Bon Fromage 2023 is on next week: be Gruyère or be square

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Come to Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal next week, where a 30 metre long table topped with a tonne of French cheeses overlooking the Sydney Opera House will be the centre point of Bon Fromage 2023. The most Brie-lliant of festivals returns with its celebration and promotion of many varieties of French cheese including creamy Camembert, tangy Fourme d’Ambert, nutty Comté, smelly Langres to name but a few. Take our curd for it, these are free festivi-cheese you don’t want to miss!

Bon Fromage 2023

The Bon Fromage festival was created by CNIEL (Centre national interprofessional de l’économie laitière) France’s National Dairy Interbranch Organization)) to their great credit in 2016. It is part of its commitment, aided by the European Union, to showcase the vast variety and distinctiveness of French cheeses in Australia. After all, France’s very own Charles de Gaulle said “how can anyone govern a nation that has 258 different kinds of cheese”.

 

It seeks to expand the knowledge and appreciation of French cheeses among Australian consumers and to inform and guide attendees on how to pair cheese, or how to integrate cheeses into daily cooking. At Bon Fromage 2023, you’ll have the opportunity to taste, discover, and learn about French cheeses.

 

BON FROMAGE 2023 MASTERCLASSES

As with almost everything at this festival, the masterclasses are also free! Some are already full so we recommend you sign up to any that you’re interested in, and that aren’t full, ASAP.

Bon Fromage 2023

Masterclasses that still have places available at time of publication are:

 

BON FROMAGE 2023 EXHIBITORS

The only paid part of Bon Fromage is the food stalls selling cheesy creations and you’re going to want to try these! Here’s just a taste of some of the cheesy creations you will find at Bon Fromage 2023:

  • A_B_Cheese shop will be selling its French cheese range for you to take your new favourites home
  • Take it cheesy will be serving creamy cheeses on sticks with homemade bread crumbs which have been lightly fried
  • The French Cob Loaf puts melted French cheese in sourdough
  • French Cheese Australia will be serving Raclette (perfect for Bon Fromage 2023’s coinciding with the official start of Winter)
  • Hot Dog Savoyard – cheeses from the French Alp region of Savoy are used to create gourmet cheesy hot dogs
  • Croque-Monsieur – the quintessential French take on the humble ham and cheese toastie – choose from Comte, Emmental or Brie
  • Meraki Eats has created a savoury choux made with European cheese
  • Orléans will be serving Moules-Frites, French Coquille St-Jacques with Gruyère, baguette loaded with Gruyère or raclette
  • French Kiss crêperie will be serving a range of crêpes and galettes including a galette with raclette cheese
  • Saucissons Australia brings its Produit du Terroir range of curated cheeses, pâté and homemade dried sausages. They will also be selling cones filled with Saucissons and Cheese
  • Fromager D’affinois will be showcasing its Pavé d’Affinois
  • Madame and Yves will showcase its authentic French treats with a modern edge

Bon Fromage 2023

CHEESEMONGER AMBASSADORS

Each year, Bon Fromage selects a few cheesemongers as its Ambassadors. This year it has selected Aurore Ghigo and Victor Persinette-Gautrez.

 

Aurore co-founded Cheese on Wheels in 2012. At Bon Fromage 2023, she will teach you that cheese is a creation that engages all the senses, encouraging customers to taste, smell, and feel it in order to develop your own opinions and refine your taste buds.

 

Victor, who owns K-SEIN Fromagerie at South Melbourne Market, is a master cheese maker and has spent years perfecting his craft. He uses only the finest ingredients to create the most delicious and unique cheeses that you won’t find anywhere else.

 

ENTERTAINMENT AT BON FROMAGE 2023

At night, The Bon Fromage stage will switch to a French Disco. Groove to the beats of talented DJs and enjoy the musical stylings of French jazzy bands, adding to the festive and cheesy ambiance.

