Good Food & Wine Show 2012

[annachan]

I'll be getting tickets for the Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show. It'll be my first time so I don't know what to expect. I'm thinking of the 2 day pass so I can spread out the eating. I've not planned to go to any of the special events (some are show out already anyway), just general admission.

Any tips for a new attendee? Best time to attend? Things/areas to concentrate my time on?

[Shalmanese]

Biggest tip is to avoid temptation of shovelling not-very-good food into your stomach. Your limit is basically stomach capacity and you're useless once it's full. Try to avoid all of the ready-to-eat & convenience stuff and focus on tasting the more high end offerings. It can be tough though because the high end stuff tends to not work very well as a complete meal (jams, chocolates, cured meats, nuts etc.).

[Lisa Shock]

I have never been to this particular show. Shows that I have attended, and worked, that had wine tastings, often had more wine types available to taste than one could/should reasonably drink in an afternoon. (those little 2oz/50-60ml cups add up!) Don't taste all 54 offerings. Talk to the people running the booth about their products. Get them to recommend things that are to your taste. You never know, they sometims have 'special' better bottles hidden away for limited tasting by interested customers. You probably want to get a shot at those bottles rather than the cheap mainstream factory stuff.

Also, talk to the people running interesting food booths. Don't just grab food and walk away. You may find out about special events they are having, special deals on buying their product, plans for opening a new restaurant, job openings, etc. These are great places to network with other foodies.