Tasting Australia

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister update members on how the recent record-breaking Tasting Australia event showcased South Australia as not only a tourism destination but also a premium food and wine producer?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:55): I thank the member for his ongoing interest in our burgeoning food and wine sector. Tasting Australia is South Australia's premier eating and drinking festival and is one of the pre-eminent food and wine festivals in Australia. In fact, it was a Liberal initiative back in the former Liberal government that started Tasting Australia. This year, it was held from 5 to 14 April, and it has gone from strength to strength since it was established back in 1997, as I said before, under a previous state Liberal government.

Tasting Australia promotes our state as a culinary and tourism destination, showcasing South Australia's wonderful food and beverage experiences. The event is focused on people (the chefs, the producers and the restaurants), the produce (South Australian seafood, meat, wine and spirits) and the place (the wonderful destinations in South Australia). Tasting Australia not only showcases our city and our regions but it creates a platform for South Australia's culinary and beverage excellence to be showcased to potential investors and exporters.

The 2019 event saw two records broken, with an attendance of more than 64,000 people who attended the Town Square for Tasting Australia and with more than 9,400 tickets sold throughout the festival. The economic impact is currently being generated by Action Market Research. This year, we also had a sizeable trade focus. The event worked closely with the Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment to present the Tasting Australia buyers and influencers program, which showcased innovative export-ready food and beverage products to the Chinese and American buyers and influencers.

Coinciding with food and wine inbound missions focused on promoting South Australia's premium food and wine export opportunities, we hosted 15 delegates from China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. They participated in an immersive experience designed to profile South Australia's premium food products—things like packaged foods, dairy, seafood, beverages and meat—to drive exports to those key Asian markets.

The wine mission hosted eight delegates from the United States, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia, participating in a program designed to profile South Australia's premium wines and regions. The food delegates visited the Barossa Valley, Port Lincoln, the Adelaide Hills and metropolitan Adelaide. There was a great opportunity to interact with existing and emerging food, beverage and spirit producers. South Australian producers were given the opportunity to exhibit their products and gain insight from these decision-makers and influencers.

The wine delegates visited the Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and the Barossa wine regions and interacted with wine exporters from Langhorne Creek, the Riverland, Kangaroo Island and the Limestone Coast through the South Australian food and wine producers trade showcase. During the five-day visit program, wine delegates met with representatives from 49 wineries, visited 13 wineries and participated in six wine masterclasses, 12 wine tastings, one spirit tasting and a winery speed dating session. In total, 64 South Australian wineries featured in the program.

During the visit, delegates posted to social media sites, including Instagram and Facebook. The director of wine education, Winebow Group, filmed the masterclasses held in the Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Barossa wine regions for use by the Winebow Group's wine education department and their community of wine and spirits educators. The festival creates a tangible link between South Australia and the culinary world through the attendance and involvement of international and national chefs, winemakers, sommeliers, media and industry leaders.