Travis Schultz: Rice Boi’s top-selling wine may surprise you

It is widely known for its delicious dishes but do the wines at Rice Boi meet the standard of its culinary cousins? TRAVIS SCHULTZ REVIEWS

TOP DROP: Travis Schultz reviews Rice Boi’s wine list.

Entrepreneur, restaurateur and all-round great bloke Tony Kelly is synonymous with the Sunshine Coast’s dining scene.

Having started as a chef, the trade he first fell in love with in his mother’s kitchen has led Tony to design, create and run a range of successful restaurants and bistros over the years.

Among them is his uber successful venue on the newly renovated and refurbished Mooloolaba Wharf – Rice Boi.

Get him chatting and Tony will tell you success in the restaurant industry is all about hard work, being on top of the numbers, and offering the right product in the right location.

FINE WINE: Local identity Travis Schultz knows his food and wine.

And on any given weekend if you had walked into Rice Boi before a pandemic-induced slowdown, you’d have seen first-hand how his “secret sauce” lures in diners with its modern Asian street food, grungy fit-out and stunning harbour views.

But it wasn’t the dining menu that I was interested in when I caught up with Tony at his thriving eatery on a Friday afternoon.

Having successfully crafted menus and wine lists in a wide range of venues, I was interested to find out which wines were most often ordered by his patrons and which wines were “on the nose”, so to speak.

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It was no surprise that a Marlborough sauvignon blanc, the Tanui 2019 was one of the biggest sellers by the bottle ($40) and glass ($9) but I was taken aback when Tony revealed that the biggest selling wine at Rice Boi was in fact a rosé.

Call it blush, pink or even “brose” (as my mate Nathan Koina does), the style is certainly on the up.

“It’s a wine that is on trend, affordable and offers very good value at the price”, Tony reveals. “And these days, the quality of rosé is getting better and better, even at the lower price points”.

NEW KID: Rice boi Mooloolaba Josefine Skarstrom outside the restaurant.

Tony promises me that I’ll “enjoy this” as he hands me a bottle of the La La Land 2019; and he wasn’t wrong.

There’s depth to the pink hue in the bottle but once the stelvin is cracked, the bottle oozes strawberries and cream even before a glass is poured.

There’s plenty of watermelon, preserved red fruits and a lashing of cherry on the edges.

Being such a dry style, it’s easy to understand why it’s proving to be so popular as a partner to the spicy Asian offering at the Mooloolaba Wharf’s most popular dining house.

So, if the crowds have a desire to “drink pink” these days, what’s not so popular?

Well according to Tony, the big loser is shiraz.

“We aren’t seeing shiraz being ordered as much anymore. It’s just too heavy and not a great food match for our cuisine. Our patrons prefer lighter and more aromatic styles”, he said. “Maybe the winter months will change that a bit”.

TALKING POINT: Travis Schultz and Tony Kelly at Rice Boi in Mooloolaba

And what does a bon vivant and acclaimed chef choose to indulge in himself when a Friday afternoon tipple is on the cards?

“I love champagnes and the way that they change in style from region to region; especially with some age. We recently celebrated my parents’ retirement from business with a bottle of 1986 Dom Perignon and it was insane the way it was now showing characters of vanilla and caramelised apples”. I wish he’d saved a glass for me.

As you’d expect, Tony has had the opportunity to sample many different wines from all across the globe during his illustrious career, so it was pleasing to hear that if he had to choose a wine to be his last ever, it would be an Aussie one.

“I love the French wines, but the Chris Ringland Three Rivers Shiraz would have to be my pick. It’s got to be the best shiraz that Australia has to offer.”

UBER TASTY: Rice Boi at The Wharf Mooloolaba is known for its delicious dishes. Picture: Mark Cranitch.

Not that I’ve ever sampled the (ridiculously expensive) Three Rivers Shiraz, but I’d have to agree with him that Chris Ringland makes an outstanding shiraz – even those at the more modest price points.

Wine pairing with food is said to be an art form, but Tony is quick to dispel the myth that colours need to match. “I don’t believe in colour matching wines to proteins. Some make sense, like a riesling with bugs and prawns, but I don’t see any problem putting a pinot noir with the right fish dish.”

And it may be his inner anarchist speaking, but it’s hard to argue with him when he proclaims: “There are no rules; it just has to work.”

Travis Schultz wine reviews are back right here every Saturday morning. Can’t get enough? Head over to travisschultz.com.au

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