Melbourne-based restaurateur Frank Wilden has stepped into the shoes of the former Ampersand restaurant in Sydney where he’s undertaken some serious spadework in the wine department. A brief glance at the list and it’s clear that Mr Wilden has been able to separate some of the finest and most sought-after wineries in Australia and New Zealand from current and in several instances reserve boxes of their better wines. There’s plenty of focus on white and red Rhone varieties, an affordable representation of largely current releases from Bordeaux and Burgundy, plus a small but pithy selection by the glass. It’s a list that will give plenty of choice to the wine fashion buff and plenty of substance to those with a preference for classics.
