Organised by Culture Liverpool, Marketing Liverpool and Liverpool BID, Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux will take place to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Tony McDonough reports
A new food and drink festival backed by the Bordeaux Wine Council and the French Government will take place in Liverpool this summer.
Organised by Culture Liverpool, Marketing Liverpool and Liverpool BID, Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux will take place over four days from June 2 to 5. It is timed to coincide with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne.
Three city centre food and drink destinations, Hope Street, Bold Street and Castle Street, will offer immersive food experiences with takeovers by local restauranteurs and producers, cookery demonstrations, food inspired cultural events and venues offering special festival menus.
And visitors can say “bonjour” to some of Bordeaux’s world-famous wine producers. They’ll be arriving in the city as part of the partnership with Vin de Bordeaux to showcase some of the region’s finest wines, alongside tastings and masterclasses.
The festival is free to attend with ticketed experiences available for wine tasting. Tickets will be on sale soon. It is part of Liverpool being the host city for the Bordeaux Wine Festival in 2022.
Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson said: “We’re delighted to be creating this festival in collaboration with the city’s fantastic food and drink sector, the city of Bordeaux and hosting Europe’s most prestigious wine festival alongside our sister cities Bordeaux, Brussels, Quebec and Hong Kong.
“And for visitors, there’s no better festival to plan a trip around than Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux. Food is the most delicious way to explore Liverpool.”
Allan Sichel, vice-president of the Bordeaux Wine Council, added: “We look forward to being back in Liverpool bringing our passionate and committed winemakers and merchants who are happy to offer tastings of their wine and talk about their style and share details of great diversity of Bordeaux wines.
“Wine and food are closely linked and the involvement of Liverpool’s top chefs and restaurants with Bordeaux wines promises visitors excellent tasting experiences. Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux is part of a long-term cultural and tourist partnership between our cities.”
One of the restaurateurs taking part in the festival will be Paul Askew chef patron at The Art School and creative director of the festival. He said: “Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux is the most exciting and important event in terms of gastronomy and food and drink culture development ever for Liverpool.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of our dining scene across the entire spectrum of what we have to offer here. And to be able to match this to fantastic wines and Bordeaux’s 300-year history with the UK is truly momentous.
Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID said the festival was an acknowledgment of how far Liverpool’s food and drink sector has progressed in recent years. He explained: “The independent restaurants, cafes and bars reflect the city’s rich diversity.
“That you can eat in Lebanon one night, pop to Persia the next, cross the road to India the following evening and then stop off for an Italian-Scottish blend for lunch reflects Liverpool’s blossoming food scene and, most importantly, the ability of food lovers to bring their culture to the plates of the city.”
More information about the festival will be announced across www.visitliverpool.com/TasteLiverpool