Created in 2013 by award-winning sommelier and passionate Italophile Lara Caraturo, the Italian Wine + Food Festival celebrates and promotes Italian food and wine 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 above all all things Italian. Their mission is to create engaging and informative events featuring artisans, quality wineries, renowned chefs and personalities, allowing guests to discover industry luminaries and rising stars and deepen their love for authentic Italian wine and food. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In an effort to capture the spirit of Italy's rich food culture and the diversity of its many regions, they offer guests the opportunity to explore Italian wines region by region, sample food, coffee and beer, as well as feast on authentic Italian pizza, pasta and snacks. Held at The Cutaway and Barangaroo Reserve, the festival's Sydney incarnation found an appropriate backdrop to celebrate its fifth anniversary and cater to audiences ranging from spaghetti-loving kids to committed Italian-speaking wine connoisseurs. Sydney's top Italian chefs were turning out in force to make this a day to remember, with local favorites 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) lead the charge providing cooking demonstrations with chefs and suppliers on Smeg's Main Stage. A market-like setup that allowed for shopping and tasting opportunities, full of cured meats, cheeses, pasta, bread, coffee, olive oil, pastries and ice cream with Vannella Cheese, Pasta Emilia, Salumi Australia, Dust Bakery, Berkelo, Sweets, Zippoli, Good Memory Olive Oil, Parma Ham Consortium, Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, Loose Goose, Luca Sauces Ciano, Savory Cheeses, That's Amore Cheese, Arancini Art, Molecola, Traders of Truffle, Rivareno Gelato, Drink in Style, Cantina V, Vinotopia, Botella, as well as a Nutella Pop-up. Over 200 Italian wines were on offer, separated by region, as well as Italian-focused Australian wines alongside curated Italian wine masterclasses offering insights into winemaking, grape varieties, regions and, most importantly, how good they are. For those in need of a little liquid, there was coffee from the bartenders at Espresso di Manfredi, Birra Moretti on tap, or sip an authentic Italian aperitif from the bar team at Big Poppa, serving Negroni, Venetian Spritz and Americans. Pizza Acrobatics by Italian World Master Pizza Chef 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 means celebrating wine, food and culture together in an inimitable Italian style.