Australia's Wine List of the Year Awards celebrates the diversity of Australian food and wine, highlighting the work of our finest sommeliers and restaurateurs in delivering exceptional culinary experiences. These prestigious annual awards; supported by Wine Australia with awards the Best Listing of Australian Wines and the Best Listing of NSW, SA, TAS, VIC and WA wines; were established in 1994 to recognise and reward Australia’s best Wine Lists and the individuals and establishments behind them. The judging panel for Australia's Wine List of the Year Awards is headed by leading wine writer and commentator Peter Forrestal and includes over 30 local and international judges including Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine. In 2016 the award for the Best Listing of Australian Wine went to Altitude Restaurant at the Shangri-La Hotel Sydney. It is a truly wonderful and diverse list of Australian wines shown within a global context by Executive Sommelier John MacKinnon and his team.
‘The resurgence in interest of Australian wines in the past few years is demonstrated by the dilemma faced by the judges with Best Listing of Australian Wines: while Altitude was a worthy winner there was scarcely a hair's breadth between the outstanding top four lists.’
Peter Forrestal, Chairman of Judges, Australian Wine List of the Year Awards
Altitude Restaurant – Showcasing quality, regionality and diversity Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts have been a pioneer in the international food and beverage scene. Long gone is the cookie cutter approach to hotel and resort dining. Each property offers a unique local dining experience and this is definitely the case at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney. Ricardo Dias Ferreira is Chef de Cuisine at Altitude, creating fresh and high quality produce-driven menus which pay homage to the best seasonal Australian produce. Executive Sommelier John MacKinnon’s wine list complements this philosophy with a fresh and vibrant selection of wines from across Australia and around the world.
'Sommelier John MacKinnon dedicates a large proportion of the list to local wines, presenting a set of Australia’s best and most interesting labels. The tone is set with the mainly local by-the-glass listing. The main list is arranged varietally, then by country, and further segments the Australian wines into region of origin. It’s a rock-solid list where diners can choose Australian wine with utter confidence.'
Toni Paterson MW, Judge, Australia's Wine List of the Year Awards
What makes an exceptional listing of Australian wines? The best Australian wine lists place local wines in an international context. These lists showcase our finest varietals grown across a range of our diverse Australian wine regions. They delve into the history of Australian wine by exploring the classics. Wines that helped build Australia’s global reputation as a premium wine producer. But only highlighting the classics wouldn’t truly showcase the breadth and depth of Australian wine today. Lists like John’s at Altitude also deftly explore the evolution of Australian wine, showcasing cool climate expressions from regions like the Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills and Tasmania. Finally, any exceptional listing of Australian wines must capture the sense of innovation that is driving a revolution in our winemaking and wine styles. Combining the history, evolution and revolution of Australian wine in a list may seem like a daunting task, but many of our top sommeliers have been able to achieve this in exciting and unique ways.
‘This Award recognises Altitude’s long-standing commitment to showcasing the quality, regionality and diversity of Australian wine through its highly acclaimed wine list. We are also proud to sponsor the new awards for Best Listing of the Wines of NSW [Biota Dining]; Victoria [Royal Mail]; South Australia [The Grill at the Stirling Hotel]; Tasmania [Stillwater]; and Western Australia [Frasers] - a welcome addition to these prestigious Awards. These new categories epitomise the uniqueness of Australian terroir and regions, where exciting wine lists can be created to connect the diner to place, to the land or even a local community.’
Stuart Barclay, GM Marketing, Wine Australia
Australia's Wine List of the Year Winner - FermentAsian in the Barossa Congratulations are also in order for the winner of the overall award for Wine List of the Year, FermentAsian in the Barossa Valley. The restaurant was established in 2010 by husband and wife Grant Dickson and Tuoi Do, Grant manages the restaurant floor and the wine list while Tuoi cooks the food. While this exceptional restaurant and wine list is not what many expect to find in the main street of Tanunda, it is truly a testament to the joys of the modern Australian food and wine. Wonderful Vietnamese food is complimented by a wine list that celebrates the local region while exploring exceptional wines from around the world.
'Grant Dickson is a musician who combines an ear for poetry, a penchant for wine history and a delight in sourcing the obscure and improbable: and producing a commentary on the wines which breathes life into an extraordinary list.’
Peter Forrestal, Chairman of Judges, Australian Wine List of the Year Awards
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