Bon Fromage 2023

Is it brie you’re looking for? You’ll be feeling bleu if you miss out, so make sure you put Bon Fromage in your plans for next week! Com-té Bon Fromage 2023

 

KEY INFO FOR BON FROMAGE 2023

WHAT: Bon Fromage 2023

WHEN: Thursday 1st to Saturday 3rd June 2023

  • Thursday 1st June 2:30pm – 10pm
  • Friday 2nd June 11am – 10:30pm
  • Saturday 3rd June 11am – 5pm

WHERE: Cargo Hall, Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal, THE ROCKS

HOW: Just go there! Or for Masterclasses, you will need to pre-book and can do so via this link

HOW MUCH: Entry to Bon Fromage and to its tastings is free. The Masterclasses are too but you need to reserve your spot in advance.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Tag Bon Fromage Festival via its @Europeancheeses and Facebook profiles @EuropeanCheesesAustralia

Suggested Hashtags for your Bon Fromage 2023 posts: #BonFromageFestival2023 #EuropeanCheeses #FrenchCheese #EnjoyitsfromEurope

 

For events with French and Francophone links happening this month, check out our What’s on in May

 

Love cheese? Read our other cheese-themed articles

It’s Cheese Soufflé Day!

Which French mouldy cheese to eat for Moldy Cheese Day tomorrow

Cheese Lovers’ Day: cheese subscriptions

Fondue Day is Sunday but what do nuns have to do with fondue?

 

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Tasting Australia 2023: 12 Masterclasses to attend

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Tasting Australia 2023 is back in Adelaide in just over three weeks and as always there are an exciting range of masterclasses featuring champagne and French wines and more. These masterclasses take place at the University of Adelaide Masterclass Pavilion, Town Square, Victoria Square in Adelaide’s city centre. To find out everything you need to know about the French-related masterclasses, read on.

CHAMPAGNE AT TASTING AUSTRALIA 2023

The New Champagne – Growers and Grapes

3pm 7 May

$220

Champagne is all about exuberance. But when it’s new and a little wild? The party just started.

Discover the grapes and growers shaping next-generation international fizz. Eight brilliant bottles will be featured, and not simply new releases. These are wines from tiny growers, made in extremely small quantities, many never before seen in South Australia.

Leading the exploration: wine writer, lover and drinker Mike Bennie, Tasmanian drinks communicator Curly Haslam-Coates, Noosa-based boutique champagne importer Nesh Simic and US sommelier and author Victoria James.

 

WHITE WINE MASTERCLASSES AT TASTING AUSTRALIA 2023

The Greatest White Wine you’ve never tried aka Chenin Blanc

1pm 30 April

$180

Chenin Blanc has been out of the national spotlight for a while. Western Australia remains its stronghold; elsewhere many vineyards planted to the variety have disappeared since the 80s.

In France and South Africa, though, Chenin Blanc’s star never dimmed. The result? Brilliant, versatile wines you just have to try.

Join Master of Wine David LeMire, sommelier Shanteh Wale and importer Iain Cameron to explore sparkling, dry white and sweet wines made with this one multi-faceted variety – including examples from Australia and New Zealand.

Step outside your white wine comfort zone and let Chenin Blanc work its magic.

 

Riesling and why you should drink more of it

3pm 29 April

$180

Riesling is often overlooked by consumers worried it will be sweet, acidic or simply not to their taste. But this variety has much to offer: versatile, food-friendly and great value for starters. Discover why you really should drink more riesling.

Host Nick Ryan will lead a masterclass featuring Clare Valley winemakers Stephanie Toole (Mount Horrocks Wines) and Sam Barry – commercial manager for Jim Barry Wines – plus beverage expert Leanne Altmann. Rieslings from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria and France will share the spotlight.

ROSÉS AND FORTIFIED WINES AT TASTING AUSTRALIA 2023

 

Tickled Pink – Great Rosés

5pm 29 April

$120

Explore a range of styles across this one dynamic category. Explore the best in local rosé, also looking to stellar examples from elsewhere in Australia and around the world. Thinking pink for this masterclass will be South Australians Marcell Kustos, Selina Kelly and Laura Carter, with the insightful Nick Ryan as host.

 

Tasting Australia 2023Sensory Cheese and Fortified Wine

Sunday 30 April

$120

Join cheese expert Valerie Henbest from Adelaide’s Smelly Cheese Co, together with Seppeltsfield chief winemaker Fiona Donald, for this indulgent and interactive tasting.

Treat yourself to very best local and international cheeses curated with a treasure trove of fortified wines, including selections from the iconic Centennial Cellar. The Seppeltsfield 1923 100-year-old Para Vintage Tawny will be among masterclass highlights.

