9

WINE LIST OF THE YEAR

GERALD’S BAR, MELBOURNE, VIC

It’s just so much fun to drink here. The selections and

presentation are deliciously quirky – a reflection ofGerald

Difey’s personal tastes and longtime friendships withgreat

winemakers rather than chasing fads.What’s more, almost

every bottle is listed with a glass price and customers are

encouraged to select what will be ofered by the glass for

the rest of the evening. It’s a wonderfully friendly policy

that has long made Gerald’s one of the most convivial

watering holes in the country.

In short: Choose your own adventure.

FRANKLIN, HOBART, TAS

There’s no other wine ofering quite like this anywhere else

in Australia. Sure, plenty of places across the country feature

natural wines on their lists, but none are quite as committed

as Franklin. Recognising that not every diner is as obsessed

with the natural scene as he is, wine guy Forbes Appleby

ofers layers of engagement: a two-page list that covers all

wine styles (and another page with an excellent array of

drinks other than wine) with some familiar names; then, if

the customer shows an interest, there are more concise lists

where the hardcore pet-nats and orange wines and unicorn

bottles lurk. Go with the natural flow: dive into the adventure.

In short: Natural wine heaven.

BLACKBIRD, BRISBANE, QLD

Blackbird head sommelier Penny Grant and her team have

worked hard on their list over the past couple of years: it was

good before but now it sings. The very model of a modern

Aussie wine list, it beams with local pride – a bold selection

of native gins and cocktails; a page championing the top

wines of Queensland’s Granite Belt; the latest bottles from

cutting-edge producers; back vintages of classic Australian

labels – but is also thoroughly international in scope, ofering

everything from top Champagne to obscure Italians, many

by the glass, most at fair mark-ups.

In short:A model mod-Oz list.

Clockwise from

above: the bar at

Franklin; the floor

team at Dinner by

Heston Blumenthal,

including (from left)

assistant restaurant

managers Gianluca

Buttarelli and Leanne

Usher, general

manager Jonno

Forbes and

restaurant manager

Danilo Mancini;

Emma Farrelly; Ned

Brooks; Jane Lopes.

2019

AUSTRALIAN

RESTAURANT

GUIDE

42 GOURMET TRAVELLER

PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREW FINLAY

SON (NED BROOKS), ADAM GIBSON (FRANKLIN) & JULIAN KINGMA (DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL)