Sydney Showground will host hundreds of Sydney Royal medal-winning wines, beers, ciders, spirits and fine foods at Grape, Grain & Graze Festival, set to return on September 19. Presented by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, the one-day festival brings together the best of the Sydney Royal Wine, Beer, Cider, Distilled Spirits and Fine Food Shows, giving guests direct access to medal-winning products from across the country in one afternoon. “Grape, Grain & Graze offers outstanding value and an experience unlike anything else in Sydney. Guests can sample hundreds of award-winning wines, beers, ciders and spirits in a single afternoon, while enjoying quality food, live entertainment and the atmosphere of a genuine Sydney Royal celebration,” said Murray Wilton, General Manager, Agriculture & Sydney Royal Easter Show. “Held after Sydney Royal judging, the festival offers guests a rare opportunity to discover and taste recently awarded trophy, gold and silver medal wines from across Australia. “It is ideal for emerging wine lovers keen to discover what they enjoy, as well as enthusiasts wanting to explore favourite varietals and find wines they may not usually encounter in Sydney. “Beer, cider and distilled spirits fans are also well catered for, with recently awarded champions from the Sydney Royal Beer & Cider and Distilled Spirits competitions available to try.” General admission starts at $128.25 and covers entry, tastings of Sydney Royal medal-winning wines, beers, ciders and spirits, grazing stations, live music and access to the Sydney Royal Marketplace. Festivalgoers can also try produce from the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show and pick up meals from food trucks, including Bianco’s Kitchen and Antico Woodfire Pizza. For those wanting to go deeper, there are optional add-ons: trophy-winning wine tastings, a guided medal-winning wine and cheese masterclass, an award-winning beer masterclass, a distilled spirits masterclass and premium food experiences like oysters and dessert boxes. The festival is run by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW, the organisation behind the Sydney Royal competitions and the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Find more food and drink news on Crumb Wire.

KeepCup‘s Ora Insulated Water Bottle now comes in Nitro Pine, a deep, earthy green paired with chrome, available across the bottle range. The Melbourne-founded reusable drinkware brand is rolling Nitro Pine out across the Ora Bottle, the Go Bowl Luxe and the Commuter Insulated Travel Cup, so anyone after a matching set can pick up all three in the one colourway. The Ora Bottle remains KeepCup’s most versatile piece, with two ways to drink from it: through the removable stainless steel straw, or straight from the spout. It’s made for all-day use, whether that’s the gym, the desk or dinner, and works as a simple swap for single-use plastic bottles. The lid is leakproof and one-touch, so it’s safe to throw in a bag and easy to open with one hand. A carry handle and a shape that fits standard cup holders mean it works equally well on the school run or on a hike. It’s vacuum insulated, keeping drinks cold for 24 hours or more, and the stainless steel construction means no flavour transfer between drinks. With fewer parts than most bottles, it’s also quicker to clean. The Ora Bottle is made from 90% recycled stainless steel, with a 50% recycled Tritan lid, keeping it light, durable and lead-free. It’s made to last and to be repaired rather than thrown out, which fits with KeepCup’s broader stance that the most sustainable product is simply the one people keep using. “Hydration is a daily habit and we wanted to create a bottle that is as versatile and easy to use as it is durable,” says Abigail Forsyth, co-founder of KeepCup. “Nitro Pine has become one of our most-loved colourways, and it felt like a natural fit for the Ora Bottle, giving people another way to bring a considered, cohesive design into their everyday routine.” KeepCup was started in Melbourne in 2009 by Abigail and Jamie Forsyth. It began with the world’s first barista-standard reusable cup, made to cut down on single-use coffee cup waste, and the brand is now sold in more than 75 countries. The Ora Bottle in Nitro Pine is available for $60 AUD (700ml) and $70 AUD (950ml) via the Australian website and selected retailers. Source: OneTwo Agency Find more food retail updates on Crumb Wire.

