Raul Moreno Yague, of Arbory, ESP and Flying Duck, on pinot and natural wines
Raul Moreno Yague, wine director at Arbory Bar and Eatery, Melbourne, reveals what gives him goosebumps.
Raul Moreno Yague, wine director at Arbory Bar and Eatery, Melbourne, reveals what gives him goosebumps.
What’s the most expensive bottle of wine you’ve ever sold? A 1961 Chateau Petrus, Pomerol, Bordeaux. I sold two bottles to a Singaporean wine collector when I was the head sommelier at Vue de Monde (in Melbourne), each for $24,000.
What’s the biggest selling variety on your wine list right now? I consult on several wine lists across seven restaurants, including ESP (Estelle by Scott Pickett) in Northcote and The Flying Duck Hotel, Prahran. Overall, I am finding that pinot grigio is overtaking sauvignon blanc in popularity, while pinot noir is the top selling red variety.
What are you pouring right now that you’re excited about? At Arbory Bar & Eatery (Flinders Street Station) we are serving an inexpensive chenin blanc from South Africa, 2014 Secateurs Chenin Blanc from Swartland, that drinks like a premium wine. Vibrant, voluptuous, loaded with fruit and very savoury.
What do you do when a customer tells you a bottle is corked? First, I assess the wine. In the event of the wine being cork-tainted, I sincerely apologise and organise another bottle. Should the wine be perfectly drinkable but the customer has mistaken the natural nature of the wine (oak treatment, natural earthiness …) with cork taint, I explain the differences and suggest that they give the wine a bit of time to open up. If the customer is still unhappy with the wine, I will take the bottle away and advise the customer on a different wine.
What’s the best question a customer has ever asked you about wine? “How did the winemaker manage to make the wine taste like nectarines?”
What’s the stupidest question a customer has ever asked you about wine? “If I order a bottle of wine and I don’t like it, do I have to pay for it?”
What do you make of the craze for natural and orange wines? I have always been a fan of orange and amber wines. I was actually the first person to import orange wines from Georgia when I set up the minimal intervention focused wine list at (former Melbourne CBD restaurant) Virginia Plain. However the fundamental issue with many orange wines in the market is that they are very faulty. Orange wines are terrific as long as they are well crafted and served in the right context. They have tannins akin to red wines and they should be served at warmish temperatures, 16C to 18C, otherwise the wines will taste rough and metallic.
Is food and wine matching overrated? Not in my opinion. Unfortunately, many restaurateurs and chefs believe that their food would work great with anything, and that is not the case. When synergy between the food and the wine is achieved, you get goosebumps.
How do you justify your restaurant’s mark-ups? Based on the commitment to professional staff available to serve the wines, wine training, glassware and cellar investment and offer of wines. I personally mark up wines differently in different restaurants based on this approach.
How do you keep your restaurant’s opened wines fresh? Stock rotation, temperature control and preserving gas systems based on argon and nitrogen. Young wines, less than three years old, can be served the day after being opened. Older wines will be discarded the day of being opened.
What corkscrew do you use? A colourful one. If not, I lose them very easily.