Australia’s Best New Wine List – Fino Seppeltsfield

August 21, 2015

“A new big brother for Willunga’s Fino, with Sharon Romeo pulling the strings of a list which neatly contrasts with that which won Best Small List (5) three years running.  The restaurant is part of the revitalized Seppeltsfield village and is larger than its sibling with a more substantial, but just as thoughtfully curated, list. For starters, there’s 48 wines by the glass and the nation’s finest range of Sherry and apera – As befits the glorious tradition of the winery in whose bottling hall the restaurant sits.  The choice by the glass offers quality from lesser known names – Rieslingfreak Riesling, Massena Primitivo, a white field blend from Gentle Folk – and there’s an international flavour with muscadet from the Loire and and Austrian blaufränkisch.  Everyone is catered for by the bottle.  There’s a small but exemplary choice of Champagne, enough global offerings to satisfy, mature vintages, diversity in varieties and some delights from Australia’s nooks and crannies.  This, however, a paean to the Barossa.  The great names are there – Peter Lehmann, Pewsey Vale, Rockford, Henschke, John Duval, Rolf Binder – as well as the more recently established labels, including Kaesler, Teusner, Shobbrook, Ruggabellus and Radford.  And the coup de grace comes with a 15ml sniffing and tasting of the 1915 Seppeltsfield Old Vintage Tawny or halves of the 1925, 1935, 1945, 1955, 1965 or 1975 versions of the Centennial Collection.  The sense of the Barossa’s and Australia’s history is palpable. ”

Words: PETER FORRESTAL, Gourmet Traveller Wine – August/September 2015

Click here for the GTW award link