There's just under three weeks to go before Bristol's Harbourside will be buzzing with the return of the Grape and Grain Festival. In its second year, visitors to this lively, fun and vibrant weekend event (18th – 20th September) will taste a multitude of craft beers, stunning ciders and superb wines from across the region, country and world. With a cocktail and Prosecco bar, Cowshed barbecue, Zerodegrees 'Meet the Brewmaster' events, music and entertainment for all, at £5 a ticket it is not to be missed!
With so many delicious drinks to choose from, including craft beer brought to you by Hope & Anchor and Bristol Craft Beer Bar, it is only natural to also host a large variety of local food stalls and chef demonstrations. In addition to Bristol's Cowshed's unbelievably good barbecue and hog roast which is bound to tempt all, Rick Stein's Cookery School head chef, Mark Puckey, will be holding a cookery demonstration and a fish filleting masterclass on Saturday afternoon.
There are lots of food and drink festivals, but this one will stand out for its relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, which will appeal to all. Grape and Grain Festival has something for everyone. For children the Festival is filled with games, face painting and water fun. Adults can make a night of it with the Festival's late opening hours (until 10.30pm) on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th. With music helping create a late summer atmosphere taking place throughout the evening, those attending will enjoy a range of craft beers and world wines whilst tucking into delicious dishes from one of the many food stalls. Not to mention it being a fantastic place to celebrate the opening weekend of the Rugby World Cup.
Worldwide drinks producers are all set to gather for the weekend to provide sampling and buying opportunities of their wide ranging produce. Highlights include festival sponsor, Zerodegrees, who are holding a “Meet the Brewmaster” event that gives visitors the opportunity to discuss and learn brewing processes and taste their full range of beers, which are brewed fresh on-site in their Bristol microbrewery. Simon, Brew Master at Zerodegrees Bristol, says: “Beer isn't just beer to us and they are definitely not all the same. Festivals like Grape and Grain allow people to try lots of craft beers, as well as other drinks, so that they can really taste the differences and discover their favourites.”
Another crowd puller will be festival sponsors Gancia and Bottega who will be popping bottles of their Italian Prosecco throughout the weekend. Prosecco, which has now overtaken sales of Champagne in the UK, is very much the fizz of the moment and will certainly be popular with the many ladies attending. Also there will be a cocktail masterclass held by Flipside Cocktail Club of Clifton will teach visitors how to shake up a selection of Grape and Grain themed cocktails. A weekend packed with entertainment with an element of education and huge amounts of sociability and fun.
Drinks play a very important part in Bristol's history, with a long standing record of wine and sherry importing. Grape and Grain will be offering Port, beer and wines from some of the many international cities that Bristol is twinned with, including Bordeaux, Hannover, Oporto, Tbilisi and Guangzhou.
There will be a shuttle ferryboat service from Wapping Warf to the Amphitheatre throughout the weekend. An additional late night ferry service will run from the festival site to Temple Meads Station.
There are also a number of cycle paths that will allow you to easily cycle to the Festival and bike parking will be available on site.
