A Little Bit of Italy in Broke Promises the Best of the Good Life

The highly-anticipated culinary celebration that is A Little Bit of Italy in Broke is once more promising another incredible Italian-style weekend as stunning Broke Fordwich comes to life with all the vitality and warmth long associated with Mediterranean hospitality for the 15th year of this annual event.

The event will run on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April and will span 12 venues, bringing with it a weekend full of fun and hospitality – as well as an abundance of fresh, authentic cuisine, local produce, cooking classes, workshops, demonstrations, vineyard tours and the region’s renowned local wines.

The weekend will kick off with the famed Margan Welcome Dinner on Friday night where a three-course Italian-inspired menu in the stunning piazza under the stars will set the tone for the Festival. Over the weekend the Margan piazza will continue to be a drawcard, offering antipasto platters, salads, cheeses, coffee and sweets to guests as they indulge in all the pleasures of the cellar door.

Among some of the incredible cuisine on offer will be gourmet Italian barbecue, organic cheese and olives at Ascella Organic Wines; gourmet Italian picnic share hampers from Greenway Wines; wood-fired pizza and gelato in the Tuscan-inspired courtyard at Krinklewood; and delicious antipasto platters at Winmark Wines.

Visitors will also love the dishes at Mount Broke Wines such as traditional wood-fired pizza, antipasto, truffle gnocchi and delicious Italian desserts; while Greenway Wines will host the famed Long Red Table on the bank of the Wollombi Brook. Tinonee Vineyard Estate will tempt you with classic favourites like gelato and Italian-originated macaroon, while at Whispering Brook a mouth-watering menu of Italian favourites will be served. And for the sausage lover, Somerville Wines is the place to go for homemade Italian sausages by the Barbalance family.

Dinner will also be available at Catherine Vale Wines and Nightingale Wines. Once again there’s plenty on offer for those who love cooking and creating as much as eating, with gnocchi-making classes; Italian cooking demonstrations; Zafferano wine masterclasses; the Margan harvest and cooking school; and a ‘You are what you eat – why organic?’ workshop at Ascella Wines.

Some workshops and demonstrations are free, while others charge a fee and require bookings.

There is a free shuttle running from McTaggert Park on the SATURDAY ONLY to take visitors to and from Ascella Organic Wine and Catherine Vale Vineyard. Find the bus schedule here.

Tickets too the event are $16.90 or $43.30 for the ticket and Rover shuttle bus (takes you to ALL wineries). Once again, a Little Bit of Italy in Broke has partnered with the Singleton Cancer Appeal and glass sponsor Zafferano, with $2 from every Zafferano glass sold going to the appeal. For more information and tickets visit www.italyinbroke.com.au

Second Photo by Dominique Cherry