As voted on by over 100 of the country’s leading sommeliers, winemakers, hospitality tastemakers and journalists, Wineslinger is the ultimate guru’s guide to Australia’s best wine haunts.
See the 2022 Wineslinger Top 50 list here.
“With the entire country being out of lockdown this year, it’s been particularly joyous to again have the ability to travel. When you’re into wine, there’s something so tremendously exciting about being able to experience wine hospitality in another region or city, because wherever you go, you’ll always find a new approach to wine,” said Wineslinger founder Rory Kent.
This year’s Top 50 includes 12 venues from Victoria, nine from New South Wales, eight from Western Australia, seven from each of South Australia and Queensland, four from Tasmania and three from ACT — with 11 venues named for the first time.
“In the fifth year of these annual awards,” said Kent, “It’s incredible to see that a number of new hospitality ventures emerged despite the COVID pandemic.”
While many favourites have kept their spots, the diverse offerings from new entrants shows how dynamic the industry is. There’s a venue in Canberra where the experience is built around an obsession with riesling, to a contemporary and focused wine offering amongst the hedonistic beachside bombast of Burleigh Heads, to a wine bar with a charming cottage feel in Daylesford where the menu is home grown and the wine list uniquely combines museum releases of classic Australian wines next to new cult genres. In Perth, one venue remixes Italian cuisine where all rules of dining etiquette are broken, while across town, a gastro pub in the classic British mould has been an institution for wine lovers for some time. They’re just a few examples of how excitingly distinct this lot is.
It’s a fantastically mixed bunch, but one thing they all have in common is they love wine, and they want to share that love with you. Whether you’re in for the long haul or a quick drink and snack, these Wineslingers just want to see you, and to share what they know, share what they love.
And with the doors open again, it’s the perfect time to remind yourself how much you love your regular wine-focused venues by both paying them a visit and getting your vote in for the People’s Choice. The Young Gun of Wine website also has detailed profiles on all the Wineslingers, with everything you need to know to find your next favourite haunt.
Wineslinger trophies include top spot ‘Wineslinger’, ‘Best New Haunt’, the ‘Maverick’, which recognises a venue pushing the boundaries of possibility, and the publicly voted ‘People’s Choice’.
Everyone that votes in the ‘People’s Choice’ can go into the draw to win a host of amazing prizes, including a Liebherr wine cabinet, a year’s supply of wine from younggunofwine.com. People’s Choice voting is now live online via younggunofwine.com/wineslinger. Voting closes on Monday 5 December at 12:00pm.
The 2022 Wineslinger trophy winners will be revealed on Monday 5 December.
Wineslinger is presented with thanks to Cullen, Henschke, Ocean Eight, Swinney, Liebherr and Wine Guns for Hire.
When it comes to wine’s serving temperature, there are some guidelines worth following, but there’s certainly personal preference at play. This guide, compiled with the help of top sommeliers from around Australia, will help get you started.
Like many of us, Ravensworth’s Brian Martyn had a pretty crap year in 2020. First the bushfire smoked out his crop and a big slice of income, then COVID did its thing. That’s enough to get anyone down, but the wine (and beer – read on) community’s a resourceful one, and with a little help from his friends, he’s stitched together a dazzlingly silky purse from one hell of a sow’s (y)ear.
With some of Melbourne’s finest palates in attendance, Best’s winemaker Justin Purser was kind enough to guide us through five decades of their ‘Old Vine’ Pinot Meunier. This was a rare chance to see just how well it ages in ideal conditions.
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