Flemington Grazing Lunch
The Victoria Racing Club invited The World Loves Melbourne to the Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door, a Melbourne Food and Wine Festival event, with a celebrity grape stomping challenge in the Mounting Yard.
Commentated by 35-time Melbourne Cup racecaller Greg Miles OAM, famous faces included Emirates Melbourne Cup winning jockey Damien Oliver, stage queens Rhonda Burchmore and Maria Venuti AM, Myer milliner Kerrie Stanley, English ex-pat trainer Matt Cumani, jockey Katelyn Mallyon, Melbourne FC player and racing enthusiast Jack Watts and Flemington Ambassador Georgia Connolly who climbed into wine barrels for a Flemington race of a different kind.
Eight-time Group 1 winner and crowd favourite Apache Cat watched over proceedings.
Afterwards, acclaimed chef Robin Wickens from The Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld treated VIP guests to a tantalising long-table grazing lunch in the Mounting Yard (we dined at the Royal Mail Hotel a few days later), offering a taste of what racegoers can expect at the Flemington Grazing Trail & Cellar Door on Super Saturday, March 12.
Wolf Blass Chief Winemaker Chris Hatcher guided guests through wine pairings from the recently launched Luxury Collection. Channel 7’s My Kitchen Rules contestants Tasia and Gracia and power couple Zana and Gianni joined festivities—with a view to stomp some grapes of their own—ahead of their Super Saturday appearance at Flemington.
Super Saturday, Flemington’s largest raceday outside of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, boasted the autumn’s premier Group 1 races, the Australian Cup and Lexus Newmarket Handicap.
The famous front lawn came alive with the Flemington Grazing Trail and Cellar Door, showcasing more than 40 of the best boutique wineries, breweries and producers, with cooking demonstrations from leading chefs Alejandro Saravia (Pastuso), Anthony Femia (Maker & Monger), Robin Wickens (The Royal Mail Hotel), Matt Stone (Oakridge), Florent Gerardi (Ôter) and dessert queen Phillipa Sibley.