Mark Cunliffe has compiled something of a wine buff’s list at Celsius, Peter Doyle’s new Sydney restaurant. It’s a list you can arrive at with an idea of what you’re thinking of opening, and then having a brief, intense search of the soul before making a decision. It’s not a directory and it’s not too large; instead it’s crammed with interesting short verticals of wines like Santa Duc’s Gigondas, Yalumba’s Octavius, Domaine Tempier Bandol, Hardy’s Thomas Hardy Cabernet Sauvignon and Pietramora’s Sangiovese. Add to this a series of well-chosen cross-sections of regions across France, Italy and Australia, plus a diverse series of dessert wines and wines by the glass, and you’ve got a list with depth and difference. There’s no tokenistic listing of wines; instead there’s an easily understood rhyme and reason behind the presence of most labels. Furthermore, with Sydney being what it is today, you should be able to find a wine of requisite style and flavour in whatever price range you’re looking in. While the list at Celsius is by no means the most comprehensive in Sydney, it’s certainly one of the most intelligent, user-friendly and appropriate.
