W
henCaitlynReesjoinedMary’sGroup
earlierthisyear,the 2018 Gourmet
TravellerSommelieroftheYear’sfirst
jobwastocompilea killerwinelist
fortheopeningofMary’sUnderground,thebrash,
fun,foodienightspotinTheBasement,a former
livemusicvenuenearCircularQuayinSydney.
ThefoundersoftheoriginalMary’sinNewtown
havelongbeenenthusiasticsupportersofwineson
thenaturalspectrum– organic,biodynamic,wild-
fermented,minimaladditions– andthesearealso
thekindofwinesthatReeslikestodrink.So,she
decidedtolimitthelistat Undergroundtowines
thatmetthesecriteria– andputa
statementoutliningherphilosophy
onthefirstpageofthelist.
It’sgreattoseea sommeliergo
outona limblikethis,ratherthan
createyetanotherlistthattriesto
beallthingstoallpeople.It’swhy
Mary’sUndergroundis thewinner
ofthisyear’sWineListoftheYear
inourannualRestaurantAwards:
it’suncompromisinginitsnatural
focus– veryon-trendandtotally
inkeepingwiththeMary’sethos- butit doesn’tsacrificeaccessibility,
choice,deliciousnessorvalue.
“Drawinga boundarylikethishasmademy
jobbothharderandeasier,”admitsRees.“Easier
becausesayingyou’renotgoingtostockanything
thatdoesn’tfittheorganicbillreallyfocusesthe
mind:theworldofwineis sobig,thisis a good
waytonarrowit down.Andharderbecausethere
aresomewinesI reallyadmireandwouldloveto
include,butI can’tbecausewehavedrawnthatline.
“I thinkit’simportanttodrawthat line, though,
tostaytruetowhoyouareasa restaurant.”
AsReesattests,compilinga narrow-focus wine list
likethis– all-Italianselectionsinan Italian restaurant,
forexample,orlocal-onlywinesinregional restaurants
thatchampionlocalproduce– canbe more work for
thesommelier.Butif peopleareprepared to put that
extrathoughtandeffortintoit,a specialised list can
beveryengagingforthewine-loving diner, and really
addtotheuniqueoverallexperience of the restaurant.
AtCaptainMoonliteinAnglesea on Victoria’s
SurfCoast,forexample,co-ownerand front-of-house
managerGemmaGangehasbravely compiled a short
butsweetlistthat’s not only all-
Australianbutis also all-Victorian.
NoChampagneor Provençal rosé
here,thankyouvery much: instead,
it’sKingValleyprosecco and chilled
pinkwinefromjust up the road in
theOtwayshinterland.
“Whenwestarted three years
agopeopleaskedfor Barossa shiraz,
NewZealandsauvignon blanc,
FrenchChampagne,” says Gange.
“Butwe’vebeen able to slowly
mouldtheguestexperience and
educatediners,andnowthey’revery much behind
whatwedo.We’realsoonthetourist trail, and a lot
ofthosedinersreallyappreciatehaving an all-Victorian
list:we’refocusedonusinglocalproduce – particularly
seafood– inthekitchen,soit makes sense to them
todrinklocalwines.Especiallywhen they find out
thatthewinerywhosewinethey’vejust enjoyed is in
thevicinityandtheycangoandvisit the next day.”
AtthebrilliantmodernTurkish restaurant
Tulum,inMelbourne,chef-ownerCoskun UysalIt’s greattoseea
sommelier goout
onalimblikethis,
ratherthan create
yet anotherlistthat
tries tobeall things
toall people.Opposite:
CaitlynReesof
Mary’sGroup.It takes courage to hone the angles of a wine list, writes
MAX ALLEN, but the result can end up de ning a restaurant.
In focus
46 GOURMET TRAVELLER