{"id":1604,"date":"2021-01-18T14:18:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T04:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travisschultz.com.au\/?p=1604"},"modified":"2022-01-21T12:18:30","modified_gmt":"2022-01-21T02:18:30","slug":"a-wine-list-is-a-wine-list-or-is-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travisschultz.com.au\/a-wine-list-is-a-wine-list-or-is-it\/","title":{"rendered":"A wine list is a wine list…or is it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Call them a wine list, a bill of fare or if you\u2019re fancy, la carte des vins<\/em>; it\u2019s a fact of life that a restaurant\u2019s catalogue of wines on offer will often define a venue\u2019s status – whether for the better or worse. And I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only diner who tends to scrutinise the wine list before I even reach for the menu, no matter how much the tummy may be rumbling! I admit to earning the ire of more than an occasional wait staff for not being ready to order a meal simply because of my penchant for over analysing the list of wines on offer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re of my persuasion and a keen student of restaurant wine lists, you will probably already know the results of the\u00a02020 Wine List of the Year Awards<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 a set of gongs awarded by\u00a0Gourmet Traveller Wine<\/a><\/em>\u00a0to the venues around the country with the best of the best range of wines on offer. In 2020, the judging started before Covid-19 wreaked havoc with the trade of restauranteurs across the globe so by the time the accolades were bestowed on the winners, their lists may well have been decimated and cut back to the bare skeleton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gourmet Traveller Wine Awards<\/em> have been running since 1994 and depending on the category, assesses lists based on content, balance, suitability, presentation and price. According to Gourmet Traveller Wine<\/em>, \u201cOur panel of expert judges scrutinised the lists from bars, clubs and restaurants all around the country, looking for the perfect confluence of novelty, variety and of course, personality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highest accolades were awarded to a Victorian venue, Attica which sports a list created by Dom Robinson and Jane Lopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Queensland, the winner was Blackbird in the Brisbane CBD, but Sunshine Coast venues fared very well in the judging process with three of our Coast\u2019s restaurants (Noosa Waterfront, Sails and Bella Venezia) being awarded \u201c3 Glasses\u201d and another three, Embassy XO, Locale and The Long Apron, awarded \u201c2 glasses\u201d. Across the country, 159 Restaurants earned the prestigious \u201c3 glasses\u201d rating of their list, and of those, a total of 17 are found in the Sunshine State \u2013 showing once again that the Coast has much to offer visiting bon-vivants<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embassy XO\u2019s wine list was designed by sommelier James Alcock and owner Chris Burton, focusing on premium wines \u2013 including organic and bio-dynamic examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to be awarded 2 Glasses again this year, and I have to thank James and my team for representing our selections so well in venue,\u201d said Chris Burton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen designing the Embassy XO wine list, we wanted to create a collection of stunning premium wines from around the world, and have found many from some incredible small and boutique vineyards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s impressive about the Embassy XO list is the large number of wines offered by the glass- which is possible these days due to Coravin technology which extends the bottle life of wine after opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With so many highly-rated Sunshine Coast venues, wine-focused diners are somewhat spoiled for choice \u2013 even if \u201cThe Rona\u2019s\u201d restrictions mean that bookings are now essential. If you happen to find a venue with an exceptional wine list, be sure to nominate it for this year\u2019s awards so that more of us can find the hidden gems. Because if you ask me, a wine list is not just a wine list; it\u2019s the body language and mannerisms that define a restaurant\u2019s personality!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Embassy XO<\/a>\u00a0<\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Call them a wine list, a bill of fare or if you\u2019re fancy, la carte des vins; it\u2019s a fact of life that a restaurant\u2019s catalogue of wines on offer will often define a venue\u2019s status – whether for the better or worse. And I\u2019m sure I\u2019m not the only diner who tends to scrutinise the…
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