 

RED WINE MASTERCLASSES AT TASTING AUSTRALIA 2023

 

Cabernet – King of Grapes

5pm 6 May

$250

King of grapes is a big call – but cabernet always stands up to scrutiny. South Australian winemaker Charlie Seppelt is set to lead a masterclass focusing on cabernets from renowned international terroirs: the Napa Valley, Coonawarra, Margaret River, Hawkes Bay and of course Bordeaux. Joining him will be fellow University of Adelaide graduate and Tasting Australia 2023 drinks curator Banjo Harris Plane, plus international guest Angelina Mondavi and Yalumba chairman Robert Hill-Smith.

Settle in to explore cabernet at its most impressive, discovering what makes it so long-lived and the complexity and balance great wines made from this variety can offer.

 

Grenache of the World

7pm 29 April

$220

South Australian grenache hit its stride during the past decade. McLaren Vale and the Barossa are our leading local sources; the best wineries are producing modern, elegant styles with restrained levels of alcohol. Further afield Spain and France continue to star. Let’s take a tour.

Discover grenache at its most impressive alongside those helping elevate its South Australian standing: Skye Salter and Charlie Seppelt from McLaren Vale label Paralian, plus Amelia Nolan of the Barossa’s Alkina and wine importer Lachlan Barber

 

A Brave New (Pinot) World

5pm 7 May

$220

Revel in Pinot Noir at its most powerful. Consider the benchmark – France – and new world nations holding their own in style: Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

These are big-ticket wines, each a dazzling expression of pinot noir and worthy of appreciation inits own right. Tasting them together is a rare luxury. Four brackets of two wines will star.

Host Meira Harel will be joined for this masterclass by winemakers Leah Adint and Ben Haines, plus wine professional Erin Larkin.

There’s nothing quite like exceptional pinot. Set forth into this brave new world.

 

MASTERCLASSES ABOUT WINE GENERALLY

Tasting Australia 2023 masterclasses

How to Wine

6pm 3 May

$50

Many people like wine. Far fewer are confident talking about wine. Let’s change that.

It’s easy to be intimidated by the scene. Sometimes it feels as though conversations about wine are deliberately obscure, all technical terms and assumed knowledge. No longer.

Join Tasting Australia 2023 drinks curator Banjo Harris Plane, Sydney-based sommelier Bridget Raffal and winemaker Michael Downer from Adelaide Hills label Murdoch Hill for a fun look at the fundamentals. Got questions? Sorted. Not sure where to start? No worries!

 

Still don’t understand natural wine? (Hint: it’s more than wine)

1pm 6 May

$60

There’s a lot of talk about this part of the wine world – and plenty of misconceptions too. Wine and drinks writer Max Allen will host this masterclass, and will welcome three innovators from the Adelaide Hills (James Erskine (Jauma), Alex Schulkin of The Other Right and Manon’s Monique Millton) to share their stories.

Taste game-changing natural wine and learn how crafting it starts in the soil, the head and the heart

 

The Langton’s Classification

3pm 6 May

$180

Good wine is easy to find – especially if South Australia is home.

The finest wine proves far more elusive. Yalumba chief winemaker Louisa Rose, Seppeltsfield chief winemaker Fiona Donald and Master of Wine Ned Goodwin will lead this exploration. Half the featured wines will be South Australian, half international. Taste your way through five brackets – think Grosset Springvale and Crawford River, Penfolds Yattarna and Cullen’s Kevin John, Best’s shiraz and Yalumba’s Octavius, Katnook and Lakes Folly.

 

Wine! Wine! Party! Party! JOIN THE WAITLIST

5:30pm 28 April

$30

They’re throwing a Tasting Australia 2023 opening night party! One shaped by friends of the festival: a chance to catch up, drink excellent things, and celebrate all that is to come.

It’s on. Town Square will host this Friday night fiesta, with multi-talented Max Veenhuyzen to soundtrack the revelry.

Taste wine chosen by festival drinks curators Meira Harel and Banjo Harris Plane, Pirate Life brews and cocktails by Nick Tesar and local star Mark Reginato.

Which wine masterclass will you attend at Tasting Australia 2023?

KEY INFO FOR TASTING AUSTRALIA 2023

WHAT: Tasting Australia 2023

WHERE: Various locations in Adelaide and South Australia

WHEN: Various dates from 28 April to 7 May 2023

HOW: Purchase your tickets via the event links above or view the whole program via this link: tastingaustralia.com.au

HOW MUCH: Prices vary depending on the event

For other events with French and Francophone links happening in Australia this April, check out our What’s on in April article

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