Tell an Australian guest not to bring anything along to a party or casual hang, and watch them do it anyway. New research commissioned by Smith’s has confirmed what most of us already suspected: only 15% of guests actually take “don’t bring a thing” at face value. The rest show up with a bag of chips (30%), something homemade to overachieve quietly (23%), or just anything at all so they’re not the one guest standing there empty-handed (33%). Interestingly, of all Aussies, Gen Z are the most generous party guests, with 91% choosing to bring something; a third (33%) reporting that they will bring something casual like a bag of chips, or something they’ve made to impress their friends (31%), while 27% will bring something so they are not ‘that guest’ who doesn’t bring anything It’s a fitting insight for Smith’s to be sitting on right now, with the brand marking 95 years in Australia and gearing up for National Potato Day on 19 August. But the bigger story buried in the data is about how Australians are hosting in the first place, and the answer is: a lot less formally than they used to. Katherine Twomey, Senior Marketing Manager at PepsiCo ANZ, said the findings reflect a broader cultural shift taking place in Australian homes. “Australians are taking the pressure off hosting. People are swapping perfectly curated tables for more relaxed get-togethers where everyone feels comfortable, and that’s creating more opportunities to connect. “For 95 years, Smith’s has been part of those moments – from family celebrations to spontaneous catch-ups – and while the way we host has evolved, the simple joy of sharing good food with good company hasn’t changed.” Nobody’s trying to impress anyone anymore Almost half (47%) of hosts say having people over at home has become their new normal, more common now than going out. Gone are the days of stressing over a three-course menu and fancy dinner sets, apparently. Hosts across every generation are prioritising keeping costs down (19%), having good ingredients on hand (15%) and general ease (15%), well ahead of trying anything new. Only 5% said experimenting with a new recipe was their top priority, which tracks with 44% saying they’d rather host something smaller and lower-key than attempt a big production. The generational breakdown is where things get interesting, as it would seem staying in has become the new going out. Nearly half of Gen Z (49%) and Gen X (47%) hosts, and more than half of Millennials (54%), now stay in more than they step out for social events, with Baby Boomers not far behind at 37%. It’s less about the spread, more about the company Most say it comes down to comfort, casual and relaxed as opposed to overproduced (74%), and a chance to make things feel personal for their guests (66%). But there’s a quieter motivation running underneath the data too. Gen Z and Millennials are roughly three times more likely than older generations to say they host because they’re feeling lonely, 14% of each, compared with 3% of Gen X and 5% of Baby Boomers. Whatever the reason, the top motivations skew a lot more wholesome: building connection (44%), a genuine love of entertaining (42%) and, let’s be honest, the fact that it’s cheaper than going out (42%). Some hosting rules are still sacred While it reigns as the new norm, relaxed hosting hasn’t killed off old-school etiquette entirely. Ask a Baby Boomer and asking for money at a gathering is still a serious faux pas (63% agree), while Gen Z mostly shrugs it off (39%). Double-dipping remains contentious among Gen X (52%) and Baby Boomers (56%), and finger-licking after a shared bowl of chips is where things get truly divided: 60% of Baby Boomers consider it poor form, trailed by Gen X (57%) and a slightly more forgiving Millennial cohort (46%). Having been in the market for almost a century, Smith’s has been in the unique position of witnessing and trying its best to cater to every shift in hosting trends, without ever risking its brand identity. Source: Omincom Find more food culture updates on Crumb Wire.

Winter’s short window for lingering over a steamer basket is closing fast. There’s something about the cold that makes a dumpling feel non-negotiable, whether it’s the steam rising off a fresh basket or the warmth of a bowl of chilli oil. Yum cha will always be incomparable when it comes to dumplings, but Sydney has plenty of other dumpling stars worth exploring – the kind you may not go looking for but are worth stumbling on when you do. Here are eight spots to squeeze in before winter wraps up. Ashe, Sydney CBD Ashe, the new Southeast Asian grill from The Bentley Group’s executive chef Khanh Nguyen in the CBD, isn’t primarily a dumpling destination, but its fried oxtail dumplings, served with smoked bone marrow, rendang curry and fermented chilli, are exactly the kind of rich, warming plate winter calls for. They sit alongside shellfish plates and a dry-aged bungalow sweet pork cutlet on a menu led by the grill. Gyuniku, Haymarket Gyuniku, the all-you-can-eat Japanese BBQ spot in Haymarket, isn’t a dumpling restaurant in the traditional sense, but its crispy gyoza, straight off the grill, are the kind of hot, quick-fire bite that suits a cold night out. Order them alongside the wagyu beef and self-serve sushi and sashimi station. Buffet options run from $48.99 to $78.99, depending on the tier, with full-blood wagyu MB7–9+ among the higher-end picks. Lilymu, Parramatta At Lilymu in Parramatta Square, the tom yum prawn dumplings bring their own kind of winter warmth, a Chinese-Thai crossover from ex-Mr Wong chef Brendan Fong, served swimming in a bright soy, lime and chilli dressing that cuts through the cold. They sit alongside other stars on the menu, such as the Pacific oysters with a tangy nahm jim dressing and a whole snapper goreng with green mango and sambal. Lotus Barangaroo, Barangaroo At Lotus Barangaroo, the steamed pork wontons, BBQ duck and spinach dumplings, and prawn, calamari and ginger dumplings are the ones diners keep coming back for on a cold night by the harbour. The kitchen’s signature – the one the crowds rush in for – is the lobster, scallop, prawns and squid ink dumpling. The medley of seafood stands out owing to its ‘deconstructed bisque’-like flavour. Lotus Dumpling Bar, Circular Quay and Summer Hill With locations in Circular Quay and Summer Hill, Lotus Dumpling Bar keeps things focused on the classics: pork xiao long bao, crispy prawn dumplings and beef and leek dumplings are the most ordered on the menu. The Sichuan pork and prawn wonton, served with sesame paste and chilli oil, is the best seller, and its warming heat makes it a natural winter order. Missy K at Horse & Jockey, Homebush and Watsons Bay Hotel Missy K’s outpost at Horse & Jockey has built a following on its rotating lineup of house-made dumplings, with the Zi-Zhuan pork and chilli peanut wontons, wild mushroom, truffle and thyme dumplings, and lamb and leek dumplings among the most popular on the menu. The standout, though, is the pork and apple cider pot sticker, Missy K’s best seller and a dish that embraces the season with its warm, spiced apple notes. Over at Watsons Bay Hotel, Missy K is running its dumpling menu until 29 August, so there’s a hard deadline on this one before winter, and the season, are both over. Diners are gravitating toward the chicken and garlic chive, shiitake mushroom, and pork and cabbage gyoza, while the crab, snow pea and XO dumpling holds the title of best seller. Woollahra Hotel, Woollahra Art deco or not, a pub isn’t the first place that comes to mind for a dumpling run. It would seem Woollahra Hotel‘s Monday dumpling nights have made quite a splash, with the decision to list pork xiao long bao, mushroom and chestnut dumplings, and prawn har gow as regular menu fixtures. The prawn har gow takes the title of best seller – a straightforward pick that’s earned its place. Find more food and drink features on Crumb Wire.