2022 NSW Sommelier’s Wine List Awards

Famous wines don’t come easy. Not only are they the result of growing great grapes and crafting fine wines, they are also the result of promotion by wine stewards in restaurants and hotels, most notably by pairing wines with cuisine.

These wine stewards are known as sommeliers (pronounced som-el-yers), a French word which originally meant an official charged with transportation of supplies.

The NSW Sommelier’s Wine List Awards, run by the NSW Wine Industry Association (NSW Wine), is now in its third year of showcasing and rewarding the very best ‘NSW Wine Stars’. A ‘NSW Wine Star’ is a sommelier, beverage manager or venue that offers their customers a great NSW wine experience and a range of delicious local wines that highlight the quality and diversity of wines being produced in NSW.

NSW Wine report they received “a fantastic range of wine lists were entered into the Awards from across the state, including many in the new categories of accommodation venues and club venues”.

After deliberation by judges Dane Richards (GM Australia for Gault & Millau), Mark Baulderstone (MD Riedel Spiegelau Nachtmann Australia) and Lyndey Milan OAM (award-winning, multi-media presenter), NSW Wine has announced the following 35 finalists in the 2022 NSW Sommelier's Wine List Awards:

Armidale: Rydges Armidale
Berry: South on Albany
Blackheath: Blaq at The Kyah Boutique Hotel
Bowral: Berida Hotel, Bowral Bowling Club
Cowra: The Quarry Restaurant
Griffith: Bull & Bell Steakhouse, Zecca Handmade Italian
Katoomba: Avalon Restaurant
Killcare Heights: Bells at Killcare
Moss Vale: Birch
Mudgee: The Zin House
Newcastle: The Newcastle Club
Orange: Charred Kitchen & Bar, Whitney's Restaurant & Bar
Pokolbin: Eremo, Esca Restaurant
Port Macquarie: Bills Fishhouse and Bar
Shoalhaven Heads: Bangalay Dining
Singleton: Singleton Diggers - York St
Sydney: Annata Restaurant, Banco Manly, bibo wine bar, Boilerhouse at Q Station, Botswana Butchery, International Convention Centre, Love, Tilly Devine, Mode Kitchen and Bar, O Bar and Dining, Public Dining Room, QT Sydney Hotel, Quay Restaurant, Tattersalls Club, The Blue Door, The Waiting Room (TWR) at Crown.

Finalists will receive promotional material to help share the great news and they are all now in the running for one of the main trophies, along with some great prizes including:

• Exclusive food and wine trips to some of NSW's best wine regions
• Free entry into Australia's Wine List of the Year Awards
• Admittance into the Chaine Des Rotisseurs Young Sommeliers Competition, where they will have a chance to compete for the right to represent Australia
• Invaluable advice on the restaurant reviewing process from Gault & Millau
• Coravin Pivot wine preservation systems
• A drinks glass consultation plus a $2.000 premium glass fit out from RIEDEL.

The top 2022 winners in each of the eight categories, along with the 2022 NSW Sommelier’s Wine List of the Year, will be announced at a prestigious event at Parliament House Sydney on 7th June 2022.

• Topics:

• Wine / Viticulture
• Awards
• Agriculture / Farming