WINE FOOD FARMGATE TRAIL By Melissa Walsh
W
inter is a wonderful time to rug up and get out on the Wine Food Farmgate Trail. The ground cools down
and winter veg comes into its own; ideal for soup and hearty roasts. And while busy harvesting all that delicious produce, our farms and kitchen gardens are also busy preparing the ground for spring plantings. Orchards and vineyards are pruning, pruning, pruning; vignerons are busy bottling this year’s wines, and releasing the next vintage of wines. There is joy in finding makers of hot crusty bread and locally made pies that really hit the spot on the colder days. Brisk walks along country lanes, making time for fireside dining, or discovering some of the great winter events and special offers. Wine Food Farmgate reveals the Mornington Peninsula’s most delicious secrets where you can eat, forage, sip, shop, learn and tour the very best of this region.
Now in its third year, the Wine Food Farmgate trail is the brainchild of Tracey Cooper, chairman Regional Tourism Board, and has already received state awards as well as the Australian tourism award this year. “It started when I noticed that our wonderful tourism venues weren’t pulling together to produce an entire Mornington Peninsula tourism experience. This gave them an umbrella to work under and it has proved very successful, already winning two state awards and the national award last year,” said Tracey. “In its third year, this project is designed to give the community and visitors’ insight into what is available on the peninsula. We are constantly building the content and have recipes and stories so if you want to continued next page...
Winter 2016
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