The Best of the Best: Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards 2010
02 Aug 2010
The 2010 wine list came up trumps for its quality and depth, with Melbourne's Rockpool Bar & Grill winning the prestigious Wine List of the Year Award.
Melbourne’s Rockpool Bar & Grill wins the prestigious Wine List of the Year Award 2010
Media release – strictly embargoed til 7pm Monday 2 August
Rockpool Bar & Grill, Melbourne has won the prestigious Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards 2010. The wine list came up trumps for its quality and depth according to the 28 strong judging panel which brought together Master Sommeliers, Masters of Wine and wine communicators from around the world. David Lawler was acknowledged with the Judy Hirst Award for his work as sommelier.
The accolade was presented last night at the Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards 2010 held at major sponsor, Skoda Australia’s showroom in Melbourne by Award partners, leading wine distributor, Fine Wine Partners and Gourmet Traveller WINE magazine.
Excitingly this year some very small restaurant wine lists were considered as finalists for the top Award as judges recognised the creativity and skill it takes to maintain a consistently outstanding small list.
Finalists included Sydney restaurants; Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Pilu, Glass, Quay and Est as well as Melbourne’s Vue du Monde. These contenders were all deemed outstanding by the judging panel, which was chaired by leading Australian wine communicator, Peter Forrestal and included luminaries such as Gerard Bassett, Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and ‘World’s Best Sommelier 2010’, from the UK.
Key partners Rob Hirst, Chairman of Fine Wine Partners and Judy Sarris, Editor of Gourmet Traveller WINE were delighted with the quality of the over 300 lists entered in this year’s awards.
“The Australian consumer is the beneficiary of the extraordinary level of passion and commitment behind today’s lists – large and small – and our aim since 1994 with Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards is to reward the passion, time and resources required to develop quality wine lists, “says Rob Hirst.
The winning wine lists were spread around the country with VIC wins including Best Café/Brasserie List – European, Best Country Restaurant – Lake House and Best Restaurant List – Rockpool Bar & Grill. NSW collected Best International Hotel Restaurant – Glass, Best New List – Sepia, Best Regional List – Pilu and Best Food and Wine Matching – Universal. WA won Best Pub Restaurant – Settler’s Tavern and Best Wine Bar – Must Wine Bar, Perth. SA restaurant Fino once again won Best Small List and QLD was awarded Best Club Restaurant for The Brisbane Club.
State winners were The Ginger Room, ACT, Pilu, NSW, Ortiga, QLD, Rockpool Bar & Grill, VIC, Appellation, SA, Me Wah, TAS, Jacksons Restaurant, WA.
The Gourmet Traveller WINE Readers’ Choice Award for 2010 went to Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld, VIC.
Presented by Fine Wine Partners and Gourmet Traveller WINE
Overall – National Winners of the 2010 Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards
AUSTRALIA’S WINE LIST OF THE YEAR: Rockpool Bar & Grill, Melbourne
JUDY HIRST AWARD: David Lawler, Sommelier, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Melbourne
Categories
Best Restaurant Wine List, Rockpool Bar & Grill: Melbourne, Vic
Best Regional Wine List: Pilu at Freshwater, Sydney, NSW
Best New Wine List: Sepia, Sydney, NSW
Best Small Wine List: Fino, Willunga, SA
Best Food & Wine Matching: Universal, Sydney, NSW
Best International Hotel Restaurant Wine List: Glass Brasserie, Sydney, NSW
Best Wine Bar List: Must Winebar, Perth, WA
Best Country Restaurant Wine List: Lake House, Daylesford, Vic
Best Pub Wine List: Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, WA
Best Café/Brasserie Wine List: European, Melbourne, Vic
Best Club Wine List: The Brisbane Club, Brisbane, Qld
State/Territory winners
ACT: The Ginger Room, Canberra
NSW: Pilu at Freshwater, Sydney
QLD: Ortiga, Brisbane
VIC: Rockpool Bar & Grill, Melbourne
SA: Appellation, Barossa Valley
TAS: Me Wah, Hobart
WA: Jacksons Restaurant, Perth
Hall of Fame (past winners of Wine List of the Year)
Rockpool Bar & Grill – Sydney (2009)
Taxi (2008)
Aria (2003)
Circa (2001)
Walter’s Wine Bar (1996)
Hall of Fame (three time winners)
Best Club Restaurant: Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
Best Pub Restaurant: Healesville Hotel
Best WA Restaurant: Friends
Best WA Restaurant: Must Wine Bar
Gourmet Traveller WINE Readers’ Choice Award: Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld, Vic
Best Restaurant Wine List – Sponsored by Skoda Australia
Best Food & Wine Matching List – Sponsored by Skoda Australia
Best Wine Bar List – Sponsored by Riedel
Best Country Restaurant Wine List – Sponsored by WineShield by WinePreserva
Best International Hotel Restaurant Wine List – Sponsored by DropStop
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