Aria Brisbane takes top gong at Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards

‘Queensland’ and ‘wine’ are words that rarely sit together in the eyes of fussy drinkers. Ian Trinkle wants to change all that.

Sommelier Ian Trinkle, from Aria Brisbane. Picture: Britta Campion

“Queensland” and “wine” are words that rarely sit comfortably together in the eyes of the ­nation’s fussy drinkers. Ian Trinkle wants to change that.

“Inevitably, people are looking for the next thing, and I think Granite Belt wine is the next thing,” says the Philadelphia-born-and-raised head sommelier at Brisbane’s exclusive Aria restaurant, last night named home to Australia’s best wine list.

“It’s all about learning what goes best in a specific site,” says Mr Trinkle, who usually showcases five Queensland producers, and as many as 15 of their wines.

“Site is the key … nebbiolo has great potential. Some of the chardonnays are really legitimately good and I’d like to see where that’s going too. Right now, we’re seeing a lot of experimental wines from the Granite Belt and (winemakers) tweaking to see just what works.”

Mr Trinkle’s advocacy for the oft-maligned wines of his adopted state has been rewarded by one of the most prestigious awards of its kind in the restaurant industry; as the sommelier responsible for the wine list at Aria Brisbane, he was recognised with the peak Judy Hirst Award at the annual Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards held in Sydney last night.

It’s the first time in the 25-year history of the awards a Brisbane restaurant has won. A co-chairman of the 30-strong judging panel, Peter Forrestal, said he was delighted by the outcome.

The Granite Belt vineyard of Ballandean Estate Winery. Picture: Tourism Queensland.

“This is further confirmation that Brisbane restaurants can mix it with the best in the country,” he said. “Since it opened in 2009, the Aria list, while similar in style and structure to its Sydney sibling, gives unique support to the fledging Queensland industry as well as highlighting the best Australia has to offer. Like few others, it balances the cutting edge and the established, embracing new trends while celebrating old favourites.”

Mr Trinkle said apart from one or two cutting-edge producers, support for the Granite Belt wines of southern Queensland among Brisbane restaurants was disappointing. “Some of the (traditional) clubs do a bit,” he said, “but no other restaurant concentrates on it. We’re the first to really embrace the producers and give them some support. Rarely are they with big distributors, so we really need to seek them out.”

The Wine List of the Year Awards were launched in 1993 to recognise the talent of sommeliers and the investment by owners to develop quality lists and cellars, says founder Rob Hirst. The first winner was Peter and Beverley Doyle’s Sydney restaurant Cicada.

This year’s awards threw up some interesting results. “Best list of wine by the glass” went to a regional Victorian pub, The Avoca Hotel; “best country restaurant wine list” to Mount Gambier’s The Barn Steakhouse; while Australia’s most internationally ­famous restaurant, Attica in Melbourne, won “best beer list”. Other results were less surprising. The “best food and wine-matching list” title went to Sydney’s Bentley Bar, where renowned sommelier Nick Hildebrandt is co-owner, while “best wine bar list” went to another sommelier-owned small restaurant, Bar Liberty, in Melbourne’s Fitzroy.