Food and wine? How divine!

The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF) is upon us and once again Southbank takes centre stage, with some of the best events of the festival and the location of the festival hub.

The Urban Coffee Farm and Brew Bar is described as the “meeting point for the festival” and will be located at Queensbridge Square. The pop-up cafe will run for all 17 days of the festival.

The space will be designed to celebrate Melbourne’s love of coffee and will be open daily from 8am.

Festival CEO, Natalie O’Brien said Queensbridge Square made an ideal centre piece for the festival.

“We’re particularly excited about the Urban Coffee Farm and Brew Bar at Queensbridge Square which follows on from the success of the Greenhouse by Joost at last year’s festival,” Ms O’Brien said.

“Queensbridge Square is the perfect location for this exciting project,” she added.

It’s not the only place in Southbank you can immerse yourself in the festival though, with plenty of events happening throughout.

Southgate will again host tasting plates throughout the centre at the various restaurants and eateries within it.

“Celebrate a world of flavour” will be held on the first weekend of the festival. The tasting plates are just the start, with vouchers available to those who purchase a plate, roving entertainment and cooking demonstrations.

Southgate events and marketing manager, Kerrie Allen, said the event was a great way to show off the best of Southgate.

“This is a showcase of all that Southgate has to offer. Enjoy a weekend of delicious food and shopping, then relax by the riverside and enjoy a full line up of live entertainment on the promenade,” Ms Allen said.

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) will also be providing an opportunity to celebrate the festival’s theme of earth when its event From Farm to Fork is held on Wednesday, March 13.

The event includes a tour and taste of the MCEC kitchen, plus you’ll get to meet MCEC executive chef Tony Panetta.

Mr Panetta said the event was a great chance to get a peek inside a world-class kitchen and to see how all the food is brought together.

“Our chefs are excited to cook this one-off menu designed to showcase two of our producers from the Yarra Valley and Macedon Ranges, and give Melburnians a unique dining experience in one of the city’s most stunning locations,” Mr Panetta added.

Not to be outdone, Crown will also be heavily involved in the festival, with a number of activities to look forward to.

Focusing on the middle weekend of the festival (March 9-11) the centre piece of Crown’s festival activities will be a live site on the promenade. The site will be offering tastes from some of the venue’s chefs.

Restaurants involved include Nobu, The Atlantic and The Merrywell. The live site will be open from noon and close at 9pm on Saturday and Sunday, and 6pm on Monday.