The Raclette Igloo Experience

Marshmallows around firepits and a private igloo where you and friends feast on raclette (warm, gooey, melted cheese) draped over cured meats, potatoes and pickles, while drinking mulled wine and looking out at the night sky. Does it get cosier than that? Not unless you’re in the Swiss Alps.

The Raclette Igloo Experience, Festival Plaza, Adelaide, Kaurna Country, until Sunday 9 June.

Clare Valley SCA Gourmet Week

An absolute must and only a couple of hours away from Adelaide. This year sees the festival’s 40th anniversary; they’ll celebrate with more than 85 events including wine tastings, gourmet dinners with local and guest chefs, food and wine pairing events, and cooking demonstrations highlighting local produce. In a nod to history, the Clare Valley Wine And Grape Association will host a special Hall Of Fame gala dinner at O’Leary Walker Wines (Friday 24 May).

Clare Valley SCA Gourmet Week, Clare Valley, Ngadjuri and Kaurna Country, Friday 17–Sunday 26 May.

Winter Of Wine, Food And Friendship

Winemaker Briony Hoare isn’t one to let the seasons get in the way of a good time. Her McLaren Vale cellar door, Beach Road Wines, is known for great events. This winter, she’ll host three nights: Mulled, featuring wholesome food, mulled wine and live music; Winter Frost-ival, themed around food and wine; and Fondue And Groove, where fondue and dancing star.

Winter Of Wine, Food And Friendship. Beach Road Wines, McLaren Vale, Kaurna Country, Saturday 8 June–Saturday 10 August.

The Drop In: Reds Edition – The Rise Of Alternative Varieties

There’s a lot to love about sitting by a fire with a glass of red in hand, and you can do exactly that at this National Wine Centre event. Think barbera, tempranillo, aglianico, mencia, blaufränkisch and many more exotic varieties from producers across the nation. Entry includes unlimited tastings and a complimentary Spiegelau glass to savour your favourite pours.

The Drop In: Reds Edition – The Rise Of Alternative Varieties National Wine Centre Of Australia, Adelaide, Kaurna Country, Friday 21 June.

Porchetta Party @ Oliver’s Taranga

Porchetta on a nippy day (particularly the crispy crackling) is just what the doctor ordered. The Oliver’s Taranga Porchetta Party has gathered quite a following for its long Sunday lunch culminating in the slow roasted, Italian-style porchetta prepared by local chef Todd Steele.

Porchetta Party @ Oliver’s Taranga, Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards, McLaren Vale, Kaurna Country, Sunday 23 June, Sunday 29 September.

Cellar Dwellers

You don’t have to be a wine aficionado to appreciate the beauty of aged wine, but if you are a wine buff this one's for you. Enthusiasts and the curious flock to Coonawarra during July as wineries dust off rare cellar treasures that aren’t usually available for day-to-day tastings. There are more than 40 events, activities, tastings, degustation dinners, long lunches, chocolate and wine pairing, and cooking classes to choose from.

Cellar Dwellers, Coonawarra, Boandik Country, Monday 1–Wednesday 31 July.

Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival

What do you get when you pour thousands of beers, add a side of barbecue (the pro kind), and pop a bunch of live rock bands on top? Mayhem: the fun kind. This is a favourite for craft beer and interesting beverage lovers. Bad//Dreems perform on Saturday while Peter Combe And The Newspaper Mama Band hit the stage on kid-and-dog-friendly Sunday (see feature on page 31).

Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival, Adelaide Showground, Wayville, Kaurna Country, Friday 12–Sunday 14 July.

Cellar Door Fest

Sip the handiwork of more than 180 South Australian wineries, all under one roof. Wine and spirit producers from the far corners of the state converge on the CBD for this showcase of vinous delights from the Riverland, Kangaroo Island, Langhorne Creek, Adelaide Hills, Clare Valley, Barossa, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and the Limestone Coast. There’s food and live music to boot.

Cellar Door Fest, Adelaide Convention Centre, Kaurna Country, Friday 19 & Saturday 20 July.

Winter Reds

Wineries across the vast Adelaide Hills stoke their fires for this annual event, where cellar doors, tasting spaces and restaurants all showcase their beautiful reds. There’s so much to twirl, sniff and taste: pinot noir, syrah, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and alternative varieties such as tempranillo, nebbiolo and gamay. Events are split into categories; Tour + Taste (visit a few wineries in one day for live music, DJs, firepits, mulled wine, casual food and wine tastings), Cosy Classes (wine immersions and tasting flights hosted by an expert) and Fire + Feast (lunches and dinners of the indulgent kind).

Winter Reds, Adelaide Hills, Peramangk Country, Friday 26–Sunday 28 July.

Fleurieu Food Festival

Clear your diary for August because this moveable feast runs for the entire month. The Fleurieu Peninsula is home to hundreds of food and wine producers, showcased by lunches, dinners, cooking demos, workshops and markets. Local producers embrace the chance to open their farm gates, cafés, restaurants, markets, wineries, breweries, distilleries, community spaces and venues for one-off, unforgettable experiences. Think lunches in olive groves and a strawberry fest in forest surroundings.

Fleurieu Peninsula, Ngarrindjeri, Ramindjeri, Kaurna, and Peramangk Country, Thursday 1–Saturday 31 August.

Oyster Palooza

If oysters and gin are your jam, Never Never Distilling Co’s Oyster Palooza Festival is one for the diary. The hilltop McLaren Vale shindig celebrates the mollusc in many forms, including freshly shucked, plus gin tastings sipped from oyster shells in a whole weekend’s worth of food and drink fun.

Oyster Palooza, Chalk Hill Collective, McLaren Vale, Kaurna Country, Friday 2–Sunday 4 August.

Royal Adelaide Show

Roll up, roll up, it’s showtime! South Australia’s largest, longest-running event is particularly exciting for youngsters. Perhaps it’s the menagerie of animals that make their way from their farms to the city, or maybe it’s the rides, the sideshows, the classic Adelaide Show bites (dagwood dog and fairy floss anyone?) or the Showbags . . . There’s plenty here for foodies of all ages to enjoy.

Royal Adelaide Show, Adelaide Showground, Wayville, Kaurna Country, Saturday 31 August–Sunday 8 September.