Q&A: Chris Walker, sommelier, 43

Sommelier Chris Walker spills on wine snobbery, ‘nutter’ customers and winning Australia’s Wine List of the Year.

Wine List of the Year award winner Chris Walker from Cru Bar + Cellar in Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

You’ve had a big year, winning Australia’s Wine List of the Year for Brisbane’s Cru Bar + Cellar. Has this recognition been a long time coming? Our list is a work in progress. The months of preparation that go into the final list still result in a dash for the line with checks and last-minute additions; and no matter how much I put in, it always seems there are areas we could have spent more time on. Ultimately, it is about creating the best possible list for our customers and honestly, I never expected we’d win it. We’ve been entering these awards for the best part of 20 years. I have looked after the wine list at Cru for eight or nine of those years – it’s also the only list I’ve ever curated. I’m so appreciative of the industry recognition.

How did you go about curating a world-class wine list? It takes a lot of time and planning. We have a bar, restaurant and retail all in the same venue. The retail area shifts a lot of wine, so we need to keep bits and pieces and build verticals to keep to the wine list looking sharp.

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As for curating a world-class wine list, entering things like Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards makes a massive difference. It keeps us motivated by setting targets and forcing us to look at ourselves critically as well as benchmarking our list against our peers.

Are diners educated about good wine, or do people still always try to order the second-cheapest bottle on the list? Ha ha… I’ve never thought about what the second cheapest bottle on the list would be. Our wine list is 62 pages, so it may take some time to find that elusive bottle. We’re very lucky to have some great customers and friends who are very educated on wine – many of them nerd out as much as we do. They’re very happy to take recommendations on something new and exciting that has arrived, or they may just want to have good crack at our extensive Coravin wines by the glass.

“My mum calls me a wine snob. I disagree with her.” Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

How important is a killer wine list is to the overall dining experience? Very important, but let’s be clear – a killer wine list doesn’t have to be a document the size of a phone book. It just needs some heart and soul to it, balance, integrity but most importantly, it needs to resonate well with our clientele. Our wine list is quite large, but all the same principles apply. Everyone should be able to walk into Cru and find something they want to drink.

Cocktails are a big deal in dining now too. How can you make a cocktail list work with a wine list? A great cocktail list compliments the best wine list. It allows everyone to walk into our bar and find exactly what they want to drink at any time of day or night.

What’s your view of wine snobs and have you had any bad customer experiences with people who feel they know more than you? My mum calls me a wine snob. I disagree with her. She drinks the worst wine in the world, so I may not be qualified to answer that question. Most people are great to deal with but yes, you do get the odd person who’s a bit of a nutter. Fingers crossed they do know more than you, then you can hopefully learn something from them and share their wine superpowers.

Where do you take your list from here to keep it fresh? That’s a tough question. We’ve worked so hard to get it to the level that it’s at. I guess if I could change one thing it would be to re-format it from scratch, but I also understand how big a task that would be. In the end, the next direction will be based on the next passion project we find. That’s the great thing about this list – it’s a journal of all the staff that work here and the wines we love to share.