The Fat Duck restaurant Melbourne

[Bill Hayes]

I was lucky enough to get a late call up in the ballot for Heston's The Fat Duck restaurant in Melbourne. Myself and the missus have reservations for this Friday. We've had tasting menus before and gone the wine match but got too drunk to enjoy the food. We may just enjoy a couple of wines by the glass or get a bottle of Chardonnay, maybe the Margaret River Art Series, seeing as the missus doesn't drink red. The menu will be strange and wonderful and after looking at it and the wine list I'm at a loss what to order as I'm not completely familiar with European wine. Maybe a bottle of Riesling from the Alsace region would suffice. But I like Pinot Noir too. Anyone else been? Any suggestions on the wine list below would be more than welcome. We don't really want to break the bank on the wine bill either. The meal is costing enough as it is but well worth it from all reports. Very much looking forward to it. Cheers

http://www.thefatduckmelbourne.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Melbournewinelist.pdf

[Colt45]

After a quick look at the wine list, i think my personal choice would be the Thivin Cote de Brouilly. I've not had this particular wine, but have had other wines from the region and zone - I very much enjoy good gamay / Beaujolais.

While your wife might not typically enjoy reds, good gamay usually is on the lighter side while maintaining good structure and palpable body. They can be a great match for a wide range of foods. The Bandol looks good as well.

No matter your choice, I hope you both have a fantastic time.

P.S. you guys really take a big hit with the prices.....

[garbandz]

Outstanding list from Burgundy,and some nice Bordeaux as well.

Perhaps a Trocken Riesling would suit the wife if she likes dry whites ..................

I would need Ken's credit card to go to this place..................

[Tino]

Ouch, those prices!

For me the value pick on the whites is the Pieropan Soave Classico 2013 from Italy. it's versatile enough to work with a range of food and shouldn't overpower anything.

Another good option is from Austria: Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg FX Pichler 2012.

If you want more familiar territory then the Cervaro della Salla 2013 (also Italian) is mainly Chardonnay, made in oak barrels. It's a delicious wine.

[JohnS]

49 pages for the wine list...yeah, they are stocked up. They even have 10 year Old Rip Van Winkle Kentucky Straight bourbon Whisky for a cool $90 a nip, or check out the prices for cognac. Enjoy your Friday night out!

[Perla]

From the first glance I would recommend if you like Riesling

Rheinhessen Wittman both

Mosel Joh. Jos. Prum

Nahe Emrich Schoenleber

Pfalz GG Rebholz (GG = Grand Cru)

I don't like the acid grade in Riesling not very much, would prefer any Sancerre, Pinot Gris or Auxerrois. Or Gruener Veltiner if you like the acid note. Or the Roero Arneis, Matteo Corregia.

Man this is a long wine list. Enjoy!

[Bill Hayes]

Thanks guys for all those suggestions. I usually like to drink about 3 or 4 different wines when I go to a restaurant, depending on the course. Sometimes I like to start with Riesling if I have oysters or a cold seafood starter, maybe even an aged Semillon then move on to a Chardonnay then a Pinot Noir then maybe a Shiraz or a Cab Sav or in this case a Burgundy. But this is quite a quandary. Usually I put my faith in a sommelier. That way I get to try things I wouldn't normally. But I don't want to go in to a great meal experience without much of an idea. The missus likes Chablis but I'm not sure it would marry well throughout the course of the meal. I am thinking we may choose a Chardonnay because we both like it or we may just simply choose from the wines by the glass. It would be a shame though to not take advantage of the wine list and experience something new though. The Beaujolais may be a good idea. Thanks once again for the suggestions and hopefully post a report in the food section. Any more recommendations gladly accepted. Cheers

[Colt45]

......hopefully post a report in the food section.

Definitely let us know how you make out

P.S. Chablis (unoaked chardonnay) can also be a great compliment to oysters / cold seafood starters.

[Bill Hayes]

There is a wine tasting menu and we may go down that track but I've found with a wine match that I tend to get too drunk to enjoy the food. Therefore, perhaps we will simply buy a bottle or have a couple of glasses then have a few more drinks afterwards.

[Tan1801]

There is a wine tasting menu and we may go down that track but I've found with a wine match that I tend to get too drunk to enjoy the food. Therefore, perhaps we will simply buy a bottle or have a couple of glasses then have a few more drinks afterwards.

I've had a few fine dining experiences where I've had a tad too much to drink via the wine matching.

You could always say to the sommelier that you want 1 glass for every 2 dishes or something. I did something similar to this when I visited Fat Duck in Bray 2 years ago.

I'm a wine novice though so I usually leave my fate to the sommelier.

Enjoy the experience tonight!

[sengjc]

I've had a few fine dining experiences where I've had a tad too much to drink via the wine matching.

You could always say to the sommelier that you want 1 glass for every 2 dishes or something. I did something similar to this when I visited Fat Duck in Bray 2 years ago.

I'm a wine novice though so I usually leave my fate to the sommelier.

Enjoy the experience tonight!

I think it extends to more than just dining.