That is the question… on Sydney dinners’ lips. FoodinFocus asks the experts.
By Jo Stubberfield
Cheap and cheerful? Or a dining experience to remember? We asked three industry professionals to think about Sydney dining, and whether there is any competition between BYO and the sommelier. Steve Whitbread is the sommelier at The Four in Hand Dining Room in Paddington, and has worked at Wildfire, Lucio’s, and Guillaume at Bennelong. Marco Taddeo is a wine distributor for Akkerman Rare Wines, and has had stints in several Sydney restaurants such as The Bentley, Otto, and Bambini Wine Room. And Chris Morrison has done time in restaurants such as bel mondo, est and Quay, and is well-known as a wine show judge, keynote speaker, educator and wine writer.
The rise of the sommelier in Sydney’s hospitality scene during the last 20 years has resulted in some fine wine lists and dining experiences across the market. However, due to the cost of a liquor license, many good restaurants are unlicensed and remain BYO. Think Wasavie, Vamps, Phamish, Il Barretto, Prasits Thai, and Bar Reggio. This is great for diners, who can choose between BYO and minimal corkage charges, or restaurants with a sommelier and an expertly created wine list to suit the restaurant’s food. But while you can save money on marked-up wines when you BYO, you might miss out on more than a few dollars.
Restaurants need to mark-up their wines because they actually make very little profit from food. The luxuries of tablecloths, good glassware and decanters, specialist staff and excellent produce, do not come cheaply. You can take an excellent wine to a BYO restaurant, but if it’s poured into warm latte glasses you’re really not getting the best from the bottle. Decanting is also rarely an option.
And the mark-up is not standard across all wine, meaning some purchases are better value for money than others. Steve Whitbread explains, "Wines by the glass are generally marked up more because of wastage, and champagne and expensive bottles are often marked up less as the percentage dollar profit is higher. Generally wines I’m personally fond of get marked up less because I want to encourage people to try them."
It is this passion for educating that indicates a good sommelier. With in-depth knowledge on history, terroir, regions, and style, wine lists are usually crafted with care, providing wines that suit the cuisine. And as anyone who has had a wine-matched degustation can attest, good food and wine pairing can transform a dining experience. A sommelier can advise on the wine for each course, and provide invaluable expertise in choosing wine that will be suitable for the whole table, across several dishes. And, as Steve Whitbread points out, "Exploration of less mainstream regions and varieties can add a point of difference and fun to your list which is what it’s about in the end."
Quite often these wines are unavailable to the public. Restaurants are allocated small parcels of stock from specific wineries, as restaurants usually only need smaller quantities. As Marco Taddeo says, "These are usually quality and rare wines, hence the justification on price. It’s hard for private people to find these wines without contacts in the industry, and it’s time consuming." Yet it’s not impossible. Fine wine specialists like Ultimo Wine Centre supply many of the city’s best restaurants and private buyers, and the staff’s knowledge can match what a sommelier can provide in a restaurant. Although, as Chris Morrison is quick to add, "Product knowledge differs from wine knowledge – many guys don’t know much outside their own brands, but a few are a fantastic resource."
Apart from price, availability and knowledge, there are other factors surrounding BYO and sommeliers. There is also BYO etiquette. It’s polite to confirm a restaurant is BYO before you drag a carton out of the car. And even licensed restaurants that don’t encourage BYO will allow a ‘special’ bottle for an occasion, providing it’s aged, expensive or rare. A cheap bottle with sentimental value is not really appropriate to take to a good restaurant with a well-considered wine list. And if the restaurant is prepared to forgo some of their profit margin to allow your BYO bottle, it’s a nice gesture to buy a wine on the list as well.
Private Practice
What our experts practice in private…
"I like to BYO if I can and I’m willing to pay whatever corkage is asked if I want to drink something great (from my cellar), however I’m also more than happy to sit down to dinner at a place with an interesting list that represents good value – which can be hard to find a lot of the time." Steve Whitbread
"I don’t BYO, I go to restaurants and let a fellow professional do it for me!" Marco Taddeo
"BYO definitely! While wine is reverent and artisan it is also just a drink." Chris Morrison
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