THE Newcastle Club's operations manager, Matt Underwood, has won the 2023 NSW Wine Industry Association president's award for outstanding support of NSW wines.
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The award was present to Matt by the association president, Mark Bourne, at the 2023 NSW Sommelier's Wine List Awards ceremony at Parliament House Sydney.
The Newcastle Club, QT Restaurant Newcastle, Rustica Restaurant at Newcastle Beach, Botanic Restaurant Pokolbin and Singleton Diggers Club were all commended.
Matt has been at the Newcastle Club for 15 years. He has overseen the club's numerous wine list successes - winning the inaugural award for best NSW wine list in a club venue last year and previously gaining the best listing of NSW wines for two years in a row in 2019 and 2020 at the Australia's Wine List of the Year Awards.
Mark Bourne said Matt had shown great commitment to showcasing wines from NSW.
"The Newcastle Club has an extraordinary international wine list, extraordinary service and attention to detail and a wide breadth of NSW wine regions. It has an impressive offering of 82 NSW wines, which must give it one of the largest NSW wine lists in Australia," he said.
The NSW Sommelier's Wine List of the Year and the best NSW wine list in a Sydney venue of 61 seats awards went to Piers Haszard of Botswana Butchery, Martin Place.
Other major wine list awards included:
- Best 60-seat regional NSW venue, Pete Cutcliffe and Jen Paquet of the Bill Fishhouse and Bar, Port Macquarie
- Best 61-seat regional NSW venue, Louella Matthews from Bar NSW at Echo Point, Blue Mountains
- Best regional NSW accommodation venue, Andres Aragon from Blaq at The Kyah Hotel, Blue Mountains
- Best 60-seat Sydney venue, Angelica Nohara of The Blue Door, Surry Hills
GRALYN TRIUMPHS
WESTERN Australia's Margaret River Region isn't renowned for fortified wines, but Annette and Scott Baxter's Gralyn Estate is an exception, recently winning four 2023 international awards in the wake of its fortified solera Gralyn Artizan Rare Muscat winning the 2022 London Wine Competition wine of the year up against 1300 entries from 36 countries.
That $120-a-375ml-bottle wine and the $70 Gralyn Rare Tawny Fortified last month won gold medals in the 2023 International Wine Challenge in London.
More London gold came in the 2023 Decanter magazine World Wine Awards for the $160-a-375ml-bottle Gralyn Museum Rare Muscat and the $70 Classic Muscat.
The wines are at gralyn.com.au and the Wilyabrup cellar door.
WINE REVIEWS
CHAPEL HILL CHARM
THIS classy trio is at Dan Murphy's and BWS stores and websites and the McLaren Vale winery and the 14.5% alcohol, bright garnet, Chapel Hill 2020 The Gorge Block Cabernet Sauvignon shows berry-pastille-scents and vibrant blackberry front-palate flavour. The middle has mulberry, licorice, herb and savoury oak and a dusty tannin finish.
PRICE: $65.
FOOD MATCH: coq au vin.
AGEING: eight years.
RATING: 5 stars (out of 6)
THE VICAR DELIGHTS
THE Vicar dispenses something far more luxurious than sacrificial wine in the 14.5% alcohol, dense inky purple, potpourri-scented Chapel Hill 2020 The Vicar Shiraz. I has powerful blackcurrant front-palate flavour, middle palate Maraschino cherry, cranberry, spice, Turkish delight chocolate and mocha oak and a finish of chalky tannins.
PRICE: $80.
FOOD MATCH: fillet mignon.
AGEING: 10 years.
RATING: 5.5 stars
HIGHLY OPULENT RED
THE brand name comes from its site on the former Methodist 1865 Seaview chapel with far-flung McLaren Vale views. The 14.5% alcohol, bright garnet Chapel Hill 2020 Road Block Shiraz impresses with bramble scents and opulent plum front-palate flavour. The middle has briar, rhubarb, peppermint and vanillin oak and a finish of minty tannins.
PRICE: $65.
FOOD MATCH: coq au vin.
AGEING: 10 years.
RATING: 4.5 stars
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