied smile.
For more event information and tickets, visit the Italian Wine + Food Festival’s website, Facebook page or Instagram.
