South Australian hotspot Africola has become one of the most lauded restaurants in the state thanks to the innovative efforts of its executive chef and founder Duncan Welgemoed. The ode to South African cuisine may be Adelaide based, but those living a little further North will now have a chance to try the venue’s flavours for themselves, conveniently sans flight.

From February 7-10, Duncan Welgemoed will be bringing a piece of Africola to Sydney as a part of a special launch in conjunction with Taylors Wines. The experience will be called Celsius – a unique evening of wine, food and technology that will focus on the importance of temperature on the dining experience. To be hosted in Waterloo’s Commune, the event will see a menu presented by Duncan that explores temperature, flavour, and (of course) wine.

“We always look at temperature being quite important in regards to how you experience food and wine,” says Duncan. “Temperature is at the core of the menu. With Celsius, we looked at the wines themselves and curated the menu around what compliments them.”

The nights focus on its beverages and just how they are served align with Duncan’s own mentality towards wine. “Our approach to serving wine at Africola is all weather permitted,” he explains. “For us on a 40-degree day we will be chilling all of our wines-red, whites, pink- because that’s how we want to be drinking it in a warmer climate. So we pick wines accordingly.”

It’s this temperature-based drinking that lured Duncan into the collaboration. “What drew me to this partnership really sits in wine education, especially for the heavier varietals. We should be drinking our wines chilled, instead of having at Australian room temperature, which is generally 30 degrees.”

Guests can also expect the fare to follow suit when it comes to temperature experimentation. “One of the dishes that we will be serving is a Raw King fish that we are basting with Shio Koji and then blowtorching it so what happens is you get a beautiful caramelisation on the fish with intense heat, but the centre of the fish is still at room temperature and it’s a really good juxtaposition,” says Duncan, “hopefully people can get a bit of a taste of what we do back in South Australia and bring it to Sydney.”

Tickets to Celsius are $99 each and available for purchase online.