Every party needs a few things to get started – good food, good wine, good people. And if anyone knows the recipe for a good time it is food folk. So they sure have one hell of a party planned to celebrate the 25th Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, which begins this Friday.

The House of Food and Wine will be the hub of the festival, where for 10 days there’ll be sit-down dinners and drop-in drinks, small plates and cocktail shakes and where the doors are open to all.

Morgan McGlone from Belle’s Hot Chicken has created the bar menu, taking inspiration from the past 24 years of the festival. Ace sommelier Mark Protheroe (The Recreation) has chosen wines that will make up the house list to be served alongside natural wine guru Patrick Sullivan’s two festival drops, a white blend called Ada, and dry-grown pinot called Volcan Springs, both of which will be poured on tap.

The party on the eve of the festival is a Mediterranean-themed affair known as the Italo Dining & Disco Club. Hosted by Maurice Terzini and Giovanni Paradiso, this is set to be a green, white and red-tinged night to remember. It’ll be the place to sip Cynar and be seen.

Sustainable wine and food festival Rootstock will make its debut, where the likes of Aaron Turner (Igni) and Duncan Welgemoed (Adelaide’s Africola) will cook food to go with the line-up of orange wines and sour beers that have made the festival such a Sydney success.

Dan Hong and mum Angie will join a host of other families in cooking up their favourite dishes for a Monday Family Dinner, while everyone’s favourite two-handed meal closes out the festival with the burger block party.

With the World’s 50 Best Restaurants also in town, expect the House of Food and Wine to be the place for gastro god-spotting. A hell of a party indeed.

For more details go to mfwf.com.au