Our Wine List (and the People Who Write It)
With hard work comes great reward, and there’s no better example of this than our wine team’s most recent set of achievements. At this year’s Australian Wine List Awards, they took home an armful, including Wine List of the Year, Australia’s Best Restaurant Wine List (City), Victoria’s Best Wine List and the Sommelier’s Choice for their leader, the boundlessly talented Anthony Pieri.
It’s a testament not only to the many hours spent cellar-side but also to the winemakers, growers and distributors who allow our team to taste, select and feature the finest bottles for your enjoyment.
When asking our wine team to reflect on the Awards and what they mean, there’s one thing that came up in every conversation - the pride in showcasing so many, often rare and unusual, grape varieties and producers.
“I wanted to create a wine list that does justice to the best producers in the world, but also celebrates Australia and the vast diversity of wine styles we have here at home — think sparkling wine from Tasmania, iconic Cabernet Sauvignon blends from the Yarra, newly benchmark, globally relevant Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Tasmania -- there's a lot happening, and of course you can have Rousseau, DRC, Bordeaux, Piedmont and Champagne in spades.”
— Anthony Pieri, Wine Buyer
From Joey’s passion for the diversity of Tasmanian wine to Kallin’s love of McLaren Vale Grenache, Russ’ inclination for the lesser-known Pinot Noirs of Patagonia and Georgia’s zest for grower Champagne, it’s clear that Anthony and the team have formed a wine list of breadth and distinction.
As Senior Sommelier Elisa says, “the whole team are storytellers, ready to help the curious, and be stewards and champions of the unknown.” Each of the team takes pride in telling these stories with accuracy and warmth. It’s what Kallin feels allows each of them to “open up and explore the intricacies and curiosities” behind what’s on the page.
Elisa brings this fervour to the wines featured by the glass. There, she’s eked out some truly surprising, oft-not thought-of wines that are hard to come by. While this page is always changing, everyone has their penchant for a particular style at the moment. In true spring fever, Kallin is reaching for a 2024 Vallée du Venom Chenin Blanc to pair with the zucchini flower & Comté tart; Georgia favours an Austrian Grüner Veltliner alongside our white asparagus, and Michael has an uncanny appreciation for Madeira both with oysters and dry-aged Muscovy duck (ask him why next time you’re in).
There’s no doubt that what Michael says is true, that being a sommelier is a “profession of people first and foremost”. Some of the wines in Gimlet may have travelled from afar to arrive in Flinders Lane, but really it’s those last three metres to the restaurant table that are the most important — the moment the bottle is presented, cork pulled, a guest tastes and finally, glasses clink.
