Ms Carland’s Quiet Mutiny label was just taking off when COVID hit, on the back of a series of national trophy wins and stellar reviews from the likes of James Halliday.
With Dark Mofo and the Taste festival cancelled and Festivale scaled-down, Ms Carland is focusing her attention on smaller events such as farmers markets, cheese and wine tastings and “meet the winemaker” dinners at restaurants like Willing Bros., where the chefs match their courses to her wines.
"Without those big festivals it’s really hard to grow your customer base, so these smaller, COVID-safe events are a really good way to create a connection between winemakers and customers who enjoy delicious wine and want to learn more about the winemaking process,” Ms Carland said.
Ms Carland is also driving plans for the Wine South Open Vineyard Weekend in February, which she said would provide a much-needed boost to winemakers in southern Tasmania.
Dark Mofo food curator Jo Cook has spent 2020 frantically working out new ways to support the many Tasmanian food and beverage producers who rely on Mona’s festivals for an annual income boost.
When a building awards night switched to an online format rather than a gala dinner, Ms Cook designed a unique gift box full of non-perishable Tasmanian nibbles and drinks for the online attendees to enjoy at home on the night.
The design worked so well and attracted so many online enquiries that Ms Cook has decided to keep selling the boxes, which contain chocolate, dehydrated hummus, freeze-dried cheese and other snacks that do not have to be refrigerated.
“It’s a great idea for some of those remote accommodation providers,” Ms Cook said. More details at,
www.jocookfood.comMs Carland will be at Hobart’s Farm Gate market on December 6.
