With some of the top wine regions in Australia and a wealth of local producers and growers, South Australia is considered one, if not, THE culinary center of Australia. Epicurean travelers will love the various classes and culinary tours being offered by top chefs and tastemakers. Choose from wood-oven cooking in the Barossa Valley, known for its Shiraz, Gourmet Weekends in the Clare Valley, famous for its Rieslings, Central Market Tours and more. For those who delight in farmer�s markets, seasonal ingredients, local products and interesting food folk, South Australia is the place to go:

�Taste the Barossa� with Award-winning Regional Chef Mark McNamara Chef McNamara�s full day tour starts with a tour around the Barossa Farmer�s Market, fast becoming known as one of the top markets in Australia. Then the group heads to the Nuriootpa Tafe Campus and takes a food and wine pairing course followed by a late lunch. This tour runs the last Saturday of every month. An additional 2-hour food and wine pairing course is also offered on the last Friday of each month. Further details are on www.southaustralia.com

A Taste of South Australia Mary Anne Kennedy hosts private wine and food tours as well as cooking school tours for couples and groups. Her tours include visits to Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa and McLaren Vale wine regions and more. Her Barossa Valley one-day tour includes private meetings with winemakers and top local food producers. Highlights of this tour include such delights as a wood-fired oven cooking class and a visit to the Farm Shop of Maggie Beer, an Australian culinary icon. Numerous other one and two day tours and extended tours combining regions are available as well. Be ready to book your ticket when you visit the website, the trips are all too enticing... www.tastesa.com.au.

Mercure Grand Mt Lofty House, Adelaide Hills For visitors who want to just do a one-day cooking class, Mt. Lofty is the place to go. This elegant, historic hotel on one of the most idyllic sites in South Australia runs one-day cooking retreats the first Tuesday of every month. Each �Tasty Tuesday� retreat includes a hands-on cooking class, tastings by Adelaide Hills� food and wine producers and a two-course lunch in Hardy�s Restaurant. Three-day cooking retreats, including accommodation and all activities and meals, are also planned throughout 2004. Each retreat will feature cooking classes, wine tasting with Adelaide Hills winemakers and more. Upcoming dates are May 28-30, June 25-27, July 16-18 and August 20-22. Individual and group bookings are also available at www.mtloftyhouse.com.au.

Kangaroo Island Wilderness Resort Gourmet Retreat Guest chefs Italian- Australian Rosa Matto and Chef Andrew Fielke, a recognized expert in cooking with Australian native foods will lead an all-inclusive five night, six day gourmet cooking class retreat June 21-26. Experience the best Kangaroo Island has to offer�fabulous seafood, fresh produce, boutique wines and the iconic attractions of the island. What better way to see Kangaroo Island than with some of the top chefs, winemakers, local producers and naturalist guides in all of Australia? To learn more visit www.austdreaming.com.au

Thorn Park Country House An award winning gourmet retreat, Thorn Park offers Residential Cooking Schools both midweek and on weekends. The humorous, entertaining classes are meant to be fun and co-proprietor David Hay�s irresistible charm guarantees a good time for all. Special guest chefs from some of South Australia�s top restaurants are a regular feature, providing fresh and innovative views on the ancient art of cooking. Some upcoming classes include Food from Vietnam, May 25 -27 May and a Guest Chef Weekend with Connie Rotolo, June 18-20. Check out www.thornpark.com.au for more information.

Outdoors on Parade, Adelaide The list of upcoming classes at Outdoors on Parade reads like a Who�s Who of top chefs from renowned restaurants throughout Australia. Each night a different South Australian winery is featured and wines are paired to complement the dishes of the evening at these classes taught at a stylish shop just outside of Adelaide. For more information, check out www.outdoorsonparade.com.au.

Rosa Matto Cooking School, Adelaide Regular cooking classes are run throughout the year, with a focus on Italian cooking. One of her most popular classes, �From Market to Table� includes a visit to Adelaide�s two-and-a-half acre Central Market to buy ingredients, followed by an afternoon or evening cooking class. Cooking classes at Rosa Matto can also be combined with MaryAnne Kennedy�s A Taste of South Australia tours. To learn more, visit www.rosamatto.com.

Blessed Cheese, McLaren Vale This wonderful caf� and shop in McLaren Vale runs cheese and chocolate making classes. Cheese making courses include basic cheese-making theory, general understanding of milk and cheese physiology and more. Chocolate courses are taught by Elizabeth Toumbos, the original proprietor of Cocolat/Death by Chocolate, a posh chocolate shop on King Williams Street in Adelaide. To learn more about the classes and see how much fun they have at this shop, visit www.blessedcheese.com.au.

For more information about culinary tours, classes and packages contact the South Australian Tourism Commission at 888.768.8428 or visit www.southoz.com on the web.

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Media Contact: Trisha Cole +1 323.656.2224 trisha@wagstaffworldwide.com