Wine Awards

Champagne Louis Roederer
Sommelier of the Year

Bengt Baumgartner , European

The European’s head sommelier is young, intelligent, polite and dedicated to guiding diners to perfect, pleasurable drinking, sometimes gently taking the less adventurous out of their comfort zone by offering a style that turns out to be just right. Of late, he splits his time working the floor and training staff, including those next door at City Wine Shop and upstairs at the Supper Club and Siglo. Bengt Baumgartner seems to be a wine mentor in the making, and the next generation needs sommeliers of his ilk.

Brown Brothers
Wine List of the Year

Spice Temple

Precise. Complementary. Thrilling. That sums up Spice Temple’s list of just 100 wines. This is the year to celebrate the charm of a short list, and Spice Temple’s is the template. Head sommelier David Lawler’s list focuses on aromatics, such as riesling and gewürztraminer, and texture – think pinot noir, chardonnay and grenache. So why 100 wines? 'It forces us to make this the best possible match for Neil Perry’s extraordinary Asian food,' Lawler explains on the cover. 'Every wine fights for its place on this list. When a new wine arrives, another must go. Think it’s easy to do? It’s not. Every wine has a reason to be here.' Surely the very essence of a great wine list.

Honourable mentions

Ilona Staller

Ilona Staller’s eight-page drinks list is a drawcard, a neat tribute to the fragrant and savoury in its selection of Italian, Spanish, French and Australian wines. Head sommelier Virginia Selleck includes wines she loves, but always those that work best with the menu. While there are quirkier treats, like Lini 910 lambrusco, there will be safe yet equally delicious wines, such as a Moorooduc Estate chardonnay, too. Selleck’s list proffers a description of lesser-known wines, like vernaccia. Prices are keen, which means diners do drink well.

Izakaya Den

Sake is a beautiful, complex drink, and Izakaya Den champions it perfectly. There are about 29 on its small two-page wine list, with a brief explanation of each style, such as Shikisakura blue (‘bright, minerally, crisp finish’). Novices can seek advice from co-owner and sake master Takashi Omi, and sample some shochu (a distilled drink) and umeshu (plum wine), too. All wines (except champagne) are sourced from Victorian boutique producers, about 60 reds and whites all up. In a nutshell, a list that’s neat, uncomplicated and enticing.

Mr Carsisi

This lovely, unpretentious short wine list proudly showcases the Macedon region as much as the Levant and Mediterranean. Never had a Turkish or Lebanese wine? You’ll find some by the glass alongside crisp dry whites from Greece and Italy. Mr Carsisi’s inexpensive four-page list, designed by co-owner Clare Fegan, incorporates 50 wines well-paired with the Middle Eastern fare. They’re perfumed, textural and refreshing, from Trimbach pinot blanc and Cobaw Ridge chardonnay to Curly Flat pinot noir and Gaia agiorgitiko.

Rockpool Bar & Grill

Rockpool’s extraordinary wine list remains one of the finest. While large lists can be cumbersome, this tome is sharp, easy to read, and thoughtfully designed. Of course, the content is marvellous too, with top burgundy and bordeaux, stunning Italian, Spanish and German wines, and a back-vintages selection second to none. As always, Rockpool’s by-theglass section remains choice and priced to sell: a snapshot includes Bernard Defaix chablis, Ocean Eight pinot gris, Craiglee shiraz, Escarpment pinot noir and Chateau Rieussec.

Best Short Wine List

Merricote

Every suburb deserves a welcoming bistro like Merricote. Its list is a quality-driven four-page darling offering incredible value, with most wines under the $60 mark. Boutique local producers feature – think the Story shiraz, Hochkirch riesling or Hoddles Creek pinot noir. Add select imports, perhaps there might be a Brundlmayer gruner veltliner, a Bastianich friulano or Vajra dolcetto. There’s a page of by-the-glass or carafe options and one of local and imported beers. Congratulations for crafting such a fine little list go to Merricote’s affable co-owner Bronwyn Kabboord.

Country Wine List of the Year

Lake House

While enthusiastic head sommelier Tom Hogan inherited a terrific wine list two years ago, he’s breathed new life and direction into its 31 pages. Hogan pays tribute to the local without being parochial, so Bindi and Tomboy Hill sit proudly alongside white and red burgundy, as Granite Hills and Best’s Great Western rieslings do beside New Zealand, German, Austrian and French examples. The Italian and Spanish range pleases, too. All are served by a young, knowledgeable team intent on keeping diners happy.