Star-studded wine and food event Pair’d set to showcase the best of the South West

Blur bassist turned cheese and winemaker Alex James will be the headline act at Pair’d, a new festival showcasing wine, food and music in the Margaret River region to be held in November. Top international chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants will join the Britpop legend at the event, which is owned by the WA State Government. Jonny Lake, the former head chef at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, and Perth-raised grill wizard Dave Pynt from Burnt Ends Singapore, plus Kyle Connaughton from SingleThread, a three-Michelin starred restaurant and biodynamic farm in California, and world-renowned sommelier Isa Bal will show off their expertise and experience alongside the best of the South West’s chefs and wine producers. “It’s a gourmet heaven,” James said. “A vibrant food culture with independent producers, growers and makers everywhere you look. “All that sunshine gives everything so much flavour,” the Blur rock god added James will spin records at Margaret’s Beach Club, a pop-up venue at Castle Bay, alongside Café Del Mar DJ Ken Fan and local sommelier Cyndal Petty during the festival running November 14 to 17. Pair’d highlights include a long table lunch in the Tanah Marah Forest curated by David Zilber, Ben Ing and Paul Iskov — all three chefs have worked at Noma, the Copenhagen institution ranked as the best restaurant in the world on five occasions. Other local culinary stars taking part include Mal Chow from Chow’s Table, Aaron Carr from Yarri in Dunsborough, Jed Gerrard from Wills Domain and Ben Jacob from Lagoon in Yallingup. Established wine brands Cullen, Xanadu, Voyager Estate and Vasse Felix will present a “grand tasting” at Howard Park Wines while the “new wave” of Margaret River producers, including LS Merchants and South by South West, congregate at Skigh Wines in Yallingup on November 16. Origin Series, an umbrella festival within the festival, will see events ranging from wine tastings on a catamaran, desserts paired with vintage wines and art classes held at 15 different venues. Pair’d is produced by Sydney-based events company We Are Gather and Perth’s Mellen Events alongside Margaret River team AHOY Management best known for winter food festival, Cabin Fever. We Are Gather founder Hannah Pike said the festival program, which is officially unveiled on July 30, was curated in a similar fashion to how a sommelier pairs wine with food. “Pair’d is putting forward the best pairings of the destination with the people, the people with the story of place with the wine, the wine with the food, the food with the music,” she said. Ms Pike was keen to differentiate Pair’d from previous such as Gourmet Escape, which was indefinitely cancelled in 2022 when Tourism WA decided not to extend its contract with producers, IMG Events. “Unlike other culinary events that have come before us, Pair’d is a ‘wine and food’ event rather than a food and wine event,” she said. “Much consideration has gone into finding new and surprising pairings to create truly unique events that are accessible for more people to enjoy.” Tourism minister Rita Saffioti said Pair’d would celebrate WA culture and attract visitors from interstate. She described the homegrown event as a “four-day festival where adventure meets indulgence”. “We really look forward to welcoming those visitors to this fantastic new annual event, especially those who can take advantage of the direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Busselton Margaret River Airport,” Saffioti said. Pre-sale tickets go on sale from August 1 with general tickets available from August 5. Prices range from free up to $750 per person. The full 2024 program can be found at pairdmargaretriver.com.