Original article found on youngunofwine.com. Photos by James Morgan
It’s official. On Monday 28th October, the 2019 Wineslinger Awards were announced at Matilda, in South Yarra. In classic Young Gun of Wine style, the MCs, Nick Stock and Pat Nourse, revealed the winners of the nationwide search for the best wine haunts across Australia right now.
Voted on by a panel of 100 wine and hospitality experts – comprised in equal parts of winemakers, sommeliers and journalists – the awards celebrate the best venues to engage with the exciting world of wine, and to have fun while doing it.
“The wine landscape has changed so much in recent years, becoming more and more dynamic – from the products available to the places in which to discover and enjoy wine. This year’s Top 50 list demonstrated that diversity and colour: from a knockabout Aussie pub, which is this country’s largest account for Krug Champagne, where it’s drunk out of butcher glasses; to an underground haunt where you blend 1950s nightclub fine dining with rock n roll ethos; to places that blur the lines between restaurant and bar; from CBD hole-in-the-wall laneway venues to regional locations that have some of the best wine lists around. But the common thread with all the Top 50 venues is a shared sense of fun and adventure when it comes to wine,” said Young Gun of Wine founder Rory Kent.
The People’s Choice was taken out by Settlers Tavern. “With the ‘People’s Choice’, it’s so exciting to see that Settlers Tavern has won the hearts, minds and votes of the wine-loving public, as they’re such a unique destination – a place that is so fun and laid-back, but with such a seriously deep wine offering. You can get a parma, see a band and drink some of the finest wine from around the world, or discover a new local micro-producer. They’re a great pin-up for this award. Makes you want to jump on a plane and get to Margaret River just for Settlers Tavern – and on that, following Harvest Newrybar’s win last year, it’s great to see another regional location take the People’s Choice home,” Kent commented.