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ADD TO YOUR
SKILL SET Getting hands-on is a chance to learn new skills while creating lasting memories. Dianne Bortoletto has a go at some of the Swan Valley’s masterclasses.
SANDALFORD – MAKE YOUR OWN WINE Would there be a bigger brag at a dinner party than “I made this wine myself”? Or a more personal gift of a bottle of wine to mark a birth, anniversary or just for someone special? Budding vintners will be guided through the process at Sandalford Wines to blend their very own vino. For three hours, Sandalford’s expert winemakers will fast-track the wine making journey to the crucial step, the blending. Then a team of wine experts will swill, sip and judge their way through the offerings, before participants take a seat at the table to enjoy a meal with an original newly blended wine. The experience includes a behind the scenes tour.
THE CHEESE MAKER Most people would probably have all the ingredients to make ricotta cheese at home. Making cheese sounds complicated, but in fact, some cheeses are surprisingly easy to make once you’ve mastered the art. The experts at The Cheese Maker run handson classes for making different cheeses including ricotta, haloumi, camembert, Persian fetta, wash rind and farmhouse favourites. After you’ve made cheese, all from scratch, there’s a chance to sit down and sample it. More than a course, The Cheese Maker’s comprehensive take home guide is designed to start you on your own cheese making odyssey at home.
BUSH TUCKER - DALE TILBROOK EXPERIENCES It makes sense for us to eat more of the high-nutrient bush tucker that grows natively in Australia. At Dale Tilbrook Experiences, an Indigenous-based interactive experience, you’ll learn about a variety of herbs, spices, peppers and dried fruits including where they grow and how to incorporate them into your cooking. There’s a large range of bush tucker and bush-
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inspired products including jams, savoury and sweet sauces, pickles, relishes and chutneys, infused olive and macadamia oils, caramelised balsamic, raspberry and fig vinegars infused with Australian flavours such as Lemon Myrtle and Bush Tomato as well as dried fruits, herbs, spices, seeds and peppers. It’s not just healthy but delicious too and after sampling a variety of bush foods, you’ll finish with a delectable Quondong jam tart and a bush flavoured cake.
ASPARAGUS MASTERCLASS – EDGECOMBE BROTHERS A whole masterclass on asparagus – that’s not something you’ll read every day. From approximately September to November, Edgecombe Brothers winery shares their knowledge on how to grow, harvest, prepare and cook asparagus. You’ll spend some time in the asparagus patch picking fresh green spears, which, by the way, taste incredible raw. Originally planted by the late Walter Edgecombe in the late 1990s, the winery grows about four tonnes of asparagus every year. Your fresh asparagus will be prepared for lunch and under the
