Established in 2013 by award-winning sommelier and passionate Italophile Lara Caraturo, the Italian Wine + Food Festival celebrates and promotes Italian wine and food culture in Australia. It is produced by Lara and the team at Progetto Panevino, an events company obsessed with all things wine and food, and especially all things Italian. Their mission is to create engaging and informative events with artisans, quality wineries, renowned chefs and personalities, allowing guests to discover industry luminaries as well as rising stars, and deepen their love for wine and authentic Italian cuisine. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay Aiming to capture the spirit of Italy's rich gastronomic culture and the diversity of its many regions, they offer customers the opportunity to explore Italian wines. region by region, taste food, coffee and beer, and feast on authentic Italian pizza, pasta and snacks. Held at The Cutaway and Barangaroo Reserve, the Sydney incarnation of the festival found a fitting backdrop to celebrate its fifth anniversary to appease audiences ranging from spaghetti-loving kids to the most committed Italian-speaking wine connoisseurs. Sydney's best Italian chefs were in attendance. in force to make it an unforgettable day, with popular locals Giovanni Pilu (Pilu at Freshwater), Lucio Galletto (Lucio's), Federico Zanellato (LuMi), Stefano Manfredi and Gianluca Donzelli (Pizzaperta), Nino Zoccali (Pendolino), Richard Ptacnik (Otto Ristorante), Gabriele Taddeucci (Balla), Lucio de Falco (Lucio Pizzeria) and Youssef Touati (Salt Meats Cheese) led the charge in offering cooking demonstrations with chefs and vendors on the Smeg main stage. A market-like setup allowed for shopping and tasting opportunities, brimming with salami, cheese, pasta, bread, coffee, olive oil, pastries and gelato with Vannella Cheese, Pasta Emilia, Salumi Australia, Dust Bakery, Berkelo, Dolcettini, Zippoli, Buon Ricordo. Olive Oil, Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, Consorzio del Parmigiano Reggiano, Free Range Goose, Luca Ciano Sauces, Cured Meat Cheese, That's Amore Cheese, Arancini Art, Molecola, Truffle Traders, Rivareno Gelato, Drink in Style, Cellar V , Vinotopia, Botella, as well as a Nutella Pop-up. Over 200 Italian wines were on offer, separated by region, as well as Italian-centric Australian wines as well as curated Italian wine masterclasses offering insight into winemaking, grape varieties, regions and, best of all, how they good taste. For those in need of a little liquid, there was coffee from the baristas at Espresso di Manfredi, Moretti beer on tap, or sip on an authentic Italian aperitif from the bar team at Big Poppa, serving Negroni's, Venetian Spritz and Americanos. Pizza Acrobatics from Italian master pizza maker and Australia's Got Talent star Youssef Ben-Touati of Salt Meats Cheese and Melbourne band Santa Taranta performing traditional southern Italian music provided entertainment. A perfectly curated festival is about celebrating wine, food and culture together in inimitable Italian style..