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For Australians heading over to Memphis in October, the Memphis Food & Wine Festival will give travellers the perfect excuse to feast on the diverse culinary and wine offerings of the Tennesse city. The festival returns for its fifth iteration at the Radians Amphitheater at the Memphis Botanic Garden on Saturday, October 15, 2022 from 6 pm – 10 pm.

The Memphis Food & Wine Festival offers a luxurious evening under the stars, where patrons will have the chance to interact face-to-face with leading chefs and vintners from across the nation, taste once-in-a-lifetime servings of food designed for this specific event, sample more than 100 curated wines, and do it all with a great Memphis groove.

The festival offers a collaboration between dozens of the best winemakers from around the world and celebrated chefs ranging from the local and familiar to the internationally renowned.

“We curate the wines to be accessible and affordable while being highly reviewed and respected by some of the most esteemed vineyards in the world,” stated festival president David Benson of Southern Glazer Wines and Spirits. “Patrons will not only see names they recognise like Silver Oak, Twomey, Rockmere and Copper Cane, but they will also have the chance to be introduced to new producers who are changing the landscape of American wines.”

Chris Ingram, Director of IGG Destination Marketing, representative of Memphis Tourism in Australia and New Zealand said that the festival will further encourage travellers to book a trip to visit the vibrant city of Memphis.

“Memphis’ food scene is incredibly versatile, which of course includes barbeque but there’s so much more to it! The destination’s wide range of options includes soul food, fine dining, twists on Southern classics, and authentic Italian and Mexican cuisine, and the Memphis Food & Wine Festival gives Aussies the opportunity to sample the best food available in this amazing city, as well as from other areas around the USA,” said Ingram of the festival.

The culinary side will be anchored by host chef co-chairs Wally Joe of Acre Restaurant and Jose Gutierrez of River Oaks who have once again assembled a mind-boggling array of restauranteurs, Master Chefs, engaging personalities, and more amazing food than one person can sample.

The festival will make a leap beyond food and wine for the first time in 2022, introducing the Trust Your Spirit Benefit event, hosted by Wild Turkey Distilling Co. National Ambassador Bruce Russell. The event features a cocktail welcome reception, an evening of spirits education, a guided tour of curated whiskeys from the iconic Wild Turkey Distilling Co. paired with delectable bites from Chef Valarie Hall and legendary tales with Bruce Russell, grandson of Master Distiller Jimmy Russell – the Buddha of Bourbon and son of the renowned Master Distiller Eddie Russell. This separately ticketed event is open to the public and is scheduled for Thursday, October 13 at Ridgeway Country Club.

Since its inaugural event in 2016, the Memphis Food & Wine Festival has donated over $375,000 to local charities. This year the festival has announced a new charitable focus, with the primary beneficiary for 2022 being the Mid-South Food Bank. “Food insecurity is a real issue in our community,” stated chairman Benson. “Our board thought it was important to align our celebration of great food with an entity that helps meet the basic food needs of people in our community who need that boost.”

Food Bank CEO Cathy Pope added, “Mid-South Food Bank is the leading food distributor in our region. We feed the need by distributing millions of pounds monthly to families fighting hunger. Hunger can impact anyone at any time. That’s why we depend on and are grateful for community partners like the Memphis Food and Wine Festival to support our mission of eliminating hunger in the Mid-South.” A portion of the event proceeds will also benefit the James D. Eason Transplant Institute at Methodist Hospital.

In true Memphis fashion, the festival will also include an array of great artists. After all, you can’t have a festival in Memphis without outstanding music. The W. C. Handy Band will greet patrons upon arrival, and main stage sets will feature the Will Sexton Quintet and the Ghost Town Blues Band. The Joe Restivo Trio will perform at the invitation-only VIP event on Friday October 14 at the Hyatt Centric.

Visit www.memphisfoodwinefestival.org for the complete list of participating vintners and chefs, as well as for complete festival information and more details on the Trust Your Spirit Benefit event. Tickets for both events are available on the website.

Additionally, festival tickets are available on ticketmaster.com and Trust Your Spirit Benefit event tickets are available on Eventbrite.com

The Memphis Food & Wine Festival is a 501(c)(3) organisation founded to showcase Memphis’ culinary talent while raising funds for a selected non-profit.

For more information on Memphis, please visit https://www.memphistravel.com/