On Monday the 21st October we hosted a Gourmet Traveller Readers Dinner at Public Dining Room. It was a night that saw Public Dining Room awash with the cities most passionate foodies, many of whom follow the Gourmet Traveller trail as they alternate between selected Sydney and Melbourne restaurants throughout the year.
Chef Guillaume Zika has worked at celebrated Michelin starred restaurants in Paris, Cannes, New York and finally as head chef of the two star Hibiscus restaurant in London. He designed a five course menu featuring a modern take on classic Parisian dishes, and I was responsible for matching the wines, working alongside chosen wine supplier Ian Barr of Bibendum Wine Company.
Our wine list at Public Dining Room is constantly evolving. New discoveries, the changing seasons and vintages all play a roll in the process. We believe all the elements on the plate are complimented by the individual character of the wine to be served alongside it.
So, why did we select Bibendum as the company to support this celebrated industry event?
Despite receiving 100’s of phone calls, emails and samples of different wines every month, we endeavour to select only the most interesting wines that best suit our clientele. We like to use small scale, boutique wineries for the most part, so annual production is small, and we may only acquire a couple of cases a year in some cases.
We buy a great deal of wine direct from individual vineyards, and building relationships with wholesalers is hugely beneficial.
Some of these companies are heavyweight global companies selling the . Obviously these wines have their purpose in the market place, but thankfully
Big global companies selling “big branded” wines for bottle shops up and down the country have their place in the market, but thankfully its not at Public Dining Room!
Over the years we have narrowed our preferred wine wholesaling companies down to around five impressive operators, of which Bibendum is one. All their wines are well sourced from boutique producers located in Australia and from other parts of the world, and it means we are able to buy exciting wines from the newest up and coming producers in regions that perhaps most consumers are not familiar with.
Established in 2004, Bibendum is one of Australia’s leading suppliers of artisanal or “grower” wine from across Europe and Australia. Their aim is to source only the highest quality, most authentic wines from around the world. They count themselves as extremely fortunate to work with some of the world’s most inspiring wine estates, and some of the most passionate growers and makers. In short, they scour the globe for wines that they themselves would love to drink and cellar! Bibendum enjoys the support of many of Australia’s finest restaurants and in 2012 was awarded the “best importer” gong at the Australian Sommeliers Association awards.
In terms of matching wines for the Gourmet Traveller dinner Bibendum were an obvious choice. All wines on the evening were of course French and we decided on a grower champagne, some classic offerings from prestigious regions and some perhaps less familiar wines from Bibendum's portflolio.
We were thrilled that both diners and Gourmet Traveller's Pat Nourse agreed, with his final statement one of decided contentment: "The wines were perhaps the best matched wines I've had," he said.
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