![Agostinis is doing a pop-up at Lark Hill Winery from this weekend. Picture by Adam McGrath Agostinis is doing a pop-up at Lark Hill Winery from this weekend. Picture by Adam McGrath](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/hU74HdTxzzWB78D7znDAb9/c366fb06-e6bb-47a7-b0a6-02219a30896f.jpg/r0_280_5472_3369_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Imagine sitting amongst the grape vines, with a glass of wine and a bowl of fresh pasta.
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It sounds like something out of a perfect Tuscan holiday. But this perfect pairing has also found itself a home in the Canberra wine district.
Lark Hill Winery in Bungendore and East Hotel's Agostinis have teamed up for a pop-up restaurant to celebrate all things Italian food and wine every Saturday and Sunday lunch from this weekend.
"What's really missing in our local area is someone focusing on Italian cuisine and that kind of real sharing relaxed food and wine-friendly attitude," Lark Hill winemaker Chris Carpenter says.
"And Agostinis just came up as somewhere that seemed to fit perfectly.
![Agostinis executive chef Francesco Balestrieri and Lark Hill Winery's Chris Carpenter ahead of this weekend's pop-up. Picture by Adam McGrath Agostinis executive chef Francesco Balestrieri and Lark Hill Winery's Chris Carpenter ahead of this weekend's pop-up. Picture by Adam McGrath](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/hU74HdTxzzWB78D7znDAb9/35767ded-7d21-4626-b324-ca38e89701fb.jpg/r0_559_5472_3648_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"What inevitably comes up is that when we think about rural or vineyard restaurants being not about fine dining, and trying to achieve a hat or a star, or that level of seriousness with food, but more about something that's casual and relaxing, and lends itself a little bit more to a slower pace and really taking the time to enjoy the wines as well."
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Alongside a selection of Agostinis' classic dishes, including calamari fritti - the dish that Agostinis executive chef Francesco Balestrieri says can never be taken off the menu due to its popularity - prosciutto e rucola pizza and tiramisu, there will be some new dishes exclusive to the Lark Hill pop-up.
The menu is also set to change every few weeks, meaning there will always be something new to try at the Bungendore winery.
![Agostinis is doing a pop-up at Lark Hill Winery from this weekend. Picture by Adam McGrath Agostinis is doing a pop-up at Lark Hill Winery from this weekend. Picture by Adam McGrath](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/hU74HdTxzzWB78D7znDAb9/e08ca674-490a-46ba-aa91-d57b2d76fdcb.jpg/r0_1516_3456_3715_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"It's very classic Italian food - the same that you'd find at Agostinis," Balestrieri says.
"Agostinis is a very big restaurant, and we still change our menu seasonally there, but at Lark Hill it's different. There's limited space and this means we can play games with the food and have fun with the menu, changing it more often."
But this partnership between Lark Hill and Agostinis is of course just as much about the wine as it is the food.
The wines will be matched to the menu items. For example, that calamari dish that is a firm favourite on the Agostinis menu, Carpenter says it's all about pairing it with a Canberra Riesling - something that's fresh and vibrant.
![Agostinis is doing a pop-up at Lark Hill Winery from this weekend. Picture by Adam McGrath Agostinis is doing a pop-up at Lark Hill Winery from this weekend. Picture by Adam McGrath](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/hU74HdTxzzWB78D7znDAb9/f99e195a-a75e-44fd-a60a-70dcf781c939.jpg/r0_280_5472_3369_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"One of the nice things about this arrangement is that we can be quite flexible. In terms of our wine brand, we've got quite a wide portfolio of wines," he says.
"Our portfolio sits at about 16 permanent wines across those different sources. So there's a lot of scope for us to change the wine list, and really pair it up with food and make it a continually changing experience for people as they come back."
Agostinis at Lark Hill Winery will be open for lunch, Friday to Sunday from February 5